Gripping screwdrivers for miniture screws.

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I am assembling a Bowser kit and replacing the cheap couplers with better ones. The problem is I cant grip and drive tiny screws. Has anyone had any experience with the so called slot gripping screwdrivers?

2

I had the same problem until a modeling friend of mine gave a three prong gripper…Works like a charm with those tiny screws.

I can even start those small screws with that tool.

3

Trouble is all of the gripping screwdrivers I find online are too big for tiny screws.

4

Moses45,

I guess, you did not check out this site,that I posted on your other thread, they have all kinds of tools like you would be looking for.

http://www.micromark.com/emailrequest.aspx

Brouse, the tools,you don’t have to join anything.

Cheers,

Frank

5

Laryy,

Do you know where your friend got the little gripper?

6

True Value I think but,you can order them from Walthers.I call it a gripper but,its actually a three prong holder.

Walthers Part # 230-203, p. 882 Walthers 2014 HO Scale Reference
A scale, $6.95.

Its a very handy tool to have.

7

I already looked at Micro Mark. Screwdriver is 12 dollars and change. By the time you add shipping you are at $20 for a small screwdriver. I always avoid Micro Mark unless they have something I cant get anywhere else. I found a better screwdriver for $8 plus shipping elsewhere. It is call a Quick Wedge screwdriver.

8

I like these, they work good. www.hjjcoinc.com

regards, Peter

9

Ear wax.

charlie

10

stick glue

11

I’ve use chewing gum…Work like a charm.

12

3M strip caulk (From an auto parts jobber like Napa, dont bother looking at part hucksters like Advance)

Black tacky type strips in a box, will hold screws, stop light leaks inside cabs, stops rattles, lots of uses. 1 box ought to be a lifetime supply for you and your buddies.[8D] The possibilities are endless!! [swg]

Not as gross as ear wax, wont get hard with age like putties and gum, harder to misplace than any tool. I pull 2 strips out at a time, ball it up and I stick mine to the side of my workbench. 2 strips last me a few years before I have to dig the box out of the garage. (I use it there too!) [:D]

!(http://i.ebayimg.com/t/3M-Strip-Calk-08578-Black-60-1-ft-Strips-per-box-/00/s/MjY4WDUwMA==/z/WJgAAMXQQQhRd-RW/$(KGrHqFHJFQFEMbLcnqJBRd-RW1CUQ~~60_3.JPG)

Found some on ebay, 5 bucks than Wally World (I’m amazed wally world carries it [:O])

13

I have a two part solution that works in most cases:

First: Toss the slot screws in the garbage and get some Phillips head (cross head) screws with the same thread, not stainless steel.

Second: Stick a small magnet on the shaft of your screwdriver close to the handle.

The screw will stick quite nicely on the end of the screwdriver without the need to use any condensed bodily fluids, black sticky stuff (although I can see a ton of other uses for that stuff - thanks for the lead Karl) or otherwise. It will stay straight enough to start it in the socket threads.

Using the same technique for slot screws doesn’t work because the screw will flip sideways every time.

Actually we here in Canada don’t suffer the annoyances of trying to keep your slot screwdriver blade centered in a screw slot because we don’t use slot screws. (How many times can you say ‘slot’ in the same sentence?).

My favourite Canadian screw is the ‘Robertson’ square head. It sticks on the end of a screwdriver just fine. No slipping unless your screw socket or your screwdriver is worn out. You US guys need to get with the times![swg] Just kidding! If your hands are steady enough to consistently drive slot screws then you have my admiration! Me - every slot screw I come across goes in the garbage. Unfortunately you can’t get Robertson screws small enough for rolling stock.

Dave

14

Dave,

I totally agree with you, about the slot screws. [:)]

Cheers,

Frank

15

I too like the Robertson squarehead, but they are hard to get in the USA.

I have successfully used tweezers to hold the screw in place while getting the screw started with the screwdriver.

Good luck

Paul

16

Dave,All that over a tiny screw when a $6.95 holder will eliminate all that?

Tossing perfectly good screws into the trash and buying new screws isn’t my idea of fixing a simple problem.

Don’t mean to be a grumpy and

17

Hi,

This is an easy fix, but needs a light touch to do it right…

LIGHTLY touch the end of the driver to a dab of paint (I use clearcote) and then put the screw on the end. It only takes a minute amount for the smallest of screws, and you don’t want to overdo it by any means.

18

Go to your local stationary store. The Staedtler/Mars mechanical pencil for the 2.0mm leads is ideal.

The jaw is composed of three prongs that are spring loaded and will hold the smallest of screws/bolts tight.

http://www.jerrysartarama.com/images/products/drafting/00v02540000000-st-01-holder.jpg

I had a micromart gripper, but only use the Staedtler pencil, it works great. They are getting a bit expensive though.

but they do the job like nothing else I have seen on the market. The pressure of the jaws is the secret.

19

Larry, to be honest I don’t come across very many slot screws. Most of the rolling stock I have purchased already had Philips screws so not that many slot screws have been sacrified.

I have a gripper but I don’t ever seem to need to use it. With the magnet on the screwdriver shaft the Philips screw practically puts itself on the end of the screwdriver (well, not quite but close). I don’t have to take the time to line the screw up in the prongs of a gripper which I personally find to be an unneccessary middle step. Besides, I get a perverse pleasure from tossing something that I consider to be an outdated and ineffecient design (no offense intended).[2c]

My father would cringe too if he knew that I was throwing out “perfectly good screws”, but then again he used to spend hours straightening out used nails.[(-D]

Now, if we really had our all acts together we would be using Torx head screws for everything (Torx screws are the six pointed thingies that are often used in automobile applications in case some of you didn’t recognise the name). The screws stay firmly stuck on the screwdriver, the screwdriver tips last a very long time (one of the weaker points about Robertsons is that they have a somewhat limited tip life) and the screws are very difficult to strip (another weak point of the Robertson design). Too bad they have not had a wider application.

Dave

20

The original post was talking about those bothersome tiny screws, such as used for coupler pockets.

There is no way you are going to find screws/bolts that small with Robertson heads or even Phillips heads.

These tiny small screws are usually either slotted or hex headed.

That is why a gripper type utensil is required. With a strong springed gripper you can start the screw/bolt to the threads, then use the small optical type screwdriver or the small socket head driver to finish tightening the screww/bolt.