Small Screws. SOS!

[TimH]

Talk about "Back to basics". There's an impressive level of expertise on this board, to be sure. There are people here who know everything there is to know about cameras I've never even heard of. So to prevent my career in camera repair ending before it's begun, what's the best method for getting screws too small to see with the naked eye into the damned hole ?
Do you get the screw near the hole before applying the driver ? Do you put the screw to the driver then address the hole with both together ? Needle-nose pliers ? Does a bit of magnetism on the driver help or make it worse ? And don't laugh, I'm going nuts here. It's a real bummer, after years of delusion, to realise that I've got a bunch of bananas at the end of each arm.
Anyone got a favourite technique ?
yours hopefully
Tim.

 

[Azinko]

If you ever get the chance to see a watchmaker at work,....and they are getting quite thin on the ground now, you will see that they have quite a cavalier technique with tiny screws and parts,...they just drop the screw near the hole and poke it around with the end of the driver until it pops into the hole!......As the old proverb says; 'familiarity breeds contempt'.

Personally, I use a diamond setters tweezers as they can be locked shut on the edge of the tiny screw head which can then be accurately positioned at the hole,......In fact this tool is indispensible for work on fine/tiny mechanisms, especially when manipulating tiny springs etc.

If you need to get a screw into a hole with a difficult access it can sometimes be advantageous to use a tiny spot of 'bluetack' in the end of the screwdriver to hold the screw to it so that screw and driver combined can be steered to the place. When you hve the screw fastened, carefully wipe away the 'bluetack' with the tip of the driver.

 

[wierdcollector]

Personally as already stated, I drop the screw (tiny set screws being the worst) near the hole then maneuver it with the screwdriver. If I may add two Never Do's to the list: Never tinker with camera parts in a carpeted room and Never vacuum the rug to find a lost screw. It will disappear forever. Far better to use a magnet and some patience going over the floor. These days I tinker over a blotter pad on my desk, or directly over a large cookie sheet my wife begrudgingly parted with. Any small items that fall are easily found. Now if only I can ever find the spring that shot out once in my living room, LOL.

 

[Justin Smith]

I sometimes have trouble holding the head of the screw between my index finger and thumb and then maneuvering it into the hole. A technique that sometimes works for me on very small screws is placing the screw head under the fingernail of my middle finger and applying slight pressure to the fingertip with my thumb as I place the screw in the hole.

Also, I found that the eyeglass repair kit at my local Dollar Tree (US) had a number of tiny screws. I used two of these a few months ago to re-attach the mounting ring to my Dad's K-mount Chinon 135/2.8. They fit perfectly.

 

[jon_flanders]

All the above suggestions work in some cases. You can get magnetized screwdrivers, or wipe one on a magnet for a temporary fix.

I also use a magnetic dish I got for four dollars at Big Lots to catch screws and keep them til needed. That takes care of the "wiper" for the screw driver as well.

 

[jlw]

A tiny dab of grease on the tip of the screwdriver will hold most screws in place while you line them up.

 

[jwcat]

I was an Electronics Technician for many years. I have seen most devices for holding screws to insert into out of the way places. The problem with using a magnetised screwdriver is it wants to hang onto the screw at times when you don't want it to, or the screw is non-ferris. Gets to be a pain. My favorite device was just get a fine piece of solder and form a shepherd's crook in it to fit around the screw head. Form the solder shape to get into whatever place needed and hold it until the screw is started. Then pull back on the solder and it will peel right off. With screws the size we are talking about here, some fine stiff wire would work the same way. Just another way of doing it.

John

 

[phototone]

Or, you can just lick the end of the screw, and the moisture will hold the screw to the driver for positioning in the hole. This advice for very tiny screws.

Always work in a tray, so the tiny screws won't roll off the table.

 

[jlw]

Or, you can just lick the end of the screw, and the moisture will hold the screw to the driver for positioning in the hole. This advice for very tiny screws.

Just don't swallow the screw! A really tiny one won't hurt you, but retrieving it later is really messy...

 

[Pherdinand]

Although i have never worked with screws that i can't see with bare eyes...🙂... here's what i have found.
Magnetic screwdrivers annoy the hell out of me, the screw hangs from them in the most unexpected and unhandy angle possible, easier to use a bit of grease. There are also non-iron based screws which will not react to magnetic screwdrivers anyway. Grease is not so picky as magnetism.
Then, i have some tweezers that are very very sharp tip. I can pick the hair from the back of a fly with them. They come in very handy. Also important is to have the right size screwdrivers.
I also have a few round boxes which have little partitions, to keep the small screws together. I wrote numbers on the partitions with soft tip pen, and write down which number corresponds to what screws (unless the repair is very simple). Without making notes, the contax rf i repaired would stil be in hundred pieces. (Although i would still have it!!! 🙁 )

Good luck, and remember: wherever that screw jumps, stay calm. 🙂

 

[crackers]

Magnifier hood is first priority. Magnetize only the smallest screwdriver. Grease the brass screws. Know when to take a walk.