On Sep 3, 5:22*pm, "DoN. Nichols" wrote:
On 2011-09-02, Sunworshipper SW@GWNTUNDRA wrote:

* * * * [ ... ]

I'm getting to the point of being afraid to throw anything away cause
there are so many alternate uses for things. Like yesterday I was
using one of those rubber spatula's for an extended finger to thread
in a bolt that I could only reach with one finger.

* * * * Hmm ... in buying used electronic service toolkits, I wound up
with a set of spring-loaded thimbles with spring-loaded clips for various
sized hex nuts -- which is great for that particular task. *(I have,
before, used double-sided tape to hold the nut to the fingertip.) *

* * * * As for screws -- I've got both straight and Phillips screw
starters which have a twist-lock. *You pushed the screw onto the end of
the driver and part of it rotates to lock the screw in place. *For the
straight blade, it is the middle which rotates relative to the rest of
the blade. *For the Phillips, one cross-blade rotates relative to the
other,a nd both have gripping surfaces. *Obviously, these are useless
for applying much torque, but great for starting screws -- or for
picking screws out of recesses -- cock the driver, move it down onto the
screw head, and press. *When it goes "snap" pull out screw and driver.

* * * * I haven't seen those in stores for years -- but presumably
someone still makes them.

* * * * Enjoy,
* * * * * * * * DoN.

--
Used to be a staple item at the radio/TV supply places I used to go
to. Another business gone the way of the buggy whip. Had another sort
that worked better, a variation on the wedge driver for slotted
screws, where there's two right-angled petals that get expanded by a
plunger. That one really locked the Phillips and crosspoints in
place. I've see a smaller version at the local model railroad supply
where they've got lots of small specialty stuff like that.

Anymore, you can get really tiny rare earth magnets which solves the
problem of pulling trim screws out of deep holes. Useless for
nonmagnetic stainless and nylon numbers, but those are rarely in the
bottom of holes that deep. I use small disk magnets in sockets and
nutdrivers for starting nuts in the same circumstances. Particularly
handy where the bottom area is inaccessible and a dropped nut is gone
forever or worse, will get caught in the works.

Stan