Can anyone recommend a nail and screw detector that won't be fooled by
foil-backed plasterboard? I'm hoping to find the heads of the steel
fixing screws, which protrude a board's thickness forward of the foil.

Any recommendations based on *practical experience*, please?


--
Ian White

Ian White wrote:
Can anyone recommend a nail and screw detector that won't be fooled by
foil-backed plasterboard? I'm hoping to find the heads of the steel
fixing screws, which protrude a board's thickness forward of the foil.

Any recommendations based on *practical experience*, please?

Impossible? perhaps if you explain in a bit of detail as to why you want to
find nails/screws someone could come up with an idea?

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

"The3rd Earl Of Derby" wrote in message
. uk...
Ian White wrote:
Can anyone recommend a nail and screw detector that won't be fooled by
foil-backed plasterboard? I'm hoping to find the heads of the steel
fixing screws, which protrude a board's thickness forward of the foil.

Any recommendations based on *practical experience*, please?

Impossible? perhaps if you explain in a bit of detail as to why you want
to
find nails/screws someone could come up with an idea?

Just use some strong neodymium magnets (I used 4 off 1/2" x 1/8" from Ebay
or http://www.powermagnetstore.com/, a rod magnet might have been better)
they stick on the screws. I removed the kitchen/study ceiling, cleanly this
way, last weekend. Use the magnets to find the screws, expose the heads
using a screwdriver (or other appropriate tool), remove 1/2 the screws per
plasterboard sheet, score along 1/2 of sheet and pull down. Sheet breaks
cleanly in half, minimum mess and easily handled.

"Ian_m" wrote in message
...
"The3rd Earl Of Derby" wrote in message
. uk...
Ian White wrote:
Can anyone recommend a nail and screw detector that won't be fooled by
foil-backed plasterboard? I'm hoping to find the heads of the steel
fixing screws, which protrude a board's thickness forward of the foil.

Any recommendations based on *practical experience*, please?

Impossible? perhaps if you explain in a bit of detail as to why you want
to
find nails/screws someone could come up with an idea?

Just use some strong neodymium magnets (I used 4 off 1/2" x 1/8" from Ebay
or http://www.powermagnetstore.com/, a rod magnet might have been better)
they stick on the screws. I removed the kitchen/study ceiling, cleanly
this way, last weekend. Use the magnets to find the screws, expose the
heads using a screwdriver (or other appropriate tool), remove 1/2 the
screws per plasterboard sheet, score along 1/2 of sheet and pull down.
Sheet breaks cleanly in half, minimum mess and easily handled.


Brilliant tip. Cheers

Steven Campbell wrote:

"Ian_m" wrote

Ian White wrote:
Can anyone recommend a nail and screw detector that won't be fooled by
foil-backed plasterboard? I'm hoping to find the heads of the steel
fixing screws, which protrude a board's thickness forward of the foil.

Any recommendations based on *practical experience*, please?


Just use some strong neodymium magnets (I used 4 off 1/2" x 1/8" from Ebay
or http://www.powermagnetstore.com/, a rod magnet might have been better)
they stick on the screws. I removed the kitchen/study ceiling, cleanly
this way, last weekend. Use the magnets to find the screws, expose the
heads using a screwdriver (or other appropriate tool), remove 1/2 the
screws per plasterboard sheet, score along 1/2 of sheet and pull down.
Sheet breaks cleanly in half, minimum mess and easily handled.

Brilliant tip. Cheers

Yes - brilliant!

I need to fix shelf brackets to the wooden studs underneath, but had
forgotten to mark the centres on the floor before the plasterers came.
However, I do know that the studs are accurately vertical, and the
plasterboard screws are accurately on the centre-lines.

All right then... old pair of headphones... crunch... small ceramic
magnet... scan delicately across wall... magnet sticks to wall over
screw head, exactly as advertised... mark... scan up and down... mark...
mark... good vertical line. Next stud, etc.

Excellent - thanks, Ian!


--
Ian White

"Ian White" wrote in message
...
snip

I need to fix shelf brackets to the wooden studs underneath, but had
forgotten to mark the centres on the floor before the plasterers came.
However, I do know that the studs are accurately vertical, and the
plasterboard screws are accurately on the centre-lines.

All right then... old pair of headphones... crunch... small ceramic
magnet... scan delicately across wall... magnet sticks to wall over screw
head, exactly as advertised... mark... scan up and down... mark... mark...
good vertical line. Next stud, etc.

Excellent - thanks, Ian!
Oh you might want to wrap insulation tape round magnets as:-

1. The nickel coating leaves marks on emulsion paint (not a problem if
removing).
2. The magnets are prone to shattering if they say "jump" to something ie
screwdriver used to remove screws.

Ian_m wrote:
"Ian White" wrote in message
...
snip

I need to fix shelf brackets to the wooden studs underneath, but had
forgotten to mark the centres on the floor before the plasterers came.
However, I do know that the studs are accurately vertical, and the
plasterboard screws are accurately on the centre-lines.

All right then... old pair of headphones... crunch... small ceramic
magnet... scan delicately across wall... magnet sticks to wall over screw
head, exactly as advertised... mark... scan up and down... mark... mark...
good vertical line. Next stud, etc.

Excellent - thanks, Ian!
Oh you might want to wrap insulation tape round magnets as:-

1. The nickel coating leaves marks on emulsion paint (not a problem if
removing).
2. The magnets are prone to shattering if they say "jump" to something ie
screwdriver used to remove screws.

Thanks for the warnings. The magnets I used weren't prone to either of
those problems (probably because they were nowhere near as strong as the
ones you used) but it's best not to find out the hard way.



--
Ian White