Magnetic Screwdrivers!!!!!

[Milton]

I HATE magnetic screwdrivers!!!They have just enough strength to remove a screw from a gun just long enough so it lands in the carpet!!!

[bigggbbruce]

Don't hold it over the carpet.

[quinn]

You may not realize how much magnetic power carpets have... especially for tiny screws and other small, hard-to-see items. FWIW, the thinker the carpet, the stronger the magnetic pull.

[Milton]

Actually any part of the floor of my house,carpet or not has a special space/time warp field in that many of the screws ,springs,pins etc. that are dropped causes the part to increase its velocity and disappear at the speed of light!

[2152hq]

De-magnetize it

If you have a soldering gun with loop type tip ( the copper extends out from one contact to the soldering point and back to another contact on the soldering gun,,, forming a loop thru which you can place the magnetized screw driver blade thru .

Hit the trigger on the soldering gun and slowly run the screwdriver blade inbetween the loop formed by the soldering point. It will want to pull the blade to one of the sides of the loop (magnet) but hold it so it does not come in contact with the loop.
Pass the blade into and then draw it back out from the loop with the trigger/electricity on.
Sounds like some hokey magic trick,,but it works,,

The blade should be de-magnetized. A second pass may be necessary if it's a heavy blade or a long blade.
Works on other tools and objects as well.

I use it on my 'gravers as they tend to get magnetized for some reason from either sharpening or just engraving use and they pick up tiny flakes of steel while working. Very annoying!
A quick pass betw the soldering gun copper loop takes care of it.

You can even use the soldering gun for soldering

[Milton]

Thanks ,that's something to store away for future use!

[Cardboard_killer]

I was putting together my first AR lower Sunday, and had a detent pin shoot out of the front takedown spring hole. It went over my shoulder and I thought, well, I'll never see that again, when I hear it land in a larger cardboard box I happened to have sitting on the carpet about six feet behind where I'm sitting! Talk about a lucky shot. No problem finding it in the empty box.

[Qball]

Originally Posted by Cardboard_killer

I was putting together my first AR lower Sunday, and had a detent pin shoot out of the front takedown spring hole. It went over my shoulder and I thought, well, I'll never see that again, when I hear it land in a larger cardboard box I happened to have sitting on the carpet about six feet behind where I'm sitting! Talk about a lucky shot. No problem finding it in the empty box.

Well... That should teach you to stop killing cardboard..

[Tom S.]

I have a large and very strong magnet. Over the years, I've found probably around 90% of the launched springs and 100% of the dropped screws.

[Magload]

There seams to be a Black Hole under all my benches as it sucks every thing under there. It is a stronger force then carpet and the stuff there goes into the hole seams to disappear.

[Big Cholla]

Originally Posted by Milton

I HATE magnetic screwdrivers!!!They have just enough strength to remove a screw from a gun just long enough so it lands in the carpet!!!

In my years of working on guns and other small devices, I have come to the conclusion that magnetic screwdrivers caused more trouble than they were worth. I too have found 'lost' parts using a powerful magnet which to me seems to be the best use for a magnet in a workshop.

I have found for controlling small parts like pins and screws a set of medical forceps accompanied by a couple of good tweezers works best for me. And, I have resorted at times to asking my wife to come out to my bench and 'hold' something for me. All gunsmiths should have been born with a third arm and hand. ... :-)

[chief38]

I do agree that SOMETIMES magnetized screwdrivers are a P.I.T.A. and there are times I demagnetize them and times I re-magnetize them. It is easy enough to do and only takes seconds with no harm to the tool at all so no reasons not to do it. They sell tools for under $2 bucks to quickly do so.

Master Magnetics Small Tools Screwdriver Magnetizer | Demagnetizer RA07224B


Item #: T9FB1798398
Sold By: globalindustrial.com
Usually ships in 7 to 10 days
0 reviews | Write a review
List Price: $2.25 Save up to 30%
Price: $ 1.58

[italiansport]

Originally Posted by Cardboard_killer

I was putting together my first AR lower Sunday, and had a detent pin shoot out of the front takedown spring hole. It went over my shoulder and I thought, well, I'll never see that again, when I hear it land in a larger cardboard box I happened to have sitting on the carpet about six feet behind where I'm sitting! Talk about a lucky shot. No problem finding it in the empty box.

When I'm working on something where this can happen I discovered a long time ago that it was better to work inside a cardboard box. Then if something flies loose you only have a small area to look over to recover it.
Jim

[Cardboard_killer]

Originally Posted by Tom S.

I have a large and very strong magnet.

Me too.

What I do like is the magnetized pans to keep springs and pins handy as I take them out. Even knocking the pans over is not necessarily a disaster.

Also, magnetic knife holders are convenient for screwdrivers/small tools, which will be used in reverse when I put whatever I'm working on back together. I put the tool in order of use, so when I reassemble I go down the line and put things away as I finish the project.

[TAROMAN]

Exactly why I most always grab a Grace screwdriver instead of the highly touted Magna-Tip variety.

[scoobysnacker]

Originally Posted by chief38

I do agree that SOMETIMES magnetized screwdrivers are a P.I.T.A. and there are times I demagnetize them and times I re-magnetize them. It is easy enough to do and only takes seconds with no harm to the tool at all so no reasons not to do it. They sell tools for under $2 bucks to quickly do so.

Master Magnetics Small Tools Screwdriver Magnetizer | Demagnetizer RA07224B


Item #: T9FB1798398
Sold By: globalindustrial.com
Usually ships in 7 to 10 days
0 reviews | Write a review
List Price: $2.25 Save up to 30%
Price: $ 1.58

Well, I did not know about that tool. Sounds useful for me- my two main uses for smaller screwdriver sets is to work on my firearms, and on computers. The firearms, it can be an annoyance, it theoretically could be worse with the PCs. 2 bucks insurance isn't a bad thing.

[chief38]

Originally Posted by scoobysnacker

Well, I did not know about that tool. Sounds useful for me- my two main uses for smaller screwdriver sets is to work on my firearms, and on computers. The firearms, it can be an annoyance, it theoretically could be worse with the PCs. 2 bucks insurance isn't a bad thing.

The tool makes it quite convenient, however the soldering gun trick works very well also if you have one. To re-magnetize, a permanent magnet works in about 2 seconds.

[Comrad]

If you have a vise or something solid steel lay the screwdriver on it and hit it once or twice with a hammer.