doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com screwdrivers

Wheeler set is what I got a few years ago at IWA Nurmberg and for the limited use I need them they are just fine. Select the tips slowly till you find the "perfect" one and don't rush. If you are not comfortable about that special gun ask an experinced friend or visit a gunsmith you trust. Better late than sorrow -freshly damaged screwheads are depressing.

With kind regards,
Jani

Hi Recoil Rob:

No,I did not attempt to harden them. I had no idea as to what alloy was used to make these things, I would just be guessing as to the heat treatment process!

Had the steel shown a bit of promise, I would have attempted a cursory heat treatment.

Loomat

Franchi, I think you are right. If you are not sure what type of steel and to what temperature to harden and anneal, then leave it alone, especiallly screw drivers that cost $.99.
I did buy some at one time and did grind them, the hardest part is making the tip parallel with the slot and not to hollow ground it, but to make the tip fit perfecftly. Hand holding doesn't do it. If you had a surface grinder, then yes.

The Wheeler set is great for American guns. I don't have any for my Greener and I sure would not grind something unfamiliar and try it on those small slots. Even with the right ones for the Greener I would be speptical on them working. They have been there for over a hundred years.

get the Brownells Magnatip - with a set of the thin blades. They are fantastic and will fit virtually every gun.

If you break one it doesn't matter, just buy a new tip for a couple of $. I imported a full set to Britain and cannot recommend them highly enough. I have a many English guns and FN Superposed and the thin tip set fits all of them without modification.

In my old Brit gunsmithing book it tells/shows how to make screwdrivers from old car springs. Then they are used in a brace so the 'smith's weight can be properly applied to the screw hahaha. Obviously technique is central to not buggering the screws. And undeniable force with that brace

Fabbris use torx screws. Perazzi prolly would too if they had any screws of any consequence.

Dr.Wts

Thanks Wts
I recently sold my drill press, but I do still have an old brace laying at the bottom of my misc tools drawer. It's good to now have another use for it.
Steve

I have to say that the Wheeler set is very well packaged and useless!!!!!
Buy them from Sheffield, you can find good quality Sheffield steel blades in old ironmonger stores look for the Stanley brand name if it doesn't fit the screw slot FILE it to fit and then finish it off by stoning with an arkansas stone.
The 'Gunsmiths' sets are only okay for hobbiests creating work for gunsmiths.IMHO.

As an amateur, novice, hobbyist "gunsmith" who haas buggered a few screws in the past despite filing tips to match slots and being careful, perhaps I need some pointers on technique. Any web-based tutorials?
Do real gunsmiths use a brace on all sorts of screws? I saw a photo in the archives of CrossedChisels using a brace when removing a hinge pin. Looked like a special case.
On my present project, I've been stymied by a very small screw that holds the cam that retracts the locking lugs. Tried penetrating oil, heat, and vibration and finally gave up after minor buggering.

SDH, great article. Thanks for posting.