Hard to find screwdrivers.

[Swervyjoe]

Clutch head.

I had some at one time. Don't know where they are now

 

[bwringer]

Clutch head.

I had some at one time. Don't know where they are now

Clutch head drivers and bits just seem to show up uninvited, but I've never once used or needed one. IIRC, they were used occasionally back in the Jurassic era of motorized vehicles.

 

[ecotec]

For Torx screwdrivers in a regular local store, try Menards. Whatever the Menards green brand (Masterforce?). I bought them back when they were made in USA by Pratt Reed or Western Forge. They could be better, but they cover a huge range. I bought the Torx set and all the individual Torx screwdrivers not covered by the set.

Back when CAT was cheap and easy to get… I should have bought the Torx screwdriver set. It looked like the Snap-on hard handle set but much cheaper and more pieces and no PAKTY. It, also, only came in one color. Even if I had bought that set, the CAT drivers would be surrounded by all the Menards ones that are not in the CAT set.

I have found a couple individual Wiha Torx screwdrivers (t40?… I have to go look in the garage…). They are so much nicer than the Menards ones.

As far as Robertson screwdrivers go… I have the Klein ones and a bunch of other brands. I am not Canadian enough (one Canadian great grandfather) to tell the difference.

 

[Swervyjoe]

Clutch head drivers and bits just seem to show up uninvited, but I've never once used or needed one. IIRC, they were used occasionally back in the Jurassic era of motorized vehicles.

I've come across them more than a few times. My old '65 VW bus with a Sportsmobile camper kit was mostly clutch head screws. I've heard tri-5 era Chevys used them. Random furniture and one wayward screw on a '41 Ford.

 

[ecotec]

Clutch head.

I had some at one time. Don't know where they are now

I have 3-4 sizes of these… I do not know why… if someone borrows one… I may just give them all to him or her. I should have left them in the vintage packaging.

And… while I was posting, Swervyjoe gave me a reason to keep them… random furniture.

 

[KnurledNut]

Um. OK.

What the world really needs is a bathroom bandit who goes around fixing and covering up the panel gaps so the world can poo in peace, free from the tyranny of the judgmental anonymous eyeball peering down at you through the 1/2 inch gap. Or worse, the child's eyeball looking straight into your foul soul. Sort of a Robin Hood who makes the world better instead of stealing.

Sorry, let's go back to talking about screwdrivers now...

The biggest issue is they are often ordered to blueprint specs. So if the framers/drywallers, etc. change any of the wall dimensions (purposely or by mistake, including out of plumb) the gaps take the hit. It can be a nightmare. Especially if the walls are narrower than spec'd. Ripping laminated pilasters is less fun than it sounds.

Back to screwdrivers!

 

[Gurp]

Phillips slotted drivers are a pain to find. (contactors use them often)
And pozi slotted (contactors again)

I've been wondering if they make some type of extractor screwdrivers that are decent lately.

 

[dnschmidt]

What you're calling a coin driver I call a Zeus Fastener driver and use them on carburetor needle and seat assemblies. Here's an example: https://quadrajetpower.com/needle-seat-remover-and-install-tool-1-2-blade-driver/#gallery-1

 

[jumbojak]

There is actually a reason for taper ground flat head screwdrivers.

Originally, the slot in screws was hand cut into the screw.
This appears to have been done using a tapered knife file on old screws I’ve seen.
A tapered knife file has a similar taper to the taper on a tapered flathead screwdriver.
Because of the taper on both, a screw with a taper cut slot can be pushed onto the head of a tapered flathead screwdriver and stay put, similar to the advantages to the genuine tapered “Robertson” Square driver screwdrivers.
If a screw slot gets buggered, you can also recut the screw slot with a knife file and continue using the screw without issue, other than a slightly larger slot. It’s a tapered driver, so it doesn’t really matter if the slot gets cut deeper.
I’m not sure exactly when screws started being mass produced with parallel machine cut slots (probably after the US Civil War), but there was still a reason tapered screwdrivers continued being used, other than the popularity for them as a pry bar.

