Cling Wrap

Sometimes you have to put in a screw in a place that you just can't get your hand in there and if you drop the screw you are totally hosed. I was repairing a broken wire in my boat yesterday and ran into one of those. Of course it's a stainless steel screw so a mag tip wouldn't work.

I couldn't find any of the screw holder screwdrivers I used to have, and it was late enough I wasn't confident in finding one at any stores that would still be open. I considered making one, but thought maybe somebody else would have a better solution. I did a search for DIY screw holding screwdriver or something like that and found a good tip that worked perfectly.

Poke the screw through some cling wrap. Place the screw on the screw driver. Wrap the cling wrap around the screw driver to hold the screw firmly against the tip. Start the screw a couple threads. Pull back the cling wrap and screwdriver to tear the screw through. Remove the cling wrap. Tighten the screw the rest of the way.

Its simple, elegant, works very well, and I wish had thought of it.

Reply to
Bob La Londe
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Holy crap, that's great!

Dave

Reply to
Dave__67

Bob, that's definitely a keeper. THANK YOU for posting the tip. I can think of half a dozen situations, just in the last six months, where I could have used that.

Reply to
Doug Miller

Very nice! Great tip. Waaay back when I was a TV repair tech in mid last century we used to dig a small piece of the waxy stuff off the flyback xformer and used it to stick the screw to the driver. It worked great but I haven't seen that waxy stuff in decades. Art

Reply to
Artemus

Excellent. Thanks.

Reply to
rangerssuck

Great idea Bob, that's gonna come in very handy.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

Thank you! Not only is that about as simple and elegant as it gets, it could be applied to probably any fastener, including hex head bolts with sockets. Going to add a roll to the aluminum foil I keep in the shop.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Anderson

Hey Bob,

Good one !!

I don't usually have any Saran Wrap or other handy cling-paper at the job-site or in the shop, but I always have black electricians tape. Works exactly the same method you describe, and on a box-end wrench to hold a nut.

Take care.

Brian Lawson, Bothwell, Ontario.

ps....wuzzat about a boat????

Reply to
Brian Lawson

Masking tape, freezer tape and regular scotch tape all work. Some are easier than others to remove after the screw is started. Just depends on what you have on hand. And you can wrap a nut in newspaper and use that to hold it in a socket while running it on a stud or bolt in a hole. That's if you don't have any proper-sized rare-earth magnets to do the same.

Stan

Reply to
stans4

NOW you tell me! :)

Reply to
CaveLamb

What about the "dipey" stuff used to protect a re-sharpened mill cutter? might it work? ...lew...

Reply to
Lewis Hartswick

Much better and more sanitary than the boogers I've been using for decades.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Damn, I was afraid to volunteer my solution.

karl

Reply to
Karl Townsend

Or -- just do what I do -- save the wax from Gouda cheese, and when you get enough, melt it and pour into some disposable container for future use -- for tool dipping and whatever.

Enjoy, DoN.

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

Well, you've never had to worry about running out have you? ;-)

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

Drill a hole in the back end of the screwdriver and fill it with the wax. Not my idea but I remember it from an old Popular Science/Mechanics magazine many years ago.

John

Reply to
John

Can you fart at will? (maybe you're the wrong guy to ask)

Reply to
Tom Gardner

I wondered why I saved that. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Reply to
Gerald Miller

With the medication I'm on? NO.

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

Unless of course you're in Church!

Reply to
Tom Gardner

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