On 2011-09-04, wrote:
On Sep 3, 5:22*pm, "DoN. Nichols" wrote:
On 2011-09-02, Sunworshipper SW@GWNTUNDRA wrote:

[ ... ]

* * * * 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.

[ ... ]

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 sounds like a neat approach.

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.

Hmm -- a No. 1 Phillips, a No. 2 Phillips, and perhaps a No. 3
Phillips and I would be happy there.

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.

Unless they come from my drawers of screws. I've picked up
quite a few large bags of SS Phillips hardware at hamfests over the
years. :-)

I use small disk magnets in sockets and
nutdrivers for starting nuts in the same circumstances.

Except for brass nuts -- mostly found on terminal studs on the
back of D'Arsonval style meters, where magnetic materials are a no-no,
and places where the environment can be nasty -- as in telephone
junctions boxes on the outside of a house. (Actually, they used them
indoors a lot too, once upon a time.

Particularly
handy where the bottom area is inaccessible and a dropped nut is gone
forever or worse, will get caught in the works.

Or -- can cause short circuits down the road. I'm currently
working on a couple of old Tektronix 7000 series 'scopes right now. The
first one (a 7704), had bad (low resistance) 100 uF 18V electrolytic
capacitors in the power supply -- replaced, but other things are not
working right either Lots of things to trace out in that one. The other
one (a 7623 storage 'scope) has two 1800 uF 75VDC electrolytic caps
which appear to have gone open or dry, and I'm not sure that I can find
any of the same format (tab mount on PC board through holes like used to
be in old TV electrolytics), so I may have to do some creative
modification to mount something which will fit and work.

It was a major task, digging out an electronics workbench which
has been buried for about fifteen years (and which mice and a chipmunk
had used for a smorgasbord with acorns and sunflower seeds. :-)

Enjoy,
DoN.

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