Older tapered head flathead screwdrivers used to come with the tapered heads ground to a very fine taper.
With wider screw slots this tended to seem annoying.
It’s actually an intentional advantage.
The screwdriver tip can be ground down slightly, easily, with a grinder or file, making the tip slightly thicker, so you can get an exact fit to the width of the screw slot, or just slightly wider, do there is a wedging action when the screwdriver is inserted.
The sides of the tapered flathead can also be slightly filed for width.
The general goal for mechanics was that you filed screwdrivers custom for odd sizes, and made up a bunch of drivers for all the screw sizes you routinely came across.
The system actually works pretty well.
To make the screwdrivers grip even better, a checkering file (used for making checkered patterns on gun grips) can be used on the screwdriver tip, making horizontal grooves that help prevent the tip from slipping, sort of like the serrations on ACR Phillips head bits.
Some manufacturers sell drivers with these serrations already cut. Facom does this, or did on their older tapered drivers, and unlike some of the US made drivers that did similar, Facom used finer serrations.
A Facom driver when properly fitted to a slotted screw will stay in place horizontally, sticking out from the screw slot when the screw slot is also turned horizontal, on a vertical wall.
I’ve done it with screws on lights witch plates on the wall, with a 12” long Facom driver.

The only screws that really needed hollow ground screwdrivers previously were on guns and fine machined equipment, were the screws were usually custom, and the item really expensive.
Gunsmiths were usually taught how to custom make “turnscrews” (the old fashioned name for a screwdriver) to custom fit the very fine slots found on some firearms.
Here are a couple videos from Brownells showing turnscrews being made.

Brownells sells a huge variety of different widths and thicknesses of screwdrivers bits with parallel flat heads for different slot sizes.
https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...-bits/magna-tip-super-set-bits-prod41568.aspx
And sets.

STANDARD MAGNA-TIP® SETS | Brownells

With Brownells MAGNA-TIP screwdriver, it is now possible for the gunsmith and firearms hobbyist to have a close fit in most any gun screw he will encounter - and darn near everything around the house and garage too. DESIGN OF BITS The TRUE hollow-...

www.brownells.com

I did not know that. Thank you.

 

[Bubba Fett]

I still occasionally run into Frearson screws, but it seems no one makes a Reed & Prince driver these days. I reckon tool manufacturers just assume legacy hardware simply disappears after a period of time. Zephyr makes bits, but I wouldn't mind a standalone driver.

 

[Farmall450]

JIS is generally Japanese companies like Vessel and Hozan, although, Moody Tools (US made) makes micro JIS drivers for cameras and such.

Snap-on

 

[FloorPaint]

Is this what you’re looking for? https://www.muttonhollowchevys.com/chevy-clutch-head-screwdriver-kit.html

 

[the1wingedangel]

There is no patent protection for either driver or screw heads, the last patent on the basic robertson shape expired in like 1960. And since Roberson's big innovation was that the taper was easy to form by drawing the tip (and pressing the recess on the screw), anything with any pretense at being a quality tool, has a taper. I've actually looked for an untapered square drive implement, and have never found one.

Every single square drive driver I have, whether a screwdriver, or a bit insert, branded or not, made in the USA, in Canada, or Asia, whether labeled "S2", "R2", or not at all, has a taper tip, and will hold a good quality screw on them. When this came up somewhere else, and some grumpy Canadian complained, I measured a bunch of what I could find. All of them, except some visibly worn out inserts, had the taper the Robertson patent called out. They only reason they're not labeled "Robertson" is it costs money for the license, and no one but grumpy Canadians cares, so there's no economic benefit to do so.

This is the same experience I had. Tested dozens of "Square" drive vs "Robertson" drive and they all are tapered. Turns out this is a Reddit rumor that begun in the mess that is r/tools with no factual backing. Its been spreading elsewhere on the internet because nobody actually takes the time to test anything before spreading the thing they just finished reading on the internet.

 

[Ton ton]

This is the same experience I had. Tested dozens of "Square" drive vs "Robertson" drive and they all are tapered. Turns out this is a Reddit rumor that begun in the mess that is r/tools with no factual backing. Its been spreading elsewhere on the internet because nobody actually takes the time to test anything before spreading the thing they just finished reading on the internet.

Thank you for correcting the myth.

 

[Hytekrednek]

I have been in search of a torx size T-5.5 All I have found so far is an import bit set that includes a T-5.5 in the set. A 5.5 from a quality tool maker would be great, either an insert bit or a screwdriver.