No, not uninformed! The vintage metric tension rods are closer to 5mm, actually around 4.9mm I believe, and have a thread pitch that is no longer used. I found an old post about this, showing that the threads matched up to a 28 TPI (Threads Per Inch) gauge. So, unless you are very patient and want to wait for these tension rods, do what I did...just re-thread to 12-24. It's really easy to do!-Mark
Last night I decided it was time to tap or die! (pun intended)
A quick trip to Lowes for the tap ($6), a sip of the good stuff to steady my hands, and now my MIJ lugs will readily accept good old off-the-shelf "Merican" (made in China) tension rods. Just had to work slow and steady and keep the tap oiled. Just like Mark said...it's really easy to do! Great outcome, and I feel like I have learned another skill that could be useful in the future. Thanks again Mark for the suggestion!
AL