HowTo: Put that tough-to-reach screw in perfectly!

[Zambini]

Have you ever had trouble screwing in a screw that's located somewhere difficult to reach? Have big sausage fingers that can't hold a screw in place? Don't use a magnetic screwdriver! They cost money and sometimes the screw falls off! (brass aint magnetic yo!) Instead, this simple 5 cent solution will have you thinking "Why didn't I think of that?"


Step 1:
Get your screw

Step 2:
Get a cable tie. We all have them. Thousands of them. Billions of them. Or go to Vons or Ralphs or your local grocery store and get a couple.

Step 3:
Wrap the end (roughly 1.5 times around) the screw at the top part, but not covering the head. (like so)




You now have a very nice screw-holder, ready to work for you!

Step 4:
Use the 5 cent screw holder to hold the screw in place as you mount your fan/motherboard/whatchyamahoosit onto your case



Step 5:
Be glad you didn't destroy your precious computer equipment which is very sensitive to magnetic fields, because magnetic fields affect electric fields, generating static electricity that can fry your chips.

Step 6:
Get me a beer :D



:) And there you have it folks :)
A simple yet effective screw-holder

[Tyreal]

Magnetic Screwdrivers are bad for computers? I've used them countless times and nothing bad has ever happened.

I was interested in your guide but the images aren't showing up... I think it's this FF3...

[Yellowhello]

I'm in FF3, I can see the pictures... but yeah, I didn't know magnetic screw drivers were bad for your computer either.

[Hitman]

Originally Posted by Tyreal

Magnetic Screwdrivers are bad for computers?

It's just a myth, magnetic screwdrivers don't emit a strong enough magnetic field to cause damage to computer components. Although it is possible it is highly unlikely. I have heard this "Warning" since I started working on computers in the late 80's, and has never stopped me from using one. Using magnetic screwdrivers became "Taboo" when magnetic storage devices were popular. Now that they are all but obsolete, it's really a non issue. The only device in a computer now, that could be harmed by a magnetic field is the Hard Drive, and it would take a lot more then just a magnetic screwdriver tip to damage data on a HDD platter.

[Zambini]

Even with magnetic screwdrivers they can fall off though :P

Apparently this already became StumbleUpon Material :)

[Hitman]

Or you could use the right tool for the job.

[Reloadron]

Aw screw it!

Pretty creative and those things are all over the place here. Lacking a cool tool made for the job that is pretty slick.

Ron

[JazzyJake]

Originally Posted by Hitman

Or you could use the right tool for the job.

I can never get those to work
ever...
I use them for picking up screws when they land behind a motherboard or something, but i never have successfully used one to put a screw in

[Boy'nBlack]

Ya! Screw it! Lol...

When I can't find my screw-starter, like every time I actually need it, you can dip the very tip of the screwdriver in superglue, hold it on the screw for a second, get it started, and it breaks clean by the time you've got it installed.

I'd think the anti-magnetic driver movement might have stemmed more from electrical cabinet workers in the field not liking them, and then spreading our way. Magnetic tips still allow screws to fall off, and not all screws are magnetic. Lot's of brass screws out there in the wild. When you can't kill an entire panel and have a risk of dropping a screw on a live portion, then ya tend not to even carry them in your bag.

Tend to trust the mechanical force a bit more. Stuff still happens though, and that's when the superglue comes out.

[Lead Head]

I'll just stick with magnetic screw drivers. I've had a huge permanent magnet that could lift 100 lbs of iron right next to a computer before, and nothing ever happened.

It takes an alternating magnetic field to erase data and damage components. Not a constant like in a magnet