Comments on: How to Drive Brass Screws with Care

By: pmcgee

pmcgee — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:05:00 +0000

Maybe there should be a tiny try-square invented for setting your clocked screws to *exactly* 90degrees …

(And leave our platypii the hell alone)

By: cruss@ou.edu

cruss@ou.edu — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:37:42 +0000

Folks -

Don Dannenberg’s book on old wood boat restoration book notes how Chris Craft used to achieve vertically aligned screws on piano hinges used for hatches so that no over- or under-torquing occurred (both of which would non-optimal screw to wood connections). Specifically, they somehow acquired screws with built up heads and no pre-cut slots. After installing them to the right torque (don’t ask me how), they then backed them out 3-4 full turns. After cutting perfectly aligned vertical slots into the blank screw heads, they then retorqued them down.

Somehow I suspect the place one buys “better” brass screws is also the place one buys built up, blank brass screws!

By: KMacRae354

KMacRae354 — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:09:37 +0000

Live and learn.
The video sure beats my method of driving the screws until the head breaks off, swearing, pulling out the screw body, swearing, then using epoxy to set the decorative piece in place and just a tiny dab of epoxy to hold the screw heads.
I know from experience a fat pilot hole and a hammer can work better than breaking screw heads off with a driver, but it can leave dings on fine brass trim.

Kevin
Today I’ll take some beautiful long, thick planks of wood and convert them into smaller pieces, shavings and sawdust, and if I’m very lucky – something useful and beautiful.

By: gumpbelly

gumpbelly — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:43:49 +0000

Agree on the toilet ring, cheap, and effective. I start steel screws, and then use the softer brass stuff. I`m just amazed I got to be 57 and had never heard of “Akempucky”, where have I been living, it really does exist.

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=1184&familyName=Akempucky+Fastener+Lubricant

$3.88 for 3ounces

I think I`ll stick with my extra thick bowl rings, never a problem using them, and they last a long time, must weight a pound or two, and cost less than the higher priced chew at my local plumbing supply house, of course I do have to pay that nasty sales tax, but I sleep soundly knowing I`m keeping local biz afloat.

I like this brand but I realize ones toilet bowl seal could be a deeply personal thing, so go where your heart leads you.

https://www.google.com/search?ix=sea&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=Harvey+251610+No+Seep+Wax+Toilet+Gasket%2C+Extra+Thick+%2310

By: renaissanceww

renaissanceww — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:34:22 +0000

Excellent music tip, thanks for that. Is there anything that Underhill clan can’t do? Oh yeah, and the woodworking tip was good too

By: David4444

David4444 — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 01:13:22 +0000

This was a vexing issue to me as well once upon a time. My solution that helped the most off all was a rather large range of tapered drills I purchased from Lee Valley. One of the “better idea” purchases I have made. I always use a stop collar, even if I’m doing just one screw. (Lesson from experience). It’s too easy to “overshoot” otherwise. The driver is a good point too. In my arsenal I don’t have some nice squared off dives though, but I have found the tips on my drill gun bits accomplish the same thing, so I use the manual handle with them and it works out great.

By: John Cashman

John Cashman — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:44:30 +0000

Lee Valley now carries mutton tallow. Might as well go whole-hog (sheep?) on the galoot thing.

By: Tom8021

Tom8021 — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:28:04 +0000

I always run a steel screw in first, 3/4 of the way, then do the brass screw. Got tired of the soft brass breaking off with very little pressure. I will look into buying some of the screws mention in this article, though.

By: BLZeebub

BLZeebub — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:24:04 +0000

A toilet ring is beeswax and will last most of us a lifetime and is dirt cheap too.

By: BLZeebub

BLZeebub — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:21:59 +0000

Ditto to Jamestown Distributors, they also have bronze screws which I’ve had good luck with too.