I just twisted a torx bit into a spiral trying to remove a rusted screw, then used a Dremel to cut a slot across the top and took it out with a flat screwdriver. The screwdriver didn't bend at all.
None of the bits I ever saw are made of hardened steel like a single-piece screwdriver. Does anybody make harder bits?
Where did you get the poor things?
The cheap box of bits I got from Horrible Freight, I'd be rather more concerned that they're going to snap into pieces if I force them hard.
I've bent and twisted dozens of screwdrivers, though.
Tim
-- Seven Transistor Labs, LLC Electrical Engineering Consultation and Contract Design
Put some Viagra tablets in the container where you keep your bits. They will get hard! :)
Snap-On and Proto both make good torx bits. $12 per bit. They don't bend, they just suddenly break.
Anything below T-10 should not even be so tight as to twist off (or bugger up) even the cheap chinese tips.
Among all the drill driver makers one sees at the home center stores, there are a few where it is easily recognizable that they are made from better materials.
Flat-blade screwdrivers are formed of wire, with a heat-the-tip-and-smash-it action, followed by some quench and grinding. So, it's easy (trivial) to semi=harden the tip.
Phillips, not so easy. But yes, there's hard bits out there (some are TOO hard, and prone to shatter, many are butter-soft, and few are easy to identify as good 'uns by the buyer).
In 1/4" hex bits, Apex and Hitachi are good. Probably Vermont American, if they're still in business.
As for traditional Torx drivers (no replaceable tip) I'm mainly just getting no-name ones and sets, and half of 'em are serviceable. There's a 35-year-old Stanley that I like, but who knows if that's still relevant info.
Proto and Mac do, I think PB Baumann does also. They aren't cheap, but they work. We use the Proto ones.
In addition you may want to invest in some Kroil or PB Blaster, and maybe a small torch....
--scott
-- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
Don't forget they have a lifetime warranty on hand tools so get a better replacement.
Tim Williams wrote:
Try Milwaukee bits. There are a number of others that are designed for impact drivers but Milwaukee are the best, IMO.
Get good quality bits and your problem goes away. If you buy off Amazon or eBay then you get 3rd world quality, not 1st world.
Try some Hazet tools some time as an example of 1st world quality. Be sure you get them from a factory authorized distributor or you are likely to just buy counterfeit.
There is a reason why some brands of tools cost more than others...
John :-#)#
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John's Jukes Ltd.
Extra cost of marketing??
Lots of profits for brand owners?
-- Mike Perkins Video Solutions Ltd
Better quality.
Something that actually does what it promises?
Ever seen ads for Hazet, PB, or Proto? Those guys don't advertise much, because they don't really need to.
The people who put money into marketing are the mid-grade outfits like Snap-On and Mac, who make respectable but not marvelous tools and make up for that in advertising.
Maybe, but I suspect there's a lot more money selling millions of crappy tools than hundreds of really nice ones. Harbor Freight is making money hand over fist, and so are their suppliers. There's not a lot of money in selling $100 Swiss pattern files, because there are only a limited number of people who are going to buy them. Vaillorbe makes great tools, and they might have high margins too, but they aren't making huge profits.
--scott
-- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
Makes no difference what brand when the screw is rusted. You need to use penetrating lubricant.
Oh no! You don't want to open THAT can of worms again, do you?
ATF|Acetone mix seems best based on research done years ago. However ATF formulas have changed so something else (not WD-40!) may work better. Original article:
Another article on penetrating oils based on above:
Discussion runs on about how the photo in the original article shows Power Steering Fluid (PSF) instead or Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) so it may indeed be that you want a 50:50 mix of PSF|Acetone. To be honest I've never tried either as we haven't run into any rusted screws that needed penetrating fluids in the past few years. It would be fun to retry that with fresh bolts and nuts and enough of them so you get a reasonable average for each penetrating fluid.
The research IS needed.
But who has the time? Not I!
John :-#)#
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(Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)
John's Jukes Ltd.
On Saturday, February 24, 2018 at 10:45:05 AM UTC-5, snipped-for-privacy@notreal.com wrote :
Solidly in the FWIW category...
In my "perfect little world", there are ONLY pan-head Phillips screws!
Every three months or so, I have to have a little "talk" with production ab out not using multiple different fasteners where they're not needed. I fo und one build last week that required three different tools to open the top cover - and there was nothing special about it. (other than being a one-o ff custom).
In other words: Laziness and inattentiveness.
Anyway: Also want to give a quick shout-out to
You either appreciate that, or you're not yet initiated. :)
I twisted up a harbor freight 'security' torx bit in a relatively new product. I blamed it on the hole down the center. I've got some old sears craftsman and vermont american bits that are good. I don't know about newer ones.
George H.
Like a man that started a food chain of stores in the town I live in. He sold brand name food, same as any other store. Then one day we marked everythign down. I was a stock boy then around 17 years old. His idea was to make 10 fast pennies instead of one slow dime. He would by a boxcar load of an item and put it in his warehouse. A number of years later the three big names like A&P, Kroger and Winn Dixie closed and moved out of town. Now there are several of his stores around in the near by are, and the only other food places are one of each, Walmart, Audies, and one other store.
Many of the Harbor Freight tools are good enough for a one or two time use. I have some, but would not buy them if I was using them to make a living.Most of my better tools are the Craftsman tools from years ago. The latter ones have not been as good of quality.
Round 1999-2000 Sears decided to ditch their OEM provider of Craftsman tools in favor of a cheaper supplier. They also introduced a new line of "Sears tools" that had mo\lifetime warranty.
Oh, and the original OEM? They now sell tools with a lifetime warranty through Home Depot. Their name? Husky.
And for the first six months, they also offered to honor the warranty on any Craftsman tools.
-- "I am a river to my people." Jeff-1.0
"I'm not a Brewster, I'm the son of a sea cook!" -Mortimer
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