I recently spent an evening wiring up some snap switches & it involved getting short [about 1/8" shaft length] 2-56 bolts screwed down.
The eye/hand coordination is not what it used to be & I struggled lining them up with the hole & steadying them while I got the screw driver into the slot.
Does anyone know of a screwdriver set up to deal with small bolts?
I have one for much bigger screws & bolts that slides a magnetised tube down over the bolt head & helps hold the whole thing straight & steady while you line it up.
I stick a small neodyne magnet to the shaft of the screw driver. Works on any size driver if the screws can be picked up with a magnet. Got the magnets from Hobby Lobby, but any small neodyne magnet will work.
They are actually a straight [not tapered], threaded shaft ‘bolt’ that screws/bolts down into a nut . But they have a single slot panhead for which one needs to use a screwdriver. Life would be easier if they were hex head bolts as I have a tool for those that holds them neatly in line.
Re the Micro-Mark link - Something like the 21116A Gripster Nut Starter that will hold pan head bolts would do the trick, I guess.
Is the magnetism strong enough to hold the screw firmly ‘in line’ with the screw driver shaft?
Part of the problem I have had is the screwdriver shaft has picked up ‘weak’ magnetism somewhere along the way & when I try & get the tip into the screw slot, the magnetism tends to want to grab the bolt head on the side. Rather than hit the slot & line up.
You have pan head straight slot screws. They also come in Phillips head. If you have brass ones, magnets will not work. I use the gripster to insert Phillips head screws into the hole and turn a little so a thread or two grab. The I finish up with a jewelers Phillips screwdriver. I do the same with the small bolts and nuts.
The link I sent shows a red handled screw driver I use for the straight slot screws. I also use the gripster.
Look carefully though the link as there are some nice tools which can be a great help.
I use 00-90 and 0-80 hardware also so the tools are very handy. You might even consider an Optivisor. I entered geezer hood, the opposite of child hood, some years ago and the Optivisor is a great help.
A pox on the inventor of the slotted-head screw and its requisite tool.
You could add a small dab of silicone caulk to the blade before inserting it into your screw. Thereafter, a toothpick will remove all but inconsequential remnants.
2-56 MACHIN E SCREWS come with 'BLADE’or ‘PHILLIPS’ heads, brass or steel…The ATLAS screws are probably steel.
The BEST SCREW DRIVER for those is German made with tempered metal tool & swiviling palm end .The others are cheaper, but are '‘throw away.tools…(No comparison.)…’.
Regardless of blade or Phillips type,I use a tool to hold the screw, in fact I use 3, a 3 prong,4 prong, and 5 prong.spring loaded tools. Why don’t you? Kadee apparently has discontinued all but the 5 prrong below. Too bad,. I liked the 3 prong best.
A double pox on the inventor of the slotted-head screw. Long live the Robertson screw! [tup]
Instead of caulk, try a product called Hold It. You can get it at stationery stores. It is kind of like Plasticene and is designed to attach posters or other paper items to walls without damaging the wall or leaving a mark when it’s removed. No chance of it hardening in the slot if you don’t get it all out.
Okay: In reading my 50+ years of Model Railroader magazines I don’t recall anyone ever mentioning “Bolt” when referring to models, just 12"=1’, such as, “My drill press is bolted to my workbench.” Although technically “Machine Screws,” as opposed to “Wood Screws” or “Sheet Metal or Drywall Screws,” modelers let the screw and thread size tell you they’re using Machine Screws: 00-90, 0-80, 1-72, 2-56, 3-48 (extremely rare), 4-40, 6-32, 8-32, and 10-32—o