I am presently tinkering with a couple brass locomotives, they need to be fine turned so that they operate effecienttly and with less noise.
When it comes to putting the locomotives back together it gets pretty frustrating trying to insert these tiny screws back into the locomotive.
Is there not a trick that allows one to hold a brass screw in place on the head of the screwdriver that allows easier positioning of the screw in order to put it back into the hole in which it came outÉ
If you don’t have a proper tined holder, you could try some silicon wax, the kind used in earplugs, or use cross-country ski wax, the stuff for near-freezing temps. Just a light coating, a dab, and then insert the tip of the screwdriver into the dab that you had placed atop the screw head. It should work well, especially if you can lift, move laterally, and insert the screw dangling from a vertically held screwdriver…as in with the engine inverted or the screw hole vertical.
Crandell
ear wax
grizlump
Micro Mark lists two tools which might help:
83512 Quick Wedge would be for slotted screws. I have one similar for larger screws, works well in most places.
21116A The Gripster that Selector describes as a “tined holder” grips the screw head, so can start either style screw. I have one and it works very well. Only thing is if the screw starts hard, there is nothing to fit into the head of the screw to apply much force to the turn. Need to finish the job with a screwdriver.
Good luck,
Richard
I’ve been known to use a little CA glue to attach a screw to a screwdriver. Usually the twisting force of the screwdriver breaks the adhesive bond, but not until after the screw is well started into the threaded hole.
I use a pair of tweezers to hold the screw in place and a screwdriver to screw it in. Needle nose for small screws.
Good luck
Paul
A small dab of any type thick adhesive such as Goop, silicon caulk, or Aleen’s Tacky Glue works well for this. Just dip the screwdriver tip into a small amount.
If you’re going to try CA, I’d use the Gel type so you don’t get too much on the screw and jam the mechanism. The wattery CA will tend to wick over the entire screw if you use too much.
Soldering Paste. The LION uses soldering paste. You always have that stuff around the layout.
ROAR
A small dab of petroleum jelly works too. Just be careful how much you use, because you don’t want it gunking up your loco.
Be careful using caulking and adhesive caulking…if it covers and hardens in the slots of your screw you are…uh…yup, you got it.
Crandell
Make sure the driver fits the screw first. Never use a smaller driver or have to jam the driver into the slot. There are many sizes of Philips type screws also. Most times the proper size driver is all that is needed. If the screw is too small to hold with tweezers or will not grip the driver I will use a plastic compatible grease to hold it. Just a dab will do it.
Pete
I grab my micro curved tweezers & hold the shank of the screw & then plunge it, & start it with the driver. It is mostly accessible, & works for me…
One of the suggestions I received is so simple and yet it works so well. I thought I should share it with you.
We are talking very small screws. We are talking #70, #80 and # 90 bolds/screws.
Use a drafting pencil (minus the lead of course) the three prongs will hold the screw very tightly. You can actually start the screw and most times turn the screw until it is about half way in, then use the proper screwdriver to finish it.
I am going through my brass collection doing maintenance which is long over due with these engines as the vast majority of these have never been used, are 30 to 40 years old and have never received maintenance.
I’ve been using a tool like the “Gripster” that Micromart sells, they call it a nut starter, mine was called a screw starter: http://www.micromark.com/gripster-nut-starter-00-10,6735.html It works very well with the screws typically found on brass models and pretty much all models. they work well for removing the screws as well, no more droping the screws inside a model or bouncing to the abyss (the floor).
A small tab of scotch tape attatching the screw to the driver also works for me…when the screw is started permanently, you simply peel away the tape…
[8-|]
I use that method for larger screws, it does not work for me for the much smaller screws that you find on brass locomotives.
The Gripper or Screw Starter that I refferenced is the right tool. Sometimes it pays to bite the bullet and buy the right tool.
Check some of the items here.
http://www.ehobbytools.com/contents/en-us/d3.html
The most useful are the spring loaded screw starter/part grabbers toward the bottom of the page.
Andre
Thanks for all the advice.
It is actually funny, Here I spent hours doing trial and error fittings and all the time I had a mess of draughting pencils sitting in a jar not think of their usefullnes once you took the lead out…
Well using those has turned my lube and cleaning project of my brass engines into an assembly line like effort.
I did order a set of the spring loaded nut and also a screw holder.