Four Cheese Head Screws

Curt · Jun 1, 2006

are all that holds the lensboard onto the front standard of the Busch Pressman 2x3 Rangefinder camera. When looking to see what the screws were I found that they are cheese head machine screws and that all of the cheese head screws are metric. No SAE, all metric. Being that the camera is of US manufacturer could these screws be other than metric? I am still searching for the fiberglass like material that the lensboard is made of. Anyone have any experience with this material?

Nick Zentena · Jun 1, 2006

Letter screws?

Ed Sukach · Jun 1, 2006

"Cheese Head"?? Made in Green Bay ... maybe??

I would assume that you are describing "Filister Head" screws - and *many* of them were "SAE" - NC/ NF; UNC/UNF; - "inch sizes". An equal amount were probably produced in Metric, Whitworth, Lowenhwertz 55 -30 ... I don't know - throw in "Dardelet Self-Locking" if you wish.

If they were used on an American camera, as the Busch Pressman, odds are that they were NC or NF. The odds are fair ( - only "fair") that readily available (or thereabouts) standard hardware store filister-head screws (e.g.,#3-48; #4-40; #5-40, etc.) would fit.

Claire Senft · Jun 1, 2006

I live in Wisconsin. Can I offer you the use of a couple of my loose screws?

Tom Hoskinson · Jun 1, 2006

Ed Sukach said:
"Cheese Head"?? Made in Green Bay ... maybe??

I would assume that you are describing "Filister Head" screws - and *many* of them were "SAE" - NC/ NF; UNC/UNF; - "inch sizes". An equal amount were probably produced in Metric, Whitworth, Lowenhwertz 55 -30 ... I don't know - throw in "Dardelet Self-Locking" if you wish.

If they were used on an American camera, as the Busch Pressman, odds are that they were NC or NF. The odds are fair ( - only "fair") that readily available (or thereabouts) standard hardware store filister-head screws (e.g.,#3-48; #4-40; #5-40, etc.) would fit.

cheese head: disc with cylindrical outer edge, height approximately half the head diameter.

Cheese head screws can come in a variety of different threads. The cheese head screws that secure my Busch Pressman's lens board are SAE threaded (NC).

BWGirl · Jun 1, 2006

Well darn... I thought they were actual cheese head screws... though I do know a few cheeseheads with loose screws...

Jim Chinn · Jun 1, 2006

I thought he was asking about 4 Wisconsin prison gaurds.

Ed Sukach · Jun 1, 2006

Tom Hoskinson said:
cheese head: disc with cylindrical outer edge, height approximately half the head diameter.

Cheese head screws can come in a variety of different threads. The cheese head screws that secure my Busch Pressman's lens board are SAE threaded (NC).

Oh! "Disc with cylindrical outer edge..." Disc with ..." And that is different from a cylinder ... how?

The original "filister head" was a slotted head in the form of a cylinder with a flat top; later it was modified by adding a mild radius to the contour of the top of the cylinder. Some may be found with a knurled outer cylinder surface - allowing "finger tightening" or the use of a screwdriver.

Hmmm ... H = 1/2 outer diameter of head ... could be; some are considerably "taller".

"Cheese head" might be an archaic description ... it does approximate the shape of a wheel of cheese - or a possible British use.

mikebarger · Jun 1, 2006

Newspaper articles make me think Wisconsin cheese jokes should now reference California, and therefore be more accurate than funny.

Curt · Jun 1, 2006

I found a lot of listings for the so called Cheese Head Screws including McMaster-Carr and they were all metric. Something is cheesy here. I have a tap and die set that can take care of all those stinky cheese threads. When in doubt - Tap it out.

I wonder if the cheese head screws from Wisconsin are all stripped and the ones from GB all have left hand threads?

BWGirl · Jun 2, 2006

Curt said:
I wonder if the cheese head screws from Wisconsin are all stripped and the ones from GB all have left hand threads?

Since Wisconsin has a high rate of shall we say... 'overabundant' physiques, I'd guess that cheesehead screws rarely strip. And on any Sunday in the fall, I can guarantee you will find a myriad of cheeseheads in 'da Green Bay'!

Four Cheese Head Screws

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