Need to buy a long Phillips no. 1 screwdriver

[mm]

I need to buy a long Phillips no. 1 screwdriver.

With a shank 8 inches long and a handle 3 or 4 inches long, for a
total of 11 to 12 inches.

I've had one for almost 30 years, and I finally ruined it, taking out
a screw that was in tightly. It was a cheap one, but it worked well
enough until now.

I figured a new one wouldn't be cheap but I can't find one at all, not
at Ace Hardware, HomeDepot, Lowes, or ever Mouser. (Home Depot has a
number 2, but no number 1. )

Where should I look next?

Thanks.

 

[Smitty Two]

In article <nmekc6lo9sv6jatug8rao0jiilhr6u2j3q@4ax.com>,
mm <NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com> wrote:

I need to buy a long Phillips no. 1 screwdriver.

With a shank 8 inches long and a handle 3 or 4 inches long, for a
total of 11 to 12 inches.

I've had one for almost 30 years, and I finally ruined it, taking out
a screw that was in tightly. It was a cheap one, but it worked well
enough until now.

I figured a new one wouldn't be cheap but I can't find one at all, not
at Ace Hardware, HomeDepot, Lowes, or ever Mouser. (Home Depot has a
number 2, but no number 1. )

Where should I look next?

Thanks.

Google sez Amazon's got 'em.

<http://www.amazon.com/Klein-P18-Phillips-Tip-Screwdriver-8-Inch-Round-Sh
ank/dp/B0000BYEPU>

 

[Dave Platt]

In article <nmekc6lo9sv6jatug8rao0jiilhr6u2j3q@4ax.com>,
mm <NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com> wrote:

I need to buy a long Phillips no. 1 screwdriver.

With a shank 8 inches long and a handle 3 or 4 inches long, for a
total of 11 to 12 inches.

I've had one for almost 30 years, and I finally ruined it, taking out
a screw that was in tightly. It was a cheap one, but it worked well
enough until now.

I figured a new one wouldn't be cheap but I can't find one at all, not
at Ace Hardware, HomeDepot, Lowes, or ever Mouser. (Home Depot has a
number 2, but no number 1. )

Where should I look next?

www.tecnni-tool.com, or other companies which carry Xcelite products.

Their part number 272SC808 is an Xcelite Phillips #1, 10" shaft, 13
5/8" overall, for $7.57.

Part #272SC866 is similar but with the Phillips #1 "Super-Tru" tip,
for $8.67.

They also have a matched set of six "Triton" extra-long-handle ESD
screwdrivers - Phillips #1 through #3, one slotted, three Torx, for a
cool $62.01.

--
Dave Platt <dplatt@radagast.org> AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

 

[Bob AZ]

Where should I look next?

Thanks.

MM

Sears. Have a 1 and 2 that I use almost daily rapairing photo darkroom
equip. Also Snap-On if you can eat the price.

Bob AZ

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

mm wrote:

I need to buy a long Phillips no. 1 screwdriver.

With a shank 8 inches long and a handle 3 or 4 inches long, for a
total of 11 to 12 inches.

I've had one for almost 30 years, and I finally ruined it, taking out
a screw that was in tightly. It was a cheap one, but it worked well
enough until now.

I figured a new one wouldn't be cheap but I can't find one at all, not
at Ace Hardware, HomeDepot, Lowes, or ever Mouser. (Home Depot has a
number 2, but no number 1. )

Where should I look next?

How about an imported tool dealer at a flea market? I bought a pair
of longer ones for a buck, a while back.


You can always file a #2 down if you're desperate.


When I can't buy what I need, I braze a 1/4" hex bit to the end of a
piece of 1/4" drill rod. The other end can have a tee handle welded on,
another hex bit to fit a cordless screwdriver, or to the end of a worn
out # 2 Philips screwdriver. Blank handle stock is available, but
expensive compared to a cheap screwdriver. A pair of cheap drill press
vises keep them aligned while brazing, and if you wear it out you simply
cut off the bad bit and replace it.


--
Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is
enough left over to pay them.

 

[Dave Platt]

www.tecnni-tool.com, or other companies which carry Xcelite products.

Oops... sorry, typo.

Try http://www.techni-tool.com/

--
Dave Platt <dplatt@radagast.org> AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

 

[AZ Nomad]

On Thu, 28 Oct 2010 23:13:33 -0400, mm <NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com> wrote:

I need to buy a long Phillips no. 1 screwdriver.

With a shank 8 inches long and a handle 3 or 4 inches long, for a
total of 11 to 12 inches.

I've had one for almost 30 years, and I finally ruined it, taking out
a screw that was in tightly. It was a cheap one, but it worked well
enough until now.

