Screws in plastic, I thought everyone know

[Bill Huber]

I am sure that everyone here knows but just in case.....

I was helping a friend install a new switch in his cordless drill and when we started putting it back together I was ask why was I turning the screws backwards first.

If you are putting screws back into plastic if you apply a small a mount of down pressure as you turn the screw backward you will feel it pop, at that point you start turning the screw in.

By doing this you do not mess up the threads in the plastic because you are in the same thread channel that the screw was in to start.

[John Coloccia]

Well, uh....no, I didn't know that. It makes perfect sense. Nice.

[Chip Lindley]

Bill, I always wondered what that "Pop" was!...Now I know! ;-)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Bill,

It works with soft metals too. It helps prevent cross-threading

[Jim O'Dell]

Yeah, I thought that was standard fare also. Jim.

[Phil Thien]

Whether it is plastic, metal, or wood, I always try to chase the original threads.

[Matt Day]

In other words, you turn the screw backward to until the beginning of the screw threads line up with the mating hole threads. I think it's just as important with metal to avoid stripping threads as well. One of the basics that doesn't hurt to reiterate!

[Alan Schaffter]

Yup, one of those things passed down from father to son, like "Righty tighty, lefty loosy."

Anyone know the mnemonic for resistor color bands?

[John Coloccia]

In other words, you turn the screw backward to until the beginning of the screw threads line up with the mating hole threads. I think it's just as important with metal to avoid stripping threads as well. One of the basics that doesn't hurt to reiterate!

You know, I think it's one of those things you just kind of do and never think about. After reading this thread, I played with a nut and bolt tonight just to see, and it turns out that I do this absolutely without thinking about it or even realizing that I'm doing it. I don't normally do it with screws going into plastic but I seem to do it with everything else. It's funny that when Bill mentioned it, it seemed like a complete revelation to me, but my fingers seem to know what to do even if I don't.

[Noah Katz]

Yup, one of those things passed down from father to son, like "Righty tighty, lefty loosy."

I never saw how that was helpful - whichever way you turn it, there's always a spot that moves right and another that moves left.

[Don Morris]

I didn't know that. I've done it by chance a few times. Even spun it around mostly forwards until I felt it "catch" mostly in metal. If you use your fingers as your eyes, you can feel it catch as the threads sort of bounce into the lined up position. But I must admit, backwards in wood (hardness would matter I think) or plastic would work better. Absolutely, from now on...

[Will Overton]

I didn't know that ... but I always did it with any threaded fastener.

I guess my father did teach me something when I was a kid. :)

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Bill,

It works with soft metals too. It helps prevent cross-threading

+1

I do it all the time just to find the threads.

[Jerome Hanby]

Yup, one of those things passed down from father to son, like "Righty tighty, lefty loosy."

Anyone know the mnemonic for resistor color bands?

Yes, but the language is a little off color. PM me if you actually want it.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Yes, but the language is a little off color. PM me if you actually want it.

I removed his link to it because it's not appropriate for this site. I suspect he's familiar with it.

[Myk Rian]

I've always turned screws backwards to find the thread. Just seemed a natural thing to do.

[Jerome Hanby]

Yup, one of those things passed down from father to son, like "Righty tighty, lefty loosy."

Anyone know the mnemonic for resistor color bands?

The bands also follow the spectrum of visible light, but some of the colors aren't obvious, like brown. Just have to remember it's not quite black. White is everything and gray is not quite white.:D

black
brown
red
orange
yellow
green
blue
violet
gray
white

I just recalled another not as off color mnemonic that also has the tolerances, something about beer..
Bad
Beer
Rots
Our
Young
Guts
But
Vodka
Goes
Well
Get
Some
Now


Seems like Yellow is always the weak link in these mnemonics.
Guts

[Philip Johnson]

I always cross thread my screws and tell myself nothing holds like a good cross thread...don't need no locktite

Phil

[David Woodruff]

This got me thinking, just where did I learn that and when? Don't know, seems like I've always done it

[Curt Harms]

This is timely. I was putting a spare hard drive into an external enclosure. The enclosure uses screws with threads like sheet metal screws into plastic. I was speculating how many times those screws could be removed and replaced before the holes became too worn. This technique should help.

[Todd Hyman]

Bill, great advise an electrician told me about that trick a long time ago and since then I've never had a screw strip out of the threads.

[Bob Abbott]

This also works great with container lids.