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If you drive alot of screws take a 35ml. film can, stuff it with toilet flange wax and attach it to your tool belt with a plastic cable ty. It will always be handy and those waxed screws zip in so nicley.
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Good tip. But why toilet flange wax? Don't you get tired of unbolting the toilets every day?
blue
*I would figure that at least its a mite less painful than using ear wax. Probably a bit faster too. Specially when you run out, and have to be sticking the screws in other people's ears. Really bad when the floor is only half done and you have to chase down the neighborhood cats and dogs.
*I imagine because it's cheaper than the "lavender-scented beeswax" sold through personal ads in FWW.
*It is actually bees wax, with an additive to make it remain "soft".Bees wax is the best lubricant for screws, and this is a pretty good tip. But... why not just leave the toilet gasket in the plastic cover that it comes in? Whenever I have to shoot 20 or so screws, I just stick them in the wax, and pull then out and drive them as needed. For major screw driving applications, I use a Quik Driver, and I stick the roll of screws into the wax (it's in a round container, so the screws fit well). When I need them, I pull the roll out, install in the gun, and drive them in. Works for me anyway...James DuHamel
*I likes them tips. Matter of fact the tips were what had me buying more than just the first copy of fine homebuilding and fine woodworking. I would like to see more tips here.I just wanted to say that I appreciate the tip, and what I said earlier was just a bit of job-site fun. It was not intended in any way to be at anyone's expense. I hope my comments do not make Allen or anyone else think twice about posting other hints.I actualy have a serious question reference this tip. I can see that the wax makes the screw go in faster, maybe easier, but wouldn't it also make the screw come back out faster and easier ? I mean, it's not like glue, which will harden and grip over time, the wax will simply sit there and continue to lubricate the threads as they try to back out over time, as all screws seem to do, right ?
*Luka, I have to admit..... you got me stumped about the screw I/wax backing out. My gut feeling is that no matter how slippery a screw is it will require something turning it to back it out, but then I don't hold a degree in waxology. It's an enigma to me. I posted another question on this subject...... lets see what the cerebral giants of carpentry say.
*Along the same line (sorta) what the hell makes light bulbs unscrew themselves? Joe H
*well joe thats an easy one, bulbs get hot and cold....hence movement enough to loosen them up. What do ya think?
*Allen, I suspect it is nothing more than that, but I had hoped for something more mysterious than simple physics. Like gremlins or something? Joe H
*...could be the rotation of the earth...the base of the bulb is metal, right? So it gets attracted to the magnetic North pole (not the same as "grid north" - you have to consult the declination diagram)...anyway, the base of the bulb gets held by magnetic north, and the earth turns the fixture off of the bulb...they have just the reverse problem south of the equater, where bulbs over tighten themselves. I think.
*Jim, that's a lot more like what I had in mind. Something unexplainable but believable. Joe H
*I believe that Jim's theory is correct. The combined forces of the earth's rotation along with magnetic attraction is responsible for all lightbulbs to eventually unscrew themselves from their sockets, north of the equator.As he also suggests, south of the equator, the lightbulbs have a tendency to over tighten, and it is common practice to put a thin layer of bees wax on the bulb threads when screwing in a new bulb. When the bulb needs to be changed, the bees wax makes it possible to back it out.People living on the line of the equator experience neither of the above problems. Their lightbulbs never loosen nor tighten over time, something that they take great pride in.
*....well this discourse is enough to renew my faith in scientific methodology...i took your advice and started recycling the toilet bowl rings for our deck construction...now the guys won't sit near me at break time..what's up with that?hwo cum your screws back out? ya must have that phantom unscrewer lurkin about your jobsite?never seen a screw back out.. seen em fall out..like in particle board or split wood..do you have to stay up late to catch em backin out?do ya screw em in and cum back the next day and they're ALL backed out or just the ones near the couch?you guys have got me worried .. should i go back and check all my jobs?b inquiring minds want to know..
*Allen,Send your tip to The Family Handyman magazine. They pay $100 for every one they publish, and you wouldn't believe the lame stuff that gets in there. You'd be a shoo-in.
*Nah, you guys are AFU. The screws hold the lite base in place. Its the strong magnetic pull of the moon that causes the bulb to imperceptibly loosen each day... Lite bulbs used south of the equator have reversed threads, otherwise they would become so tight as to be impossible to remove.
*Hey! That must be where the expression "things are screwed up" comes from...the heads of the screws are "up" from where they were! I love this board!
*Steve, I just did it and if I get the 100 then bye golly I'm sending you a dozen wax wings just to show my appreciation. Thanks man!
