Hi all. I am looking for an easy method for starting small #0 brass slotted wood screws. I have just finished installing 12 of these little devils mounting two hinges on a small tea box.
Holding them in my fat fingers they disappear from sight, holding them with needle nose plyers they flop all over the place. I even tried poking them through a piece of paper but then I lose sight of the location where I want to start the screw. They are brass so a magnet will not work.
I have not been able to find a split tip screwdriver small enough to fit in the small slot in the head of the screw.
Help, as I have several more boxes in progress .
Frustrated Mike
Replies
Mike,
Are you predrilling for the screws? That would certainly help you drive them. To hole the screw to your screwdriver, push it through a piece of masking tape from the sticky side, put the screw on your screwdriver, and wrap the tape around the screwdriver shaft. Of course, you have to tear off the tape before seating the screw. Slow, perhaps wasteful, but effective.
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
(soon to be www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Short length of clear tubing (aquarium tubing) with id the size of screw head ? Grind sides of screw driver to fit into tubing if too wide.
or
Could file a notch in the jaws of your needle nose pliers at the tip to keep screw from tilting.
or
There is a tapping stand to start taps square to surface. Maybe you could get/make one. Put a screw driver tip in it with a dot of something sticky on the tip and would allow you to start screw square without hand shaking etc. then tighten with normal screw driver.
There are much lighter duty ones, these are over kill but only picture I could find. Maybe you could make from wood:
http://www.victornet.com/cgi-bin/victor/productlist.html?subdepartments=Tap+Guides:598,600,942,595,943
Has a window on the side so you can see when screw starts.
Edited 12/4/2008 12:59 am by roc
Edited 12/4/2008 1:02 am by roc
No need for frustration. You need to be able to see clearly first so if using an extra lense or head loupe helps now is the time.
Then you need some small tweezers and a jewellers type screw driver which fits the slots snugly-a press fit is best if you can manage it.
I assume each hole has been "drilled" by either a drill or very thin awl, or needle with a chisel point. Use the tweezers to pick up and position the screw vertically in the hole and the screw driver held between thumb and second finger with index finger on top - the thumb and second finger do the turning and the index finger applies suitable downward pressure. You can actually enjoy it.
I cut a slot in a matchbook cover with a utility knife. Start a pilot hole with a small awl or needle. With brass, you may want to pre-drill in hardwoods. An Archemedes drill is handy for delicate holes, an egg beater hand drill may also work, if it will hold the small bit
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
My first thought was a split-tip driver but you say they don't come small enough. Klein makes one that's pretty small. Have you tried it?
Second thought is to put something a little sticky on the end of the driver. Maybe a drop of varnish??? Perhaps some beeswax or honey for that matter. Petroleum jelly would work....
There's always Red Green's tried and true approch: a hammer.
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
(soon to be www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
With a duct tape backer.
I use a gimlet to make the holes and a little bit of beeswax on the screwdriver tip to hold the screws. The beeswax works on phillips drive screws too.
Sears makes screw drivers that hold the screw with two little spring fingers. The 1/8-inch blade one should work.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00941123000P
Most hardware stores sell a tool called a gimlet. Just a screwdriver that has a threaded end instead of a screwdriver tip. Use this tool to start the threads, remove and turn the screws in with two fingers to start. Then finish up with a screwdriver.
The one I have is a Stanley.Unless the wood is very hard, you won't need a pilot hole.
mike
Maybe some of you didn't notice he said he's using #0 screws. Starting these with two normal-sized fingers would be very tough (the head's only 0.112" in diameter, and the shaft is 0.060"), and finding a gimlet this small would also be difficult ('smallest I've seen is a #2).
As for handling the screws, the tweezer, jeweler's screwdriver, and Optivisor method is probably the best.
You're correct Barry, I did not realize how small 0 screw was until I read your reply.I don't believe I've ever used wood screws that small.
mike
I have a set of Starrett jewelers screwdrivers with tiny bits of gekko foot glued to the flat ends of the blades. They hold the #0 brass screws nicely, but you have to wiggle them a bit to get them to let go. ;-)
PROBLEM SOLVED!
I decided to make wooden hinges and glue them to the tea box and forget the #0 brass wood screws. I still have not found a split tip screwdriver small enough to drive the #0 screw.
Picture attached of the wooden hinge and the #0 screw.
That's a beautiful hinge.Next time you have to start such a small screw, you might try holding it with an electrician's wire stripper. One of the wire gauges is likely to be a good fit.BruceT
Pre- drill the hole using a longer steel sheet metal screw to 'tap' the threads. Cut or grind off the sheet metal screw head' so it can be held in a chuck, and with a egg beater type hand drill, tap the holes.
Why not use Phillips head screws? Also use a 1/4"hex screwdriver bit size O in your magnetic hand screw driver (Apex 446 # O )
To center each screw to fit the hinge holes,
I first use a small 60deg counter sink to 'spot' through the hinge holes before drilling the holes for flat headed screws.
Steinmetz
Edited 12/9/2008 11:11 pm ET by Steinmetz
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