Holding spectacle frame screws

[samchunk]

Metal spectacle frame screws, the ones that clamp the lens in the frame by closing the frame at the hinge end of the frame. So small that they are hard to even get into the hole, partly because the hole they go in is well down from the bottom of the side arm.

What is best for holding the screw itself when putting it into the hole ? Tweezers are what I was looking at getting, but did find one of those things with 4 spring steel wires that come out of a cylinder when you press a plunger

and wondered if there is anything even better that say you can press the head into a sticky plastic end but which doesn't have any of the plastic come off into the slot or star hole when you pull it off.

[Chris Hogg]

What you need is a watchmaker's or jeweller's set of very fine screwdrivers, that probably have steel shafts and will pick up and hold the screw by magnetism, allowing you to place it carefully into position.

[Nick Odell]

If you are going to have to do this more than once, Chris's suggestion is definitely the way to go and it's worth shelling out for the right kit. If it's a one-off quick fix you need, you might get away with trimming a piece of paper to a convenient size and pushing the screw through it so you can hold the paper with the screw in place with one hand while you turn the screw with the other. Once you have a couple of turns on the thread, tear the paper away.

Nick

[alan_m]

As has been said, magnetise the screwdriver by stroking it on a magnet.

Plastic stuff is called Blutack but remove it once the screw has just started to bite. You can often remove small bits of Blutack with a larger blob of the same and getting them to join together.

[Chris Bartram]

Blu Tack.

[Harry Bloomfield]

on 05/10/2018, samchunk supposed :

I find a blob of warm, soft bluetack works well for most screws.

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Chris Hogg writes

Watching a Specsavers assistant fit a new screw to my old specs, I discovered that their new screws have a long tail for handling purposes. This is broken off once fitted. No help to the OP:-(

Not found in on line offerings. I use tweezers over a borrowed white tea towel for the ping f--kit issues.

[Chris Hogg]

A blob of spit is enough for surface tension to hold very small screws onto the end of a fine screwdriver, if either the screw or driver isn't magnetised.

[samchunk]

For some reason I can't find any already magnetised using with amazon, ebay or aliexpress. Maybe the shafts are too fine to work well like that or something.

[samchunk]

Trouble is that the screw is very close to the metal of the arm and well down from the edge of that in a way that the photo doesn?t show very well so the screw would be very close the corner of the paper. Worth trying tho.

[samchunk]

I was thinking more of a hard plastic stick with a sticky end but that might not be sticky enough to get the screw to engage the thread before removing the stick and using a screwdriver to screw the screw in fully.

But maybe it would work to put the screwdriver on the screw, put the blutack on to keep the screw on the screwdriver and then it wouldn?t really matter if not all of the blutack came off after the screwdriver is removed after tightening the screw because it wouldn?t be in the slot or hole in the screw head.

Makes you wonder how they do it in the factory. No sign of a tail being snapped off and I can't find anyone selling screws with tails. The original is lost so it would be fine to replace it with one with a tail and snap it off.

[alan_m]

Magnetise them yourself

Just stroke the screwdriver repeatedly in one direction over any magnet. I have both the magnet from the back of a speaker and a couple from a defunct hard drive for such purposes but any magnet will do

[samchunk]

But you do have to wonder why they arent supplied magnetised. Maybe there isnt enough metal at the tip to be viable with the smallest tips.

[Bob Eager]

I have a screwdriver magetiser. Magnetise when I need it, demiagnetise when I don't. Works well on my jeweller's screwdrivers.

[Andy Burns]

a lot of watch-maker tools are advertised as anti-magnetic, so presumably magnetic screwdrivers are a "do not want"?

[Harry Bloomfield]

samchunk explained on 05/10/2018 :

Attach a small magnet to the shaft and the magnetism will pick up steel screws at the tip.

[R D S]

It's easiest to put the screw in the 'hoop' when the two halves are apart, then offer them together.

If that isn't working while the lens is in place you can often put the screw partly in, push the lens in and then nip it up.

Or another cheat (if you aren't precious about using the same screw) is to use a much too long screw*, much easier to handle, get it all tightened up, lever the protruding screw and it will normally snap off relatively clean.

*Email me your address and i'll send you a couple.

[samchunk]

Duh, thanks for that, I'm getting more stupid by the day.

[samchunk]

Yeah, that?s what I did, but since the 'hoop' is well down from the edge of the side bar, even that was very fiddly to do.

The set of spare screws I got from aliexpress has lots like that thanks. And since the screws go in upside down, with the head down when the glasses are worn, it would be easy to dremel off the extra length.

[samchunk]

Thanks for that, might as well get one.