*I'm not sure if The Family Handyman Magazine would be willing to dish out a $100 bill for this information, but I've heard that NASA has sent a team of their best scientists to the equator to study the phenomena under discussion ( lightbulb unscrewing/tightening, as related to latitude ).A preliminary report suggests that Jim's theory is probably correct. What they have found is that an ordinary lightbulb, either loosens or tightens from it's socket, proportionally to square root of the distance of the location of the light bulb from the the equator, divided by 1.618034, which just happens to be the Golden Ratio ( 1 + square root of 5 )/ divided by 2.The scientists, at this time, caution that further study is needed, but suggest a light layer of bee's wax to the threads of a light bulb before inserting may be prudent, for all lightbulbs south of the equator.
*Youse are all full of s***. Just shows to go ya how many people will believe something just because the government prints it on rolls of toilet paper. (They print only on every 5th sheet, and it is only discernable by the subconcious. Bet you never knew your mind was being washed while you did the paperwork, did ya ?)The real truth is that every 13th electron is actually a tiny little gremlin. In an hours' usage, an average of 3 of those gremlins will trip over the tungsten coil, and become trapped in the light bulb. These gremlins start trying immediately to get out. However, they are so small it takes a couple million of them in concerted effort to get the bulb unscrewed far enought to open a gap that they can crawl out of.It happens all the time. When you happen to pass by the bulb at the right moment, you are liable to get a headful of them. This is why some people's hair stands up in the winter. (Lightbulbs are on for much longer every day in the winter, which is, of course why it happens most notably in the winter.) That little spark when you touch something conductive is all the little gremlins jumping off your hand.If you don't touch something soon enough, those little gremlins can begin to fall through your hair, your skin and bone, all the way into your bloodstream. This is the leading cause of liver failure and impotence in men. If you're smart, you will wear a hat made of aluminium foil. I wear one all the time, even though there is not as much need during the summer.
*...luka .. right on brother... but i got so many strange loks, thta i started lining my baseball caps with the foil... i get the same protection ... but not the strange looks...well, at least not the SAME strange looks...so, how do you clean the bees-wax ring before you recycle it into your nailpouch ... ?
*Nah, nah... you got it all wrong.The bulbs come loose because the manufacturer's all figured that when a bulb goes out, people will just install a new one. This equals more sales for them. To make them APPEAR to go out very quickly, they have learned how to build in a small spring in the base that keeps tension on the bulb. Bit by bit, this tension works the bulb loose. They hope like heck that someone doesn't first try to screw the bulb back IN, but instead screws it all the way out and pops in a new one.Or maybe it's the aliens that come out at night, while everyone's asleep, and loosens those bulbs just a bit. I think I heard one in my kitchen one night let out a blood curdling scream, and a few choice alien words after he grabbed a hold of a halogen bulb and tried to loosen it. Evidently it was still hot...But then again, I could be wrong...James DuHamel
*ok ok, am I high or are the threads on a lightbulb aluminum and not subject to the magnetic pulls of the poles? I do have a degree in science, and I'm voting for the gremlins on this one! I put a coat of diaelectric grease on the threads and torque them to 25 ft/lbs with a bulb wrench(NAPA part# 714)and have never had a problem getting them out or having them untighten by themselves. Sheesh, you guys call youselves professionals? Keith C
*That's because the gremlins can't get a good foothold in that dielectric grease. You have, of course gotten some of that stuff on your fingers, right ? It takes forever to get rid of that silicone slick. I was having a hard time trying to get the gremlins to stick around and do thier job in the cylinders of my truck. They were taking to protest enough of the time that the poor engine only hit on two or three cylinders at a time. I replaced all the wires, plugs, cap and rotor and put that slick stuff anywhere that one component was stuck onto another, and since then the gremlins have all slipped while trying to duck out, and got dumped back into the cyliders anyway.I got that zap where the gremlins jump from your finger to metal once even though I was wearing my tin foil hat. I coated the whole cap with silicine dielectric and never had the problem again. Though it seems a lot of them in public places are waiting now, for me to walk by so they can jump specificaly (sp?) on me. I could swear that they all have little skis or snowboards, and I know I have heard a tiny little 'cowabunga' once or twice.
*No good deed goes unpunished. The waxy screws work but now my commode leaks.
*HAHAHAHAUse more screws !
