I am repainting some brass door hardware. I am down to the ones that don't actually function but rather are more handles. They are held on by wood screws. Two of them little devils won't budge with a regular screw driver and I am afraid I might strip them entirely. Any chance I could get them off with a power screw driver? Other suggestions?
Impact driver. If they'll drive a 3" screw into oak without blinking or breaking the screw, they have a reasonable chance of getting those out.
I can apply a lot more torque with a long screwdriver and a head that fits the screw perfectly. Some slotted screws are for uncommon sized blades. Crosshead screws that a Phillips won't fit perfectly may be Reed and Prince, AKA Frearson. A Phillips screwdriver will work with a Pozidrive screw. If there's such a thing as a Pozidrive screwdriver, it will probably work better.
With a good fit and a long shaft, I use one hand on the end of the screwdriver to apply force and keep it straight. I apply torque with the other hand. Some shafts allow the use of a wrench.
I've got a HF impact driver, the $70 one. With the 18 volt nicad pack. I used one similar one to put Tapcons into cement floor, did a nice job. Need to lean into the back of the machine like you're pushing a car out of the snow, and use brand new screw driver tips. Use tips from Lowes or HD, the horrid fright ones are as soft as the sawzall metal warming (note I didn't say cutting) blades.
It's a good idea to charge the HF drill batts the day of use, they don't hold a charge very well.
- . Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus
Long shaft sure can help in some cases. I had a type of lock I was repairing, sometimes once a week at different stores. Finally I bought a long shaft screw driver, which really made things easier. And then the company lost the contract.
No good tool goes unpunished.
- . Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus
Being a former volunteer fire fighter, and had two friends have houses burn down, I'd never suggest to heat the screws with a soldering iron. The heat will travel down the screw and change the grip between the screw and the wood.
Being a bit of an idiot, I might try it my self with a garden hose connected, turned on, and within easy reach.
I'm not enough of an idiot to use a propane torch. Might try a soldering iron.
- . Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus
From the web:
Instructables
Loosening Stubborn Wood Screws with Heat by Captain Pedantic
You will need:
A stuck wood screw - in this case a smallish, thinnish, bronze slotted flathead screw. A length of steel rod matching the size of the screw head - I used a 20d nail. A propane torch. Vise-grips - 'cause your gonna make that nail HOT. A screwdriver that fits the screw well. Step 2: Make some hot metal. Picture of Make some hot metal. DSCN0478.JPG Cut the end of your steel rod square if it isn't already. Avoid using galvanized steel, burning zinc makes nasty fumes.
Heat the end of the rod cherry red. Step 3: Heat the screw. Picture of Heat the screw. Hold the heated end of the rod against the screw head for thirty seconds or so. Repeat this process two or three more times.
This softens the wood fibers around the screw and also breaks any glue bond. Step 4: Remove screw. Picture of Remove screw. DSCN0483.JPG DSCN0484.JPG Carefully remove screw. There is no need remove it while still hot. It is remarkable how well this works.
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I think the problem is the heat transfer from the nail to the screw. How about a soldering gun with thermal grease? Maybe the stuff they use on disk brakes would work. The soldering tip probably wouldn't get hot enough to ignite wood.
No need to remove them. Mask the are and paint them in situ.
Otoh: If I had any painted brass H/W I'd be /removing/ the paint instead...and polishing the brass.
It's a guess and try some thing else process. I stand by my advice to have the garden hose turned on and ready, and within easy reach.
When I was a kid, I had a "wood burning" set that was mostly a soldering iron. I'd not be too over confident.
I had one, too. Hotter than a soldering iron.
A soldering iron for 60/40 solder works at about 200 C. A woodburning iron works at about 500 C. I have let a 100/140W soldering gun tip get way too hot for soldering, but it wouldn't scorch wood like a woodburning iron.
This page says that if you have a match, you can ignite wood at about
350 C. It won't self-ignite unless heated to about 600 C. So it's safe for kids to play with woodburning sets if they don't smoke and don't mind inhaling carbon monoxide. :)
I just learned today that a flat-slot screw can sometimes be loosened by one of the 4 ridges on a Phillips screwdriver, held sideways.
My brother had a wood burning iron, that was broken, and my parents bought me one. Then my brother announced that his could probably be fixed, so they decided to take mine away from me.
I threw a fit.
Then I felt guilty for 7 years until mine broke when I was 19 and I fixed my brother's that also lasted for 7 years. Never used either for word burning but for soldering. And it was perfect except not quite as hot as a soldering iron should be. So you're right. If a wood-burning iron can burn wood, how much wood could a wood-buriing iron burn?
I mean, a soldering iron can burn it even faster.
But your idea of the metal rod is just great. I would have put the torch right against the screw and set fire to the door or whatever.
No, no. Are you talking about a child's toy wood burning iron? I had two of them and they were colder than a soldering iron. Sometimes the solder would look like zinc, almost molten.
Except for Wen, I don't know about guns, but I'd think they'd be the same temp as irons.
According to Amazon, the Darice Woodburning Creativity Set advertizes
950 F, which would be 500 C, much too hot for 60/40 solder. I have walked off and left soldering irons plugged in. It would have been unlikely with my woodburning iron because I could feel the radiant heat at a distance.It sounds as if your wood burning iron would have been safe for heating screws. Mine could take different heating elements. An element with lower wattage might have been good for soldering.
I have trouble melting solder if my tip gets dirty. If I let a tip overheat, it may be hard to clean. That's a reason an iron with too many watts can be more trouble than it's worth, for soldering
A phillips screw can sometimes be operated by a slotted screw driver.
Fully agree.
OTOH, I can see some folks are unaware of what exactly an impact driver is:
This old-school beauty and a 2lb sledge hammer:
....will remove most any stubborn screw.
One problem. Brass and other low quality screws (deck) may get their head broken off while trying to extract them. Try and get the screw out at least 1/2", then you can clamp down on that 1/2" screw shaft with the drill chuck jaws. I hadda do that with almost all the screws I extracted when I rebuilt the stairs to my mom's deck.
nb
If you strip them, use an 'easy out' and replace the screws with nice new shiny ones.
I thought this said Dance, and Amazon wouldn't find it. Google did however. "Tip temperature reaches 950 degrees for a fast dark burn" Irons for children aren't meant to give a fast burn. They're not production workers and one doesn't want them asking for another toy too soon. So that's the difference. My irons were for kids but you were talking about those for adults or professionals. I never see stuff for sale that is made this way.
The second wood iron wore out 40 years ago, so it's hard to remember details. I don't remember exactly when I started cleaning the tip, but think I did so with the wood irons
(As an aside, all those 14 years with two wood irons, I wanted a Weller? style soldering gun like my friend Norman had, but when I finally had to buy one, I was so used to an iron, I didn't want one anymore. Later I r ealized how impractical it was for electronics.
All this time, I thought an Impact driver was a guy with a GM EV1!
I have two of the kind you hit with a sledge hammer. When that doesn't work, I used them as screwdrivers. I wear leather gloves to avoid blisters. The import point is that the bit fits the screw.
I'll bet the kind Stormy has, works better.
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