Smoother Screw Driving

Holding Power - Before you drive a screw you should dip the screwdriver blade tip into a small mound worth of scouring powder, or perhaps dig it into a carpenter's chalk cone. The coating of the cleanser or the chalk is going to make it easier for you to keep the tool in the screw slot, increasing holding power for more efficient and smoother driving.

Magnetic Tip - In order to start screws in places that are tight, you should make use of a magnetized type of screwdriver. You can buy a screwdriver that has been factory magnetized for you, or you can magnetize a screwdriver your own self by dragging the blade of the screwdriver across a magnetic in the same direction several times. To prevent this new charge from draining out of your magnetized screwdriver, you should keep it away from all other metal objects. The screwdriver that you magnetize at home should be able to hold its charge for around a week. In order to remove the magnetization from the tool, simply drag it over the same magnet but in the opposite direction instead.

Lube Job - You will have a much easier time driving your screw if you lube it up by pulling its threads across beeswax, a bar of soap, paste wax or some lip balm. Dipping a screw completely in linseed oil will not only ease the job when you drive it, but it will also help to prevent rust on the screw in the future.

Get a Grip - Another way that you can get a screw started in a difficult place is to push the screw through a piece of adhesive tape's sticky side, then insert the screw driver into your slot and wrap the tape up and around the screw driver's blade. Another option is simply to dab a little bit of rubber cement right on the head of the screw.

Hammer Time - Although it has been said that you should not ever hit a screw using a hammer, if you lightly tap a screw with a hammer when it is almost in place, it will cause the fibers of the wood to slant downward and compress against the threads of the screw. When the screw receives its final tightening, the bite that it achieves will be better.

Using Brass Screws - Brass screws may be attractive fasteners but they are fragile because their metal is so soft. In order to avoid this particular problem, you should drill a pilot hole, then use a screw that is steel but is the same size as the brass one, driving it into the hole instead. Now remove the steel screw from the wall, use soap to lubricate the end of the brass one, and drive it home.

Shellac Use - Finally, to keep a screw from becoming loosened as a result of vibrations, dab a little bit of shellac underneath the head of the screw. If you have to remove the screw later you can simply break the shellac by pressing firmly on your screwdriver while removing your screw.

Photo Credits: baboon™

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Handy Man, Tools

Tags:

adhesive tape, beeswax, blade tip, carpenter, chalk, fibers, hammer time, lip balm, magnet, magnetic tip, magnetization, paste wax, rubber cement, rust, scouring powder, screw driver, screw slot, screwdriver blade, screws, sticky side