Not exactly instrument specific, but I have several uses for small screwdrivers but most of them are pretty much crap. Good ones however are very expensive. So I replaced the tips with drill bits and sharpened them up and they work just fine. Here's how I did it:
https://youtu.be/7HzIp9Qz5J0?si=_36nVaLvRco0d5AP
Paul Montgomery
Fixing those cheapo screwdrivers
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Alan Carruth
- Posts: 1308
- Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2012 1:11 pm
Re: Fixing those cheapo screwdrivers
I just checked out that video, and wanted to post a tip, so to speak.
Good screwdrivers are hollow ground, so that the blade a short way up is actually a little thinner than the tip. Sharpening the faces of the tips on stones, as he shows, makes a wedge that pushes the blade upward when you turn it, forcing it out of the slot. In order to keep the tool engaged you have to apply a downward force, which works against withdrawing the screw. If the end is properly hollow ground, and has been ground perpendicular and flat across the tip, it creates an edge that will actually cut into the slot, and allow you to produce some force that can pull the screw out. This is a real help sometimes, especially with those small tuner screws that have chewed up the wood of the head. It works best when the tip just fits into the slot, so that it engages all the way across. When they're properly sharpened and fit you don't mess up nearly as many slots.
Good screwdrivers are hollow ground, so that the blade a short way up is actually a little thinner than the tip. Sharpening the faces of the tips on stones, as he shows, makes a wedge that pushes the blade upward when you turn it, forcing it out of the slot. In order to keep the tool engaged you have to apply a downward force, which works against withdrawing the screw. If the end is properly hollow ground, and has been ground perpendicular and flat across the tip, it creates an edge that will actually cut into the slot, and allow you to produce some force that can pull the screw out. This is a real help sometimes, especially with those small tuner screws that have chewed up the wood of the head. It works best when the tip just fits into the slot, so that it engages all the way across. When they're properly sharpened and fit you don't mess up nearly as many slots.
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Matthew Lau
- Posts: 635
- Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2012 2:03 am
Re: Fixing those cheapo screwdrivers
Hey Paul,
How cheap is cheap?
My wife teases me for being "bougie" with stuff I like: cookware, tools, office supplies.
I've found that there's usually a slightly more expensive option that is significantly better than the cheap stuff (Grace screwdrivers, Bondhaus allen wrenches, etc).
How cheap is cheap?
My wife teases me for being "bougie" with stuff I like: cookware, tools, office supplies.
I've found that there's usually a slightly more expensive option that is significantly better than the cheap stuff (Grace screwdrivers, Bondhaus allen wrenches, etc).