While trying to mount high sideboards on my truck, I had to thread a nut onto a screw under the lip of my truck’s bed. As shown in the drawing, my fat fingers couldn’t quite reach the end of the screw. So after dropping the nut several times, I made a simple fixture to hold the nut while I got it started on the screw.
First, I put two nuts on the end of a screw of the same diameter and pitch. I left about one thread exposed above the second nut. Then I lightly threaded a third nut onto the end of the fixture screw. Next, I held the fixture between thumb and index finger, and delicately threaded the target nut onto its screw. Then I held the nut as I backed off the fixture and tightened the assembly the rest of the way. Using this method, it took less time to install 12 screws than I spent messing around with the first one.
Paul Kolesnikoff, Pinecliffe, CO
