Most expensive grub screw

[jimi]

Dropped locking grub screw from prop and couldn’t find it, none in chandlers so went to screw fix and bought box for £17 got back and all too long . Went online and ordered 74p screw with £6 delivery and will have to make another 150 mile round trip to boat to fix. Reckon that ends up costing £45 for dropping the sodding thing never mind the time!

 

[Minchsailor]

Hint - spread an old sheet on the ground first (how do I know............................)

 

[Refueler]

For a lot less - you could have cut or ground back the long one and for a couple of quid bought a thread cutter to clean up the ground end.

 

[Refueler]

Hint - spread an old sheet on the ground first (how do I know............................)

An old trick is a supermarket bag hung under the work as a 'catch-all' .....

Another is if the screw is steel or iron based - rub the driver with a magnet ... the screw then sticks to the 'driver' ....

I have a Magnetiser / Demagnetiser specially for this .. cost 2 quid ...

 

[pvb]

If we're being honest, I think we've all probably been there and done that! My nightmare is servicing winches.

 

[MoodySabre]

You should have bought two or three screws for future occasions.

 

[Blue Sunray]

An old trick is a supermarket bag hung under the work as a 'catch-all' .....

Another is if the screw is steel or iron based - rub the driver with a magnet ... the screw then sticks to the 'driver' ....

I have a Magnetiser / Demagnetiser specially for this .. cost 2 quid ...

An inverted umbrella can also be a good option.

 

[Deleted member 478]

......for dropping the sodding thing never mind the time!

If you're a typical poster on here, surely you're old enough to be retired, so time is something you have?

 

[Dipper]

Dropped locking grub screw from prop and couldn’t find it, none in chandlers so went to screw fix and bought box for £17 got back and all too long . Went online and ordered 74p screw with £6 delivery and will have to make another 150 mile round trip to boat to fix. Reckon that ends up costing £45 for dropping the sodding thing never mind the time!

I gave up on those grub screws that have an hexagonal insert. Unless the screws were remove frequently they got stiff. Then the inserts became loose and didn't turn the screws. I made some out of stainless machine bolts cut to length (just below the surface when fully in) and champhered on the tip. On the top I cut a slot for a flat bladed screwdriver so they could be screwed in and out easily with an appropriately sized screwdriver.

 

[Gwylan]

Dropped locking grub screw from prop and couldn’t find it, none in chandlers so went to screw fix and bought box for £17 got back and all too long . Went online and ordered 74p screw with £6 delivery and will have to make another 150 mile round trip to boat to fix. Reckon that ends up costing £45 for dropping the sodding thing never mind the time!

I feel your pain.

Just don't try that with the in mast reefibg arrangement. I have a lot of spare ball bearings now. Goodness knows what they cost in time, effort and money.

 

[Skylark]

You simply have to content yourself that you are single handedly keeping the economy afloat.

Marine-specific items are especially rich pickings. My bitterest pill to swallow was paying £65 for a replacement Quick instrument sun cover. It probably cost a few pence to manufacture. Robbing barstewards.

The joys of boat ownership.?

 

[Refueler]

You simply have to content yourself that you are single handedly keeping the economy afloat.

Marine-specific items are especially rich pickings. My bitterest pill to swallow was paying £65 for a replacement Quick instrument sun cover. It probably cost a few pence to manufacture. Robbing barstewards.

The joys of boat ownership.?

I paid about 85 quid for a 3D printer ............. its made loads of covers and items - paid for itself over and over again.

 

[RichardS]

For a lot less - you could have cut or ground back the long one and for a couple of quid bought a thread cutter to clean up the ground end.

I would have done the same but would have simply run a nut down the thread few times to clean it up.

Richard

 

[Refueler]

I would have done the same but would have simply run a nut down the thread few times to clean it up.

Richard

True ... I just happen to have Thread cutting sets ... but its true that a single tap or die is cheap in a local shop ..

 

[Fiddlesticks]

I did this with my car in a field once. Took the speaker out of the dashboard and swept it over the ground until the magnet found the missing screw.

 

[Refueler]

I did this with my car in a field once. Took the speaker out of the dashboard and swept it over the ground until the magnet found the missing screw.

I know this is way off the track ... but with flying models in fields etc ... you can imagine that losing stuff is common place.

I bought a kiddies metal detector for about 15 quid of eBay ... it did not take long to recoup that by finding expensive LiPo batterys etc that 'eject' themselves considerable distance from models when you hit ground !! Or elusive screws etc.

Others at flight sites when they saