Tiny screws

[threepiece]

I hope I can add pictures, if not, this thread will be largely uninteresting.

I have some shockingly small screws. They were in a tin metal container purchased in a box lot at auction. When I opened the tin to see what was inside I saw some very small screws. As I poked around I kept seeing smaller and smaller screws. Finally, I noticed numerous “particles” among the screws. I decided to get my magnifiers to have a better look.

The tiniest screws are truly amazing. What are they used for? How can they be positioned? How are they turned? How were they made?

The “large” screws on the left is a 4-40.

In the center of the tin container are a few of the smallest screws.

 

[PassnThru]

I'd say they were most likely computer related. You would be surprised how small some of the screws are that hold a laptop together and some of the components.
As for the rest of your questions - there is one answer for all of them:

Very carefully

 

[rcktpwrd]

Electronics? watches?

and like mentioned above very carefully!

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Some of those could be eyeglass screws.

 

[WildBill]

I have a bowl that looks like that from taking mostly laptops apart, plus some cell phones and various other electronic gadgets.

 

[rustyzman]

Assuming they are old, Watches are my bet. Or precision measurement instruments.

Lots of different ways to make them. Die heads, polygon milling (currently common on Swiss type lathes), thread rolling, single point threading, just to name a few.

This video is a Tornos Nano Swiss Lathe using a polygon milling tool. Very fast and accurate method of making tiny screws. We have one of these at work, it is a cute little machine but is very capable.

Older school technique on a watch lathe by hand. They would do this much smaller as well.

We single point thread some medical screws down to M1.2. (about .047")

Tiny screws are an interesting challenge for sure!

 

[rustyzman]

This is a picture of a screw I had out from a pocket watch I was repairing/servicing. Probably made back in about 1900.

I forget which watch it was. Either a Deuber (pre Hampden, in which case it's even older than that) or an Elgin from about the turn of the century.

 

[threepiece]

I'd say they were most likely computer related. You would be surprised how small some of the screws are that hold a laptop together and some of the components.
As for the rest of your questions - there is one answer for all of them:

Very carefully

Well these certainly are not from a computer. I have had them for over 30 years. They were in an old barn and looked as if they had been there for 30 years before.

 

[threepiece]

I have a bowl that looks like that from taking mostly laptops apart, plus some cell phones and various other electronic gadgets.

I have never taken a laptop or cell phone apart so I don’t know the sizes of screws that are used. If the screws used in laptops and cell phones are as small as these tiny screws I would like to see how you remove them and more curiously, how do you screw them back in?

 

[Grant Gunderson]

Those are not small. Compared to the ones that I commonly ran into back when I did film camera repair those are large!

PBSwiss, Wera and Wiha, and Vessle make quality screwdrivers for them

 

[djbmw]

I have never taken a laptop or cell phone apart so I don’t know the sizes of screws that are used. If the screws used in laptops and cell phones are as small as these tiny screws I would like to see how you remove them and more curiously, how do you screw them back in?

The ones in your picture really arent that small... especially when compared to screws used in watches.
This is why magnification is used when working on watches, along with jewlers/watch maker tools. Generally you magnetize the tip of your micro screwdriver to hold the screw, and carefully place it back into position.

 

[four.cycle]

Davison / Davison Mfg. Co., 112 Front St., Brooklyn, NY / miniature tools for pocket watch fobs, wrench / patent 685976 Nov 5 1901 /Frank G. Davison /

Morris / J.I. Morris Co., 394 Elm St, Southbridge, MA 01550 / https://jimorrisco.com/ / miniature screws and tools "E-Z Socket Wrench" /

 

[WildBill]

I have never taken a laptop or cell phone apart so I don’t know the sizes of screws that are used. If the screws used in laptops and cell phones are as small as these tiny screws I would like to see how you remove them and more curiously, how do you screw them back in?

I have a cheap kit kinda like this one -

https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-32717-Screwdriver-Multi-Function/dp/B08DRVM38X?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[PassnThru]

I have a cheap kit kinda like this one -

https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-32717-Screwdriver-Multi-Function/dp/B08DRVM38X?tag=atomicindus08-20

I have that exact kit. Bought it at Lowes of all places due to the fact that I needed a specific bit (a tiny tri-wing I think) right then. It's really nice actually and a great start to a collection of bits for small work.

 

[threepiece]

The ones in your picture really arent that small... especially when compared to screws used in watches.
This is why magnification is used when working on watches, along with jewlers/watch maker tools. Generally you magnetize the tip of your micro screwdriver to hold the screw, and carefully place it back into position.

I think you fail to understand how small the smallest screws are. Unless one has outstanding eyesight it is impossible to tell what they are with a naked eye. None of the dozen or more people I have shown them to could tell me what the are until I offered my 3.5 Optivisor spectacle. They are literally perhaps slightly bigger than a grain of salt from a salt shaker.

 

[threepiece]

I think the pictures I have posted are misleading some of you fellows. Seriously, you are not working with these tiny screws without a magnifying vision aid, a special driver and a significant amount of practice.

When I get back to the shop in a few days I will try to take a picture that offers a better perspective.

 

[threepiece]

Those are not small.

I’m certain you would reconsider if I placed one in your hand.

 

[APEowner]

The smallest screw has a major diameter of about 0.020" which means it's likely a 0000-160 thread. Based on the age I'm thinking watches.

 

[whateg01]

I think you fail to understand how small the smallest screws are. Unless one has outstanding eyesight it is impossible to tell what they are with a naked eye. None of the dozen or more people I have shown them to could tell me what the are until I offered my 3.5 Optivisor spectacle. They are literally perhaps slightly bigger than a grain of salt from a salt shaker.

That's why they make and use magnifiers

 

[Grant Gunderson]

I’m certain you would reconsider if I placed one in your hand.

Back when I used to repair film cameras I had an entire tackle box of sizes smaller than these.

I tossed all of the ones smaller than m1 as my eyes are no longer good enough for that work even with magnification. That was fun work in my 20’s but no way could I do it now with my near vision being ****.

Same with all of my smaller taps.

Smaller sizes are quite common in watch and camera repair. M1 and up are pretty common in eye glasses and electronics.

 

[djbmw]

I think you fail to understand how small the smallest screws are. Unless one has outstanding eyesight it is impossible to tell what they are with a naked eye. None of the dozen or more people I have shown them to could tell me what the are until I offered my 3.5 Optivisor spectacle. They are literally perhaps slightly bigger than a grain of salt from a salt shaker.

I microsolder under microscope, as well as repair my own watches. Here's a few pictures that I readily have on my cell phone... but this is my "normal", and no where near the smallest components that I work with. Ps... thats a capacitor on my thumb.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I have never taken a laptop or cell phone apart so I don’t know the sizes of screws that are used. If the screws used in laptops and cell phones are as small as these tiny screws I would like to see how you remove them and more curiously, how do you screw them back in?

There are some very tiny screws in my MacBook laptop. When I replaced the battery, fortunately tiny little screwdrivers were included with the new battery.

I watch a couple watch repair videos on YouTube, and some of the screws in the watches they repair are positively microscopic. I don't know how they're able to pick them up with a tweezers, I don't have that kind of dexterity.