magnetic nut drivers

[reverunbilly]

i bought a set of craftsman nut drivers. is there a simple way to magnetize them so screws wont fall out when you have to stick your arm way back in a unit.

[craig1]

get a bar magnate and rub one END of the magnet up and down the entire length of the shaft of the driver. better yet, go back to the sears that you bought that craftsman set from and ask for a screwdriver magnetizer. its two magnets with a hole in the middle and they are held together with o-rings. I got one from sears a while ago and use it all the time (the magnetism wears off the tools after a while). to use it with nut drivers, you usually have to take the o-rings off and separate it so you can get the nut driver through it because they have bigger heats than the screwdrivers.

[James 3528]

Yes...rub your shaft up and down.

[karsthuntr]

Go to the electrical supply house and buy some Klien nut drivers that are already magnetic.

[condenseddave]

Sears used to sell a magnetizer for screwdrivers that worked real well, I believe it was manufactured by Lisle, but I could be wrong about that. It worked on a 5/16 nutdriver, but nothing bigger, which irritated me to no end, as I used an 11/32 everyday. (We were responsible for sales area lighting in one of our grocery chains, and changed a LOT of ballasts.)

The thing was two magnets, put together on opposing poles, with a half moon cut into each, with a couple of very strong rubber bands/ O-rings that bound them together.

I still have one somewhere. Don't know if they're still made.

[mark beiser]

My favorite are the Crewline brand that Lennox sells. I don't know where else you can get them.

[sodadude]

Originally posted by James 3528
Yes...rub your shaft up and down.

You're sick.

[otto]

I buy Klein magnetic nut drivers. Unlike the Craftsman, you can easily see what size driver you're grabbing from the top of the handle and the magnet is hollow to allow you to use it on a long threaded rod without breaking the rod off.

When I had a non-magnetic driver that I occasionally wanted to use for an extended reach, I would tear off a corner of paper from my pocket notepad and put it over the nutdriver end before putting the screw on, worked OK for me.

[otto]

Also, to clean metal shavings from the magnetic nut drivers, use some thumb gum or putty, works great!

[mattm]

Originally posted by craig1
get a bar magnate and rub one END of the magnet up and down the entire length of the shaft of the driver.

This is getting a little funky now.

[jrbenny]

Buy it here: Cyberguys

[spotts]

Originally posted by otto


When I had a non-magnetic driver that I occasionally wanted to use for an extended reach, I would tear off a corner of paper from my pocket notepad and put it over the nutdriver end before putting the screw on, worked OK for me. [/B]

Works like a charm don't it Otto? Piece of tape/sticker/decal is the tits.

[Green Mountain]

Take a piece of 14 ga. wire. Strip both ends. Wrap the wire tightly around the shaft of the srcew/nut driver that you want to magnatize.(around 14 turns or so) Short the 2 ends of the wire across a car or truck battery for a split second. That's all there is to it.

[Edited by benncool on 02-16-2005 at 04:56 PM]