I figured a new one wouldn't be cheap but I can't find one at all, not
at Ace Hardware, HomeDepot, Lowes, or ever Mouser. (Home Depot has a
number 2, but no number 1. )

Where should I look next?

jfgi

 

[PeterD]

On Thu, 28 Oct 2010 23:13:33 -0400, mm <NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com>
wrote:

I need to buy a long Phillips no. 1 screwdriver.

With a shank 8 inches long and a handle 3 or 4 inches long, for a
total of 11 to 12 inches.

I've had one for almost 30 years, and I finally ruined it, taking out
a screw that was in tightly. It was a cheap one, but it worked well
enough until now.

I figured a new one wouldn't be cheap but I can't find one at all, not
at Ace Hardware, HomeDepot, Lowes, or ever Mouser. (Home Depot has a
number 2, but no number 1. )

Where should I look next?

Thanks.

Yep, stop a Snap-On truck and show them what you have and say you want
a new one. You will have to show you have the money to pay for it,
usually proving your house had no mortgage helps <g>. (Yea, it will be
a bit more expensive than a hardware store, but you won't have to
replace it again however.)

Also Mac tools also has trucks. Just watch for either as you drive by
auto shops, and when you see a Snap-On or Mac truck, stop and talk to
the driver/salesman.

 

[Mike Tomlinson]

In article <nmekc6lo9sv6jatug8rao0jiilhr6u2j3q@4ax.com>, mm
<NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com> writes

I need to buy a long Phillips no. 1 screwdriver.

With a shank 8 inches long and a handle 3 or 4 inches long, for a
total of 11 to 12 inches.

My local DIY store has them, but I have a feeling you're on the wrong
side of the pond.

--
Mike Tomlinson

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

whit3rd wrote:

On Oct 28, 10:28 pm, "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terr...@earthlink.net
wrote:
mm wrote:

I need to buy a long Phillips no. 1 screwdriver.

You can always file a #2 down if you're desperate.

If you could really make a #2 into a #1 by filing, you could resharpen
the old #1 easier. The only hand-grind screwdriver tip that fits a
#1 Philips is a flat-blade screwdriver with a V grind and the 'right'
taper and blunted tip. And, that only hits two of the four flutes.

Then you need more practice with a file and the right steel rod.
Drill rod is soft and fairly easy to work with. Do you really believe
that the first Philips screwdrivers were turned out on CNC machines?

#2 has no two surfaces close enough together to fit into the recess of
most #1 fasteners.

Obviously. That's why you file off the excess metal. Then use a
torch to heat the tip to harden it. Unless it is a low torque driver
that needs to remain flexible. I still have a 30+ year old 36" long
1/8" flexible flat blade screwdriver I made to service Zenith tube type
TVs where the chassis sat way back form the front of the cabinet. Since
it was made to adjust pots it has no handle. it slips between your
fingers when you hit the stops at either end of the rotation.

It bends the metal of either the screw or the driver
if you force it.

I've made Philips screwdrivers out of drill rod with nothing more
than a file and a drill vise. File, test it, and file some more till it
fits. Then you can heat threat it to keep it from wearing out in a
hurry. Not for every tool in your toolbox, but sometimes making a
custom tool is the only way to get what you need. I started doing this
almost 50 years ago.



I've also taken screwdrivers with chips in the blade and reworked them
when I had nothing else available. You should have seen what few tools
I had to work with at a military TV station in Alaska in the '70s. I
even made a replacement tuner for our RCA Demod. The original Sarks
Tarzan tuner was missing parts and no factory replacement was
available. We were quoted $750 and 18 months for repair if we shipped
the equipment to RCA's broadcast division. I dug up a similar model
from a scrapped Motorola portable TV on its way to the base landfill.
Then I made a set of new, shorter shafts and converted it from series to
parallel filament. The last step was to remove the part number label
and put it on the replacement tuner. When the Army heard about it, they
were going to court martial for 'Cannibalization of US Property' me but
they couldn't prove I had done anything. It looked exactly like the
photos in the manuals, and had the right part number. A good set of
files and some patience was part of machinist training for generations.


--
Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is
enough left over to pay them.

 

[whit3rd]

On Oct 28, 10:28 pm, "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terr...@earthlink.net>
wrote:

mm wrote:

I need to buy a long Phillips no. 1 screwdriver.

   You can always file a #2 down if you're desperate.

If you could really make a #2 into a #1 by filing, you could resharpen
the old
#1 easier. The only hand-grind screwdriver tip that fits a #1
Philips
is a flat-blade screwdriver with a V grind and the 'right' taper and
blunted
tip. And, that only hits two of the four flutes.

#2 has no two surfaces close enough together to fit into the recess of
most
#1 fasteners. It bends the metal of either the screw or the driver
if you
force it.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Thu, 28 Oct 2010 23:13:33 -0400, mm <NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com>
wrote:

I've had one for almost 30 years, and I finally ruined it, taking out
a screw that was in tightly.

Fix it by re-filing the tip.

"How to File Down a Stripped Phillips Head Screwdriver"
<http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-file-down-a-stripped-phillips-head-screwdriver>
It's much easier to do with a #2 Phillips, but can be done with
practice to a #1 tip.

It might also be helpful to grind down the pointy tip a little:
<http://www.instructables.com/id/Enhance-the-functionality-of-many-screwdrivers./>

--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558
# http://802.11junk.com jeffl@cruzio.com
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

whit3rd wrote:

On Oct 29, 6:21 pm, "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terr...@earthlink.net
wrote:
whit3rd wrote:

On Oct 28, 10:28 pm, "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terr...@earthlink.net
wrote:
mm wrote:

I need to buy a long Phillips no. 1 screwdriver.

You can always file a #2 down if you're desperate.

If you could really make a #2 into a #1 by filing, you could resharpen
the old #1 easier. The only hand-grind screwdriver tip that fits a
#1 Philips is a flat-blade screwdriver with a V grind and the 'right'
taper and blunted tip. And, that only hits two of the four flutes.

Then you need more practice with a file and the right steel rod.

Not really; I just buy a new screwdriver (except there's some small
sizes
that the hand-grind is required for).

Good Philips tips are mass-producible by grinding, but all my attempts
at hand-filing have been minor to major misfits (I can only, by feel,
get the simpler V-blade shape to a good fit).

Take a better look. Most appear to be cold headed, then heat
treated. Untouched by human hands from time the raw steel rod arrives
at the plant, and leaves as finished product.

The handy instructions at
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-file-down-a-stripped-
phillips-head-screwdriver&usg=AFQjCNFT1upaVGIRrHI4QYWvfMxxm-FEgw

are, IMHO, laughably inadequate. To get it right, you need to
control eight surfaces, in three dimensions, NONE of those
surfaces is parallel to (for instance) the visible axis of the
shaft.

So? All it takes is a little practice and a steady hand.


--
Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is
enough left over to pay them.

 

[whit3rd]

On Oct 29, 6:21 pm, "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terr...@earthlink.net>
wrote:

whit3rd wrote:

On Oct 28, 10:28 pm, "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terr...@earthlink.net
wrote:
mm wrote:

I need to buy a long Phillips no. 1 screwdriver.

   You can always file a #2 down if you're desperate.

If you could really make a #2 into a #1 by filing, you could resharpen
the old #1 easier.   The only hand-grind screwdriver tip that fits a
#1 Philips is a flat-blade screwdriver with a V grind and the 'right'
taper and blunted tip.  And, that only hits two of the four flutes.

   Then you need more practice with a file and the right steel rod.

Not really; I just buy a new screwdriver (except there's some small
sizes
that the hand-grind is required for).

Good Philips tips are mass-producible by grinding, but all my attempts
at hand-filing have been minor to major misfits (I can only, by feel,
get the simpler V-blade shape to a good fit). The handy
instructions at
<http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-file-down-a-stripped-
phillips-head-screwdriver&usg=AFQjCNFT1upaVGIRrHI4QYWvfMxxm-FEgw>

are, IMHO, laughably inadequate. To get it right, you need to
control
eight surfaces, in three dimensions, NONE of those surfaces is
parallel
to (for instance) the visible axis of the shaft.

 

[Jim Yanik]

Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote in
news:rnumc61kil07thsqlm0v6do9sm3ijjfp3a@4ax.com:

On Thu, 28 Oct 2010 23:13:33 -0400, mm <NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com
wrote:

I've had one for almost 30 years, and I finally ruined it, taking out
a screw that was in tightly.

Fix it by re-filing the tip.

"How to File Down a Stripped Phillips Head Screwdriver"
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-file-down-a-stripped-phillips-h
ead-screwdriver
It's much easier to do with a #2 Phillips, but can be done with
practice to a #1 tip.

It might also be helpful to grind down the pointy tip a little:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Enhance-the-functionality-of-many-screw
drivers./

Skycraft Surplus in Orlando has them (new),I just bought one a few weeks
ago.
6 in. OAL. they keep them in a cup at the checkout counter.
IIRC,either $1 or $1.50 each.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
localnet
dot com

 

[Jeffrey Angus]

On 10/30/2010 9:37 PM, Jim Yanik wrote:

Skycraft Surplus in Orlando has them (new),I just bought one
a few weeks ago. 6 in. OAL. they keep them in a cup at the
checkout counter. IIRC,either $1 or $1.50 each.

Doesn't anyone read the original postings anymore?

With a shank 8 inches long and a handle 3 or 4 inches long,
for a total of 11 to 12 inches.

