Magnetized tools

Perhaps the safest approach would be to demagnetize all your tools, then temporarily magnetize them as needed. I was working on something just this morning where I wished the screwdriver had been magnetized, but decided it was too much trouble to do so.

You can buy little magnetizer/demagnetizer blocks, but I think a bulk tape eraser makes more sense.

You might also magnetize specific tools and keep them in their own drawer for use as needed. All the others could be periodically checked and de-magnetized.

Yes, I'm aware I did not answer the question asked, but made an alternative suggestion.

Don't need that. For screwdrivers and hexnut drivers and that ilk, I use a dab of bee's wax to hold the 'thing' to the tool.

For placing nuts in contorted locations, I bend over an appropriate sized piece of solder and screw the nut onto the loop end for 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn. Then form the solder "lead" to allow you to place the nut down by the hole while you're poking your bee's wax attached screw in on the other side (while holding the mag-lite in your mouth and propping up the chassis with your knee.)

Yes, Happy New Year!

Jonesy

For years, I've avoided using magnetized screwdrivers, and they're rarely needed when screwdrivers fit the screw properly, but lately I've intentionally magnetized a couple of tiny screw drivers for ease of picking screws up individually.. size 00 phillips, for example.

Lightly magnetizing a screwdriver blade is easy with a magnet.. the blade is laid on one side of the magnet, and the magnet is drawn slowly to the tip. Repeating the strokes increases the strength a small amount. There are some 2-piece magnets available that will demagnetize a screwdriver blade in the same way. A tape head demagnetizer will also work for small screwdrivers.

The only minor problem I've noticed is that a screw can be stuck to the tip when I set the screwdriver down, then picking up the screwdriver to remove another screw. With the tiny screws that I often work with, this means a small screw can be dropped, which can be a problem, particularly if it bounces when it drops.

A blob of tacky putty can be a good place to "park" the screws as they're being removed.

For larger screws, I generally put them in a small zip bag if the unit isn't going to be completed that day, but for tiny screws, I've found that it's convenient to use clear tape to attach them to a large index card. This method has been helpful in keeping track of which screws go where.. they can be grouped for different stages of disassembly, and notes can be scribbled on the card. This can be a great benefit to make sure that short and long screws go back where they belong.

During the final assembly, the tiny screws can be picked out of the clear tape "blisters" as needed.

-- Cheers, WB .............

I was demagnetizing all my tools (with a bulk tape eraser) for many years. One day, I noticed that the typical 5.25" floppy disk drive has a rather powerful rotating magnet positioned about 5mm away from the floppy disk. If that didn't trash the floppy, I doubt that my screwdriver would have any effect. So, I went the other direction and started magnetizing all my tools, which turned out to be rather handy for inserting screws in difficult locations. The only time these tools caused a problem was when I accidentally placed a magnetized screwdriver directly on top of a 5.25" floppy disk. Due to increased spacing and protection provided by the plastic case in 3.5" floppies, I haven't had any problems with those.

Unless you're working with magnetic compasses, magnetometers, flux gate compasses, CRT's, or magnetic field measuring equipment, I don't seem much danger or risk from magnetized tools. However, if you're playing with the powerful magnets found inside most hard disk drives, methinks you should probably exercise some concientious care in keeping them away from any magnetic storage material. A "keeper" is usually sufficient (such as my steel desk).

I still wouldn't bring a magnetized tool near an analog tape recorder's play head. However... as you'd demagnetize the head "as a matter of course" after servicing the recorder, it probably doesn't matter.

Heads were always demagged before leaving my bench so it wasn't ever an issue for me.

I use old microwave magnetrons a number of places around my workshop and have never had any problems, I just keep them away from crt's and anything that has a magnetic tape involved. They are very handy for magnetizing tools, just draw the screwdriver across the surface and you're done.

I have a few 12" speakers downstairs that one or two draws across the magnet does the job. I couldn't do without one magnetic tip screw driver.