Bothersome Phillips Head Screws

Doing a little work on old Cessnas for fun these days and have to tell you I
don't like Phillips head screws. The slightest corrosion and they stick
and freeze. Then your Snap-On screwdriver (make sure it fits) wallows the
head out, as you grunt and cuss. Then you have to pull out the old die
grinder and disc a groove in the dam* thing and go pull out your common
screwdriver. Last night taking off a set of wheelpants where corrosion
thrives, I had screw after screw frozen up and had to pull the compressor
out on the ramp several times --- cause it had to go back to the shop for a
recharge.

Time to go to Allen screws. Yes. The entire Phillips head screw
population is held in contempt. They ought to be banned.

Get an expensive carbide tipped screwdriver. The tip will stay sharp and
grab the Phillips heads without damaging them.

I loosen screws with the sharp driver and then power them out with a
electric screwdriver set to low torque so it won't damage the heads - do the
reverse to re-install.

Bill Daniels

"Larry Smith" wrote in message
...
Doing a little work on old Cessnas for fun these days and have to tell you
I
don't like Phillips head screws. The slightest corrosion and they stick
and freeze. Then your Snap-On screwdriver (make sure it fits) wallows
the
head out, as you grunt and cuss. Then you have to pull out the old die
grinder and disc a groove in the dam* thing and go pull out your common
screwdriver. Last night taking off a set of wheelpants where corrosion
thrives, I had screw after screw frozen up and had to pull the compressor
out on the ramp several times --- cause it had to go back to the shop for
a
recharge.

Time to go to Allen screws. Yes. The entire Phillips head screw
population is held in contempt. They ought to be banned.

In article , "Larry Smith"
writes:


Doing a little work on old Cessnas for fun these days and have to tell you I
don't like Phillips head screws. The slightest corrosion and they stick
and freeze. Then your Snap-On screwdriver (make sure it fits) wallows the
head out, as you grunt and cuss. Then you have to pull out the old die
grinder and disc a groove in the dam* thing and go pull out your common
screwdriver. Last night taking off a set of wheelpants where corrosion
thrives, I had screw after screw frozen up and had to pull the compressor
out on the ramp several times --- cause it had to go back to the shop for a
recharge.

Time to go to Allen screws. Yes. The entire Phillips head screw
population is held in contempt. They ought to be banned.



This must be a first! The first time I have agreed with you on anything that
is.

Try the screw extractor that Sears sells. It is setup to actually dig into the
screw and lock into the metal. Not perfect but works better than anything else
I have found.

Bob Reed
www.kisbuild.r-a-reed-assoc.com (KIS Builders Site)
KIS Cruiser in progress...Slow but steady progress....

"Ladies and Gentlemen, take my advice,
pull down your pants and Slide on the Ice!"
(M.A.S.H. Sidney Freedman)

In article , "Larry Smith"
writes:


Doing a little work on old Cessnas for fun these days and have to tell you I
don't like Phillips head screws. The slightest corrosion and they stick
and freeze. Then your Snap-On screwdriver (make sure it fits) wallows the
head out, as you grunt and cuss. Then you have to pull out the old die
grinder and disc a groove in the dam* thing and go pull out your common
screwdriver. Last night taking off a set of wheelpants where corrosion
thrives, I had screw after screw frozen up and had to pull the compressor
out on the ramp several times --- cause it had to go back to the shop for a
recharge.

Time to go to Allen screws. Yes. The entire Phillips head screw
population is held in contempt. They ought to be banned.

Not Allen head, but Torx. Those are by far the best-gripping
socket head ever. Commonly used on automobiles, from headlight
retaining screws up to seat-belt and brake caliper bolts. Allen head
screws aren't much better than Philips when they're seized or
overtight.
We have Henry Ford to thank for the Philips mess, as I understand
it. A Canadian, Robertson, invented the square-socket head screw many
years ago, and Ford wanted exclusive distribution rights in the US.
Robertson wouldn't give it to him, so Ford was able to keep the design
out of the US and only recently it's shown up there as a
"square-socket head" screw. We've been using it here in Canada for
generations (I have seen it on antique furniture) and it's popular
with carpenters and so on. Much better than Philips.

Dan

"Larry Smith" wrote in message ...
Doing a little work on old Cessnas for fun these days and have to tell you I
don't like Phillips head screws. The slightest corrosion and they stick
and freeze. Then your Snap-On screwdriver (make sure it fits) wallows the
head out, as you grunt and cuss. Then you have to pull out the old die
grinder and disc a groove in the dam* thing and go pull out your common
screwdriver.

No, you drill a hole in them and remove them with a screw extractor. Replace
them with stainless if you can (not structural).