Jeff

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Jeffrey Angus wrote:

On 10/30/2010 9:37 PM, Jim Yanik wrote:
Skycraft Surplus in Orlando has them (new),I just bought one
a few weeks ago. 6 in. OAL. they keep them in a cup at the
checkout counter. IIRC,either $1 or $1.50 each.

Doesn't anyone read the original postings anymore?

With a shank 8 inches long and a handle 3 or 4 inches long,
for a total of 11 to 12 inches.

Knowing Skycraft, they probably measured them with a meter stick and
advertised them as 15 inches. ;-)


--
Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is
enough left over to pay them.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 30 Oct 2010 21:37:47 -0500, Jim Yanik <jyanik@abuse.gov>
wrote:

Skycraft Surplus in Orlando has them (new),I just bought one a few weeks
ago.
6 in. OAL. they keep them in a cup at the checkout counter.
IIRC,either $1 or $1.50 each.

I think those are the coffee stirrers, not the screwdrivers.

With a bit of practice, it's possible to use a file to fix a trashed
Phillips screwdriver tip. I'm still using screwdrivers (mostly Sears
Craftsman) that I inherited (or stole) from my father. Most are 30-40
years old and some have been re-filed or re-ground several times.

I bought a "Husky" brand #2 screwdriver, about 10" long, at Home
Depot. Looks nice, but wouldn't work. It stipped out most screws.
Then, I noticed that the tip came to a point. Grinding down the point
somewhat flat, the screwdriver now works normally. I also inspected
my collection of Phillips screwdrivers and found that most of the
older Xcelite screwdrivers were also excessively pointy. The Sears
Craftsman tips were fine. The problem is not really the screwdriver,
but the badly formed cold headed Phillips screws.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Enhance-the-functionality-of-many-screwdrivers./


--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[N_Cook]

Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote in message
news9upc6d86qv8fm4pf4n7gjlbm73j6bse7v@4ax.com...

On Sat, 30 Oct 2010 21:37:47 -0500, Jim Yanik <jyanik@abuse.gov
wrote:
Skycraft Surplus in Orlando has them (new),I just bought one a few weeks
ago.
6 in. OAL. they keep them in a cup at the checkout counter.
IIRC,either $1 or $1.50 each.

I think those are the coffee stirrers, not the screwdrivers.

With a bit of practice, it's possible to use a file to fix a trashed
Phillips screwdriver tip. I'm still using screwdrivers (mostly Sears
Craftsman) that I inherited (or stole) from my father. Most are 30-40
years old and some have been re-filed or re-ground several times.

I bought a "Husky" brand #2 screwdriver, about 10" long, at Home
Depot. Looks nice, but wouldn't work. It stipped out most screws.
Then, I noticed that the tip came to a point. Grinding down the point
somewhat flat, the screwdriver now works normally. I also inspected
my collection of Phillips screwdrivers and found that most of the
older Xcelite screwdrivers were also excessively pointy. The Sears
Craftsman tips were fine. The problem is not really the screwdriver,
but the badly formed cold headed Phillips screws.


http://www.instructables.com/id/Enhance-the-functionality-of-many-screwdrive

rs./

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

for the situation of those long screws to fix the plastic cases of powered
speakers and hand drills etc, including those recessed into the body. Where
they often bind so much with the plastic over the long screw length, that
the steel shank shears on trying to undo it. Find a soldering iron heater
that will slide over the screwdriver to heat the screw head and down into
the plastic

 

[Smitty Two]

In article <p9upc6d86qv8fm4pf4n7gjlbm73j6bse7v@4ax.com>,
Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote:

On Sat, 30 Oct 2010 21:37:47 -0500, Jim Yanik <jyanik@abuse.gov
wrote:
Skycraft Surplus in Orlando has them (new),I just bought one a few weeks
ago.
6 in. OAL. they keep them in a cup at the checkout counter.
IIRC,either $1 or $1.50 each.

I think those are the coffee stirrers, not the screwdrivers.

With a bit of practice, it's possible to use a file to fix a trashed
Phillips screwdriver tip. I'm still using screwdrivers (mostly Sears
Craftsman) that I inherited (or stole) from my father. Most are 30-40
years old and some have been re-filed or re-ground several times.

I bought a "Husky" brand #2 screwdriver, about 10" long, at Home
Depot. Looks nice, but wouldn't work. It stipped out most screws.
Then, I noticed that the tip came to a point. Grinding down the point
somewhat flat, the screwdriver now works normally. I also inspected
my collection of Phillips screwdrivers and found that most of the
older Xcelite screwdrivers were also excessively pointy. The Sears
Craftsman tips were fine. The problem is not really the screwdriver,
but the badly formed cold headed Phillips screws.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Enhance-the-functionality-of-many-screwdrivers
./

The problem in many cases is that manufacturers have switched to
posidrive screws, which to a casual observer look like phillips. But a
typical phillips driver doesn't fit a posidrive screw worth a damn.