My father was a watchmaker back when the Hamiltons and Elgins ran off a wound up spring and many times as a lad I watch him deftly reach over into a tray with tweezers and pick up a screw that I could not even see with the naked eye. He would make a quick motion of slightly tapping the screw onto the bench top to straighten it into the correct positon for the threaded hole, set it in place and without looking up, pick up the correct screwdriver and drive it home. Oh that I had that talent!
Since my manual dexterity has eroded over the years, dealing with small screw on locos is a pain. I hate it when they fall away from the screwdriver and plunged down into a dark hole in the engine. Thus my question.
Is there any harm, to the beloved model locomotive that is, in touching your screw driver to a small magnet to briefly magnitize it, keeping the wayward screw in place? Are there other ways for a 62 year old with bifocals to deal with the little devils?
JaRRell
Using a magnetized screwdriver should be perfectly okay – but be aware that a lot of the screws used in the modeling world are brass or stainless steel and are not attracted by a magnet.
Micro Mark sells jeweler’s screwdrivers with tiny spring claws on the tip to hold screws. I don’t have one of their printed catalogs here, but you can probably find it by searching their Web site at http://www.micromark.com
JaRRel;
Wrong or not, I have all my little “jewelers” screwdrivers magnetized. I’m 67 and have a similar problem. Maybe a wad of chewing gum would work, but that seems it might be a little big.[:o)] Now, if I could only way to find lost coupler springs![:D]
Tom.
You forgot to add “Itsy bitsy!”
They indeed are getting smaller and becoming more specialized as the new models are coming out.
Some days I rather weld or rivet the dern things than try to screw them in.
Jarrell, this will probably come as little comfort, but;### Switch to a larger scale?[banghead][:o)][swg]
In O scale we only have tiny screws, and in G they are merely small.[;)]
I have tried the tiny screwdrivers with the claws, but what I did was get a pair of squeeze-to-open tweezers, and coat the tips with diluted tool handle coating. I diluted it so the final coating would be very thin, and it worked. Now I can hold the screw until I get it started without fearing that dreaded “ping!” when the tweezers ejected the screw somewhere into the infinite, never to be seen again.
When the screw falls down a dark hole on the loco I am grateful because at least I know where it is.
Gee… and I thought it was caused by the same thing that keeps making the print in the telephone books smaller and smaller. [:D] I will have to try Virginian’s trick. I also find a small pair of needlenose pliers helpful and I also have a couple of pairs of forceps that come in handy now and then.
Thank you all for the tips. Sometimes I think (if I didn’t have so much tied up in HO) that I’d like to switch to O scale. I have a little of it and boy those are some big screws in that. And great sound too!. But alas, I’d need twice the space I’ve got now and I don’t have enough as it is… 
JaRRell
jacon12 I have already made the decision years ago that if my eyes and nerves are too bad I would switch to 0 scale.
I would not try to duplicate the HO stuff in twice the space in O. Rather I might plan something somewhat simpler and maybe less elaborate when the time comes. I am betting that O Scale will be pretty good in selections and range of “stuff” to choose from by then.
howmus… you made me smile today. I might add the house slowly going off level and things getting more crooked thru the years. =)
I have two screw deivers with small magnets on the butt end. I place the screws in place with these magnets and then screw them home. An older jewlers trick is to wear a white apron attatched to the edge of your work table to catch stray parts before they hit the ground.
I use a tiny drop of super glue.
I have use .00-90s to fasten MT couplers on locomotives and when I body mounted couplers on cars…I use a retractable three prong holder to hold small screws.I am 57 and need to wear glasses while driving or while on the computer…[:D]
I broke the 50 mark this spring and I’d have to admit that if I had known the valley was this beautiful I’d have gotten over the hill (40 BTW) much earlier. Along with the recent miniaturization of screws, details and phone print I’ve realized that I’ve become much stronger with the passing years. When I was a teenager I’d have needed the assistance of three friends to carry $100 worth of Mom’s groceries into the house. Last night I lugged that amount across the threshold with one hand. Maybe it’s the new plastic bags with the built in handles making it possible. [8D]
Dave (dwRavenstar)
Jerrel,
A trick that I use when servicing aircraft radios is a small amount of beeswax on the tip of the screwdriver. This works for torx and philllips as well. The beeswax is also good to lubricate wood screws before driving them in.
BB
I leave my screwdriver tips on a magnet, no problems with tiny screws at all.
I’m in with the older crowd as well, but i have not yet chanced taking my locomotive apart, so I haven’t had to mess with those teenie weenie screws yet…
As for improving your vision, Jarrell, did you ever consider the Opti-Visor that I mentioned to you some time back?
Even switching to G scale does not solve your problems, folks. I have an AccuCraft Mimi live steam engine that has screws so tiny that even the smallest jeweler’s screwdriver and nutdriver set from Micro-Mark is too big. Drop one of these puppies on the floor and you’ll never find it, guaranteed! A hex head bolt with a head size of something like .01mm x 1/32" long. I can’t even find sizes this small listed in any of the standards charts. I can barely even see one of these things, let alone put it back into its hole, even with an OptiVisor and micro-sized tweezers. The people in China who assemble these things must work under 5,000 power magnifiers.
This is easy guys a small dab of grease will hold. Its a trick I learned to keep nuts in sockets when working deep holes and if it is magnetised even better
A prize to Virginian for the tool handle coating tip! As for the KD knuckle spring I’ve got an equally helpful hint. Lots of spares! I don’t even bend over to look for the things.