I got so sick of the Phillips head, I had a batch of binder head screws made
for me with Torx head. I can put them on the end of a Torx driver and
extend them like a sword dueler and they stay on. Better, they don't Cam
out as easy as the Phillips. Now none of the screws in my Safari helicopter
are Phillips head. Thanks to the Homebuilt regs.
Stu Fields
"Ron Natalie" wrote in message
m...

"Larry Smith" wrote in message
...
Doing a little work on old Cessnas for fun these days and have to tell
you I
don't like Phillips head screws. The slightest corrosion and they
stick
and freeze. Then your Snap-On screwdriver (make sure it fits) wallows
the
head out, as you grunt and cuss. Then you have to pull out the old die
grinder and disc a groove in the dam* thing and go pull out your common
screwdriver.

No, you drill a hole in them and remove them with a screw extractor.
Replace
them with stainless if you can (not structural).

On 05 Jan 2004 08:47 AM, Stu Fields posted the following:
I got so sick of the Phillips head, I had a batch of binder head
screws made for me with Torx head. I can put them on the end of a
Torx driver and extend them like a sword dueler and they stay on.
Better, they don't Cam out as easy as the Phillips. Now none of the
screws in my Safari helicopter are Phillips head. Thanks to the
Homebuilt regs. Stu Fields

I would like to find aircraft grade hardware in square drive. I watched
a tv (history channel I think) program on the inventer of the phillips
head screw (it wasn't phillips) but they completely failed to mention in
his background that he was born out of wedlock. I''d like to wring his
neck but I think I'd have to stand in a long line.

----------------------------------------------------
Del Rawlins-
Remove _kills_spammers_ to reply via email.
Unofficial Bearhawk FAQ website:
http://www.rawlinsbrothers.org/bhfaq/

On Mon, 5 Jan 2004 07:23:56 -0500, "Larry Smith"
wrote:

Doing a little work on old Cessnas for fun these days and have to tell you I
don't like Phillips head screws. The slightest corrosion and they stick
and freeze. Then your Snap-On screwdriver (make sure it fits) wallows the
head out, as you grunt and cuss. Then you have to pull out the old die
grinder and disc a groove in the dam* thing and go pull out your common
screwdriver. Last night taking off a set of wheelpants where corrosion
thrives, I had screw after screw frozen up and had to pull the compressor
out on the ramp several times --- cause it had to go back to the shop for a
recharge.

Time to go to Allen screws. Yes. The entire Phillips head screw
population is held in contempt. They ought to be banned.

Rather than hex driver (Allen is a trademark for one of these), I
suggest Torx, even better.

Now for the removal problem ... Use a_GOOD_ driver, and tap it into
the screw to remove paint, crud, corrosion, etc, in the bottom. The
inserts for power drivers tend to be pretty good. I'm told that
somone makes a carbide or carbide coated driver that is really good.

BUT, my usual problem has been my, or earlier, damage because of
"stuff" in the screw.

Next time, on the slightest indication that it gives you problems, do
on of the following:

1. TIGHTEN the screw. I know it sounds funny but it does work to
loosen the screw.
2. If you couldn't tighten it hit the screwdriver's head with a hammer
while pressing the screwdiver down and in the tightening direction,
the try unscrewing while hammering on the screwdriver.
3. if you have a screw that you could remove to the right and to the
left of the one that gives you problem, get a jig that screws into the
empty holes and has a screwdriver that can be then preesed down on the
stuck screw and then follow #1. I haven't used the jig since my days
in the airforce, which was no later then 1971, so I wouldn't know
where to get this jig today, I just know that I used it a lot and that
there wasn't a screw we didn't get out.

Yoram Leshinski

A pig's orgasm lasts for 30 minutes.
(In my next life I want to be a pig)



On Mon, 5 Jan 2004 07:23:56 -0500, "Larry Smith"
wrote:

Doing a little work on old Cessnas for fun these days and have to tell you I
don't like Phillips head screws. The slightest corrosion and they stick
and freeze. Then your Snap-On screwdriver (make sure it fits) wallows the
head out, as you grunt and cuss. Then you have to pull out the old die
grinder and disc a groove in the dam* thing and go pull out your common
screwdriver. Last night taking off a set of wheelpants where corrosion
thrives, I had screw after screw frozen up and had to pull the compressor
out on the ramp several times --- cause it had to go back to the shop for a
recharge.

Time to go to Allen screws. Yes. The entire Phillips head screw
population is held in contempt. They ought to be banned.

The Phillips screw was invented by somebody who thought that it would make
the manufacturing process easier. It has been a dismal failure from day 1,
but manufacturers continue to use it.

One of the biggest problems with the screw is that you never seem to have a
screwdriver that fits it exactly, so you use the wrong size and tear up the
screw, the screwdriver, or both.