"Screw Yourself" Public Service Announcement

bflynn

bflynn

Final Approach
Joined
Apr 24, 2012
Messages
9,820
Location
KTTA
Display Name
Display name:
Brian Flynn
When you are cursing the guy before you for stripping every single one of the three inch phillips head screws, take a close look and make sure they are not torx.

This has been a (don't) Screw Yourself Public Service Announcement. Recipients are advised to pay heed and not to screw themselves. Thank you.
 
Phillips and JIS are easily confused. Japanese motorcycles will use JIS screws instead of Phillips and can cause issues with stripping screw heads until you figure out that they ARE different.
 
Phillips and Reed & Prince are very similar, but you can usually get away with interchanging them. Phillips has a rounded head, Reed & Prince is pointed. The angles are different too.
 
Don’t forget square head screws. I’ve been finding those for no reason a lot lately.
 
Please. Unless you have had to deal with hundreds of stripped out tri-wing screws while opening up an L-1011 for C Check, you simply have no idea what pain and suffering are in relation to screws.
4B89FE83-B3FA-40C2-A647-FABE68C21FFF.jpeg
 
left hand drill bits - you do it w/the right touch and speed it will turn them right out.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Please. Unless you have had to deal with hundreds of stripped out tri-wing screws while opening up an L-1011 for C Check, you simply have no idea what pain and suffering are in relation to screws.
View attachment 107009
Click to expand...

I'm not a fan of medieval punishments. For the engineer who spec's these, there could be an exception.
 
I inherited a Reed Prince screwdriver from my father. I have no idea why the hell he had it, but I’m going to paint the handle red to keep from grabbing it when I need a Phillips. I’m sure he bought it for a reason, but it’s the single most useless tool I own.
 
One of the biggest PITA I had to deal with when I was an engineer for the USAF was Fasteners.

Billy Bob Aircraft Fastener and Aluminum Storm Door Co comes up with a new fastener head, patents it, gets his local congress weenie to hassle the USAF to require it on USAF Designs and the entropy created was colossal. If these toads had their way, there would be 10000 different types and the mechanics would need a semi to take the required bits and tools to the flight line.

Cheers
 
I never understood why there ended up being so many different screw head types. I understand slot and Phillips heads, and even the allen head. Having multiple other versions just seems like trying to be different with no real advantage. Torx heads should just be the standard for everything though.
 
Mxfarm said:
gasp :eek:
Click to expand...
Thats probably what you would do as you watched me cut slots in the screw heads to get them out...then gasp again when I show you the cost to buy new screws at $15.00 per screw.:)
 
I love the electrical terminals that are "universal", meaning that 3 different drivers fit almost equally poorly - slotted, Phillips, and square. Usually square works the best of the three for those.
 
asicer said:
Funny. But the OCD nerd inside of me is saying that it's the axle/spindle nut that should be left-handed, not a lug nut.
Click to expand...
Left hand lug nuts on one side were common on a number of brands (Chrysler products being among them) at one time. There can be tendency to loosen the lug nuts due to epicyclic motion of the wheel around the hub.
 
Conversely, that epicyclic motion will loosen and even remove nuts or bolts on the "left hand" side of the vehicle. Twice in my life, I have tightened all 4 wheels 'tight', and then torqued just 3. The problem became apparent within 50 miles, and recognized without losing a wheel, just jacked up and retightened with the lug wrench , as tight as that would allow.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Left hand lug nuts on one side were common on a number of brands (Chrysler products being among them) at one time. There can be tendency to loosen the lug nuts due to epicyclic motion of the wheel around the hub.
Click to expand...
Huh, interesting. I guess that was well before my time. How long ago was this and how was the problem eventually "solved"?
 
asicer said:
Huh, interesting. I guess that was well before my time. How long ago was this and how was the problem eventually "solved"?
Click to expand...
Last I recall seeing these were 60's 70's or so. Don't know how common this was a real problem - most manufacturers didn't use the left hand threads.
 
asicer said:
Huh, interesting. I guess that was well before my time. How long ago was this and how was the problem eventually "solved"?
Click to expand...

Our late 60's Plymouths we just sold a few years back had them.

The problem (that was never one to begin with) was solved after many, many mechanics busted the lugs off their products with breaker bars because the lug nuts one side of the car always got stuck. So Chrysler solved it by making both sides of the car right hand threads like every other mfg did.

I had to keep track of which hubs had right hand threads and which had left hand threads as they were gradually replaced after being broken.
 
Ted said:
Don’t forget square head screws. I’ve been finding those for no reason a lot lately.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing your RV coachwork is full of those. Canadian built furniture likes to use them too.
 
37-975.jpg

My 1950 Chevrolet truck had lots of these, called clutch head.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top