*After I read the messages in this board.., I decided to go down to my cellar ,where I have had to frequently screw light bulbs in tight before. I wanted to sneak up on anything I might find, so I never turned the lights on and went down stealthily. I also(just in case) came prepared with my tool pouch full of aluminum foil balls coated with silicone. Sure enough, when I got to the first fixture and turned on my flashlight, there they were!!! 14 or 15 of the little I***ads were having a dance party all around the. light fixture!! Imagine their surprise when they saw me standing there. Man did they bogie for cover.. they moved so fast they let of a stream of static electric, and I was able to see just where they went. I discovered that these little gremlin/electricaly charged creatures ran down the ground wires,thru the panel, and then over the ground rod into the earth. This must explain why they can be found all over..as they must travel thru the earth itself to their little party places..
*Rick, If only you'd had a video camera. No, waitaminnit, the little buggers would've gotten tipped off by thier compadre's who are trapped in the camera battery. This is why it is so difficult for the scientist types to prove the existance of the tiny troublemakers, no one can get video to provide the discovery channel with.They also travel in clouds. You can ascertain this for yourself by just watching the next time there is a bad storm. They all come out of thier particular cloud at once when they see a gremlin rave happening on the ground somewhere. Just be careful you aren't standing in the middle of one of those raves, it can be a very shocking experience.P.S. You were supposed to cover your head with the silicone greased tin foil, not your balls.
*Those little guys have something to do with smoke too. Sometimes automotive electrical items quit working when the smoke leaks out,no more gremlins. too. Joe H
*Don't let 'em fool ya Joe. That's just a gremlin 'rasta' party. When they run out of spliffs, they all take a powder. That's why the truck, she no work anymore afterward. They all went in search of the nearest gremlin 'rave'. Some of them even crawl out the side of the wire, they are so stoned. Ever wonder why the smoke smells so bad ? In every case, several someones from the party leave openings when they exit, and all the stale smoke from the spliffs leaks out. This smoke has been through the lungs of gremlins. It is poisonous to humans. Oh, hey, and don't ever mess with those wires afterward, either, unless you dissconnect the battery first. Several of the gremlins have usualy passed out, and as soon as you touch the wires they wake up. They are very mean drunks, even more mean when stoned and you have startled them awake. They can really take a chunk out of your hand.Afternote for the 'rasta/hippy challenged'... 'spliff' is the name of a mary joo weenie joint as big as a cigar. I believe 'blunt' is interchangeable with this word. (Don't ask me, I don't makes these things up, I just documents them.)
*What have I started?
*Sorry.
*There, there Luka don't be sorry, all I want to know is.... have you invested 65 cents in your first wax ring ( a years supply) and joined the legions of happy woodworkers who no longer have to rake screws across their nose or poke them in their ears! Life is indeed good.
*Luka,You gotta stop apologizing all the time.....John
*LUKA......No wonder my wifes been complaining about grabbing onto something slippery..yet krinkley the last few nights
*Allen... now ya gone and done it haven't ya? PatrickM calls this the Mind-Meld... I believe it's more of a Mind-Melt... probably from stale spliff-smoke or the bad Canadian Acid... but that's only a theory. This has happened before... just weigh-in on AdirondackJack's Breaktime Get-together post at the top of the main board.
*I thought the bulbs unscrewed due to the Corioliss (sp?) effect. If you start a long pendulum swinging, it will trace a clockwise circle (north of the equator). Same thing makes water swirl clockwise going down the drain or toilet. South of the equator it goes counterclockwise. Don't know what it does at the equator? Just sit there?
*This waxed thread seams to be waning...or am I wong...rewaxing and screwing, me Gremlins and more, near the stream, aj
*http://www.tdl.com/~swensen/machines/wax/wax.htmlTry this place for wax formulations. He has a good one for screws.Coriolis(sp?) makes water go down the drain in a counter-clockwise direction in the northern hemisphere. Clockwise in the southern. Straight in on the equator unless you disturb the flow.I've never read such scientific clap-trap in my life. No wonder you guys are destroying trees for a living.Do you think a foil wrap would protect a calculator?
*Mr. Christensen....missed yah!Swensen kinda gets around, eY? thanks for the link..in answer to your question... i've always found that using a double wrap of Alcoa Household foil, with a Philadelphia seam, would protect my calculator when trying to dry it out in the microwave after using it to annotate starfish encounters in narragansett bay...now , my question to you... how do you protect the microwave.???..i cud never get it to work long enuff to finish drying out the calculator..Kermit
*I have exactly the opposite problem: light bulbs that stick and break before they unscrew, and I'm in the northern hemi.... hey, you think I could could have stumbbled onto a gremlin luddite cell intent on sabbotaging the electrical grid?
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If you drive alot of screws take a 35ml. film can, stuff it with toilet flange wax and attach it to your tool belt with a plastic cable ty. It will always be handy and those waxed screws zip in so nicley.