Phillips screw security bit?

Well, now you've had a look inside the unit, at least.

There are quite a few newer styles of fasteners that are generally only in specialized sets, not usually found in local store hardware departments.

When trying to find some of them a while ago, I came across a driver style/type referred to as tri-wing.. looks like phillips head at a glance, but only 3 "wings".

There are tri- and quad- (looks even more like a phillips) types too, and the peculiar characteristic is that the wings don't converge in the center, the way phillips and pozi-drive recesses do.

There are also some tri- types that have a plain center with 3 radial notches, but I don't know what they're commonly called. The 2-notch types aren't much of a challenge, and either of these types may not require the specific driver, if one can exercise a little persistence.

I picked up a couple stes of security drivers at a hamfest about 2 years ago, that have the 1/4" hex "bits" in a rubbery holder for about $7. Cheap Chinese-made drivers, but effective.

The Torx security fasteners with a pin in the center are fairly old.. I first noticed them on a 1980 El Dorado, securing the frontend sheetmetal.

When these newer types of fasteners are installed in deeply recessed holes, they can be a little stubborn, but they're just screwed into plastic, so more of an annoyance than a problem.

Fasteners that have a low spot in the center of the head can often be removed with a low speed left handed twist drill, and there are now some driver "bits" that are ground just like a LH drill point, marketed especially for removing stripped-out phillips screw heads.

I encountered a plastic case a few years ago that appeared to have 3 phillips screws and a fourth fastener that had a plain flat, round head, and they were in deep recesses. I managed to pierce the plain, flat part with a sharp tool point, and it turned out to be a thin, small, plated brass cap that was pushed into the hole, on top of the plain phillips screw. It came out fairly easily with a dental pick.

Searching for triwing or tri-wing screwdrivers or driver bits will likely turn up numerous sources for tool sets of the newer, somewhat peculiar fasteners, for future encounters.

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

On 10/18/2010 7:53 PM Michael A. Terrell spake thus:

Yep. I've got that set. Got it right here in front of me, ackshooly. It's got, lessee, 32 bits: Torx-with-a-hole-in-the-middle, hex-with-a-hole-in-the-middle, tri-wing, "spanner"-type slotted, and some weird offset 4-wing bits.

Of course, even with that many bits there are some "security" fasteners these won't fit. But it's a very good start, and cheap, too.

That is only one of many sets of security bits they sell.

There is a set of 100 (with some duplicates) bits:

A set of 32 (+ extension) in the soft plastic skin:

A set of 32 longer security bits

And a set of six from T-5 to T-9:

A screwdriver with T-3, T-4, T-5, T-6, T-7, T-8, T-9 and T-10 bits.

They also have sets for automotive work:

Including some 'e' sockets for external torx screws:

The tool is called a Phillips Security Bit. They aren't uncommon. I've seen them at swap meets, ham fests, and are available on eBay.

PlainBill

trashcan

Harbor Freight sells a small rubber block holding 32 bits for all manner of styles and sizes of such weird drivers. Use'em in a 1/4" hex nut driver (or, 1/2" power drill....) All Made in Chia -- but you can't avoid that easily now-a-days.

Jonesy

On 10/19/2010 4:07 PM Allodoxaphobia spake thus:

I have that set, as I mentioned elsewhere in this thread, but it doesn't have the bit the O.P. needs (Phillips-with-a-hole-in-the-middle). It does, however, have some other interesting "security" bits, and as Michael Terrell pointed out, HF sells other security bit sets that may have it. The quality is very good, BTW.

But any decent hardware store will probably have the needed bit. (*Not* the big orange store.)

My apologies to the makers of the Chia Pet -- which I did not mean to denigrate. (But, it's probably made in China now, too...)

Jonesy

Has anyone mentioned cracking off the pip with a bit of ground down toolsteel hammered punch-fashion in the head of the screws? Sometimes even the shortened shaft of a pop-rivet (universal meaning?). I watched a "how do they do it" on Peterbild ? USA truck maker and they called them Hucker bolts ?

That can damage some equipment. The Kill-A-Watt P4460 is in a small plastic case.

Old truck driver's joke:

Old truckers never die. They just get a new PETERBILT

"how do

bolts

so those blind rivets are Huck bolts

I've never heard that term before today.

On 10/20/2010 8:39 AM N_Cook spake thus:

1. How can a rivet be a bolt?

1. That joke apparently flew right over your head.

For a device like the kill-o-watt, just grab the screws with a sharp pair of diagonal cutters and turn. Then use needlenose pliars to finish turning the screws out. That POS isn't worth a $5 tool investment.

Or are they recessed? Tapping a sharp standard screwdriver with a hammer till it bites would do the trick.

it

Or, you can go to a place like Harborfrieght and get a large set for cheap which has that fork tungue bit in it of various sizes..