camera repair screwdrivers

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retro

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My favorite phillips head screwdriver finally broke. It was the
perfect size for removing outer body screws and many others.
But, I bought it so long ago I can't remember where I got it and
it had no size marked on it. It seemed to be about 1/16 inch head.

Most of the ones I see are cheapo. I bought a set of Wiha drivers
but their smallest phillips size (#000) is still a bit too big.

Where can I get a decent phillips screwdriver for cameras?
 
Good question. Now, who has an answer?

I've got a set of Wiha as well, but while the straight drivers get plenty small the phillips do not.
 
Yes, Home Depot does sell sets of instrument screwdrivers, including Philips and blade. Possibly not the greatest quality, but they do work.
 
The set I use came from Hobby Lobby, a large chain hobby shop here in the States. It has both straight and phillips, but I don't know the official sizes of them. I've seen individual small phillips screwdrivers of about the same size at the Ace Hardware store, but I do not remember the actual size or price.
 
Thanks for the replies.

Well, I've done a little research and discovered that not all 4-blade
screwdrivers are phillips types. This sort of jogged my memory
and I recall reading about this years ago in some Romney literature.

There is a screwdriver called a JIS type S which looks like a phillips
but it actually has a different shape. JIS means Japanese Industrial
Standard. A JIS driver will also fit a phillips screw but a phillips driver
won't necessarily fit a JIS screw correctly.

There is also another type called a recessed cross point driver
but I don't think that's what I need for cameras.

I think it's the JIS driver that I'm looking for and they make
them down to a size #000 which appears to be smaller than
the 1/16" phillips.

More info here:
http://www.moodytools.com/MTI_CATALOG_PAGE_11.pdf

Anyway, I ordered a set of Moody JIS drivers so I will see.
 
Try a local "Sears" store...Craftsman makes some small screwdrivers...some in small kits and individual too...
 
retro said:
Anyway, I ordered a set of Moody JIS drivers so I will see.
Click to expand...

Please let us know how you get on with them when they arrive! I have a Japanese lens that really needs a total degrease, but I had to settle for just doing the aperture as I was starting to lunch screw heads trying to get it apart. I rather think that they might have been JIS screws...

What price were they?

Adrian

PS Nice Balda as an avatar!
 
Muggins said:
Please let us know how you get on with them when they arrive!
Click to expand...

I will.


What price were they?
Click to expand...
$22 for a set of four, size #000, #00, #0 & #1


PS Nice Balda as an avatar!
Click to expand...
Thanks. It's Baldamatic III with the 35mm lens. Found in near
mint condition at a yard sale for $1. Sadly, I couldn't get used to
the front-mounted shutter release and sold it.
 
Thanks, Bob - if they are good I'll get a set myself as I can get them from the UK without paying VAT (that I can live with - it's the £8 fee I then pay on top for the Royal Mail - the national post service - to use a private courier to return it to them from Customs! - that hacks me off!).

Pity about the Balda - I have a Baldessa 1b (I think) that's obviously about the same date which my girlfriend uses - says it's the most left-hander friendly camera she's ever come across.

Adrian
 
Well I got the Moody JIS screwdrivers. The size #000 does fit
the small external body screws on Japanese cameras though
not quite as well as my old mystery screwdriver. It still seems
a little big to me. Perhaps my old driver was a JIS #0000, if
there is such a thing.

I also got a set of cheapo phillips drivers that go down to 1/16"
in size. The 1/16" is a little smaller than the JIS #000 and it seems
to work about as well as the JIS #000.
 
If you're in the U.S., RadioShack sells several sets. I like the large 15- or 18-piece set that also includes a couple of nut drivers.

They sell smaller sets, but some of them have a rivet at the end that protrudes slightly and isn't as comfortable to use.
 
The Husky brand driver sets at Home Depot are a good stand-in for my Wiha set, and at ~$5 each I keep one of each (screw driver + torx) in my desk. The ones with the interchangeable tips that store inside the handle are the ones I'm talking about, and are a great deal. I believe the smallest phillips tip on these is just a tad smaller than my smallest Wiha...
 
Thanks -- I'm aware there are lots of driver sets available. That's
not the problem. I'm looking for a special fit driver to replace one
that broke. Read thread for details.
 
Are the JIS drivers less pointy than the phillips- more like a phillips with the tip ground off? That's a new type to me.
 
retro said:
Thanks for the replies.

Well, I've done a little research and discovered that not all 4-blade
screwdrivers are phillips types. This sort of jogged my memory
and I recall reading about this years ago in some Romney literature.

There is a screwdriver called a JIS type S which looks like a phillips
but it actually has a different shape. JIS means Japanese Industrial
Standard. A JIS driver will also fit a phillips screw but a phillips driver
won't necessarily fit a JIS screw correctly.

There is also another type called a recessed cross point driver
but I don't think that's what I need for cameras.

I think it's the JIS driver that I'm looking for and they make
them down to a size #000 which appears to be smaller than
the 1/16" phillips.

More info here:
http://www.moodytools.com/MTI_CATALOG_PAGE_11.pdf

Anyway, I ordered a set of Moody JIS drivers so I will see.
Click to expand...


Actually, the screws used for cameras are far more likely to be crosspoints than phillips, although both are commonly used. You really need both. http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Fa...rs/Miniature-crosspoint-screwdriver-set/30526

As for phillips head screwdrivers, Wiha makes the smallest (#000 size): http://www.filmtools.com/wih000minphi.html
 
sepiareverb said:
Are the JIS drivers less pointy than the phillips- more like a phillips with the tip ground off? That's a new type to me.
Click to expand...

The JIS type screwdrivers come to a right angle between the cross-blades, the phillips screwdrivers are rounded between blades. Unless the slots on the screw head have rounded inner points, a phillips screwdriver will not quite fit it. Well, if you try to use a phillips screwdriver on a cross point screw, you can strip off the sharp points in the screw slots and then the phillips might fit.
 
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