Old hand tools worn out?

[The motor guy]

Anyone ever notice that old flathead screwdrivers are rounded on the edges instead of completely flat? I'm talking about the kind your grandpa has that's like 60 years old. Same thing with Philips screw drivers, you can't use either on the fasteners today because they just strip the screws out. Are these tools worn out or do they make fasteners a little different nowadays?

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Common sense would tell you that tools like screwdrivers get worn. A screwdriver can be dressed up on a bench grinder or with a file, but not a lot of people ever do. Not only are flat bladed screw drivers used as screw drivers, but they get used as chisels, scrapers, and all sort of additional unintended use and additional wear.

 

[Rand]

Also many of the old tools were made very tapered.. which isnt as good a fit as can be had with hollow ground ones.

 

[kc8adu]

i just true em up with a dremel and move on.
a new one wont be the quality of the old one and its easy.tools need maintenance too.

 

[BrocLuno]

As far as Phillips, there are a few standards for the screw head. Japanese phillips have a different pocket than USA phillips. Not sure which standard the Chinese adopted when they started mfg stuff for export ...

Clean then up, dress the edges and tips and use them

 

[kc8adu]

you are thinking of jis.
another is pozidrive.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
As far as Phillips, there are a few standards for the screw head. Japanese phillips have a different pocket than USA phillips. Not sure which standard the Chinese adopted when they started mfg stuff for export ...

Clean then up, dress the edges and tips and use them

Phillips screws and drivers are deliberately designed to be torque-limited and to cam out when the fastener's torque limit is reached or exceeded.

There is no "Japanese Phillips" but there is a JIS (Japan Industrial Standard) cross hex driver / fastener type. The JIS is not torque limited, and will not cam out when you use it.

Phillips drivers will destroy JIS fasteners, while JIS drivers work perfectly on Phillips fasteners. So, ideally, you would have no Phillips drivers and all JIS drivers in the toolbox, although that's not what you will find available for sale in North America or Europe.

 

[Kestas]

I once read a book "How to sharpen most anything." They included rejuvenating screwdriver tips. Basically you just take a file to all the surfaces (tip, sides, and maybe even the flat parts) until everything is square. The problem is the tip gets fatter with each dressing.

This is why I switched to using a screwdriver with replaceable tips. I read one publication that went into detail showing how many different types of Phillips tips there are out there. It made my head swim. I just keep going through the tips until I find one that seems to have a reasonable grip.

My toolbox has a screwdriver dedicated to prying and scraping so I don't have to wear down my good ones.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Every tool will eventually wear out... but screwdrivers especially. I don't bother "dressing" them. Use them for a year or two and toss when they start it slip. For me, the #2 Phillips gets the most use. My screwdrivers are a mix of CMan Pro, Proto Duratek and SO hard handles. Since I replace the #2 Phillips often, I spend a little more on just that one for longevity (SO, Witte, Wera, PB-Swiss, Proto) instead of buying a whole set. You end up, with WAY too flat-heads or drivers you don't use.


Otherwise, flat-heads are mostly used as scrappers, punches, can openers

Cross-point (Phillips, JIS, Posi) and torx seem to take the most abuse and need to be replaced semi-frequently.