Frequently Asked Questions
What type of screw gun should I use to install self drilling fasteners?
Standard 2,000 to 2,500 RPM variable speed screw guns with 4 to 8 amps and a positive clutch and or depth locating nose piece are recommended. DO NOT USE IMPACT TYPE GUNS.
Does 410 Stainless rust?
Yes, especially near or around salt water environments. DB suggest to all of its customers to use either our Marutex Ultrastainless Self Drilling Fasteners or 304 SS Self Tapping Fasteners.
What thickness can a #12 self drilling fastener drill into?
That varies greatly on the point number of the fastener, ie #2, #3, #4, #4.5, #5. Please see our Technical Brochure for more information.
Does DB ship abroad?
DB has shipped product to every continent, except of course Antarctica. And our sister company Multi Accessorios has 6 warehouses in Mexico and one in El Salvador as well.
Do I really need to use the Colorgard Calculator for S-5 Colorgard?
Does DB carry domestic fasteners?
DB carries a complete line of Domestic Self Drilling Fasteners along with a complete line of Domestic A325 hex bolts and TC Bolts. Some fasteners are just not available domestically anymore. These include most A307 hex bolts, drywall screws and smaller bolts and nuts. Need domestic? Call DB Building Fasteners for all your Domestic needs.
Can you match any color in your in house paint department?
DB can match any color, even metallic. DB also does various multi colored fasteners, one paint color looks as if the fastener is rusted for those beautiful Cor-ten steel roofs.
Self Drilling or Self Tapping?
Self Drilling Fasteners have a drill point on the end of the fastener. This drill point enables the fastener to “self drill” into steel. Self Tapping fasteners will only “tap” their threads, hence you have to predrill self tapping fasteners.
Self Driller
Sellf Tapping
What is the difference in Long Life Fasteners?
Long Life Fasteners come in many different coatings and or heads. You can apply a long life coating to a zinc plated fastener and the coating will prolong the life of the fastener over normal zinc. Some of these coatings you may have heard of before, Climaseal from ITW Buildex, Stalgard from Elco and DB carries its own Mag life. Normal zinc will only make it to about 10 to 20 hours to red rust in a salt spray test, long life coatings can go anywhere from 500 to 1,000 hours in salt spray. Another test for coatings is called Kesternich. While not as well know as salt spray, Kesternich testing is where the fastener is put into a chamber at a specific temperature and acid solution for a specific time. Normal zinc plated fasteners only last 1 cycle to red rust. Long life coated fasteners can make it anywhere from 5 to 10 cycles.
Long life can also mean a special head on the fastener. These heads can either be a Zinc Die Cast head which makes the head of the fastener not rust, but the Zinc Die Cast can turn dark grey to black near the ocean or other highly corrosive areas, these Zinc Die Cast heads are available on almost any fastener. DB calls its Zinc Die Cast fasteners, ZDC.
Another long life fastener is ITW Buildex’s SCOTS fastener. This fastener has a head of 300 stainless, hence the head will never rust.
If you truly want a long life fastener try DB’s UltraStainless fasteners, they will never rust, period!
Does DB have installation guidelines for Self Drilling Fasteners?
DB does offer a 3 page brochure by the name of “Installation Guidelines”. This brochure helps installers to properly install self drilling fasteners. You can download this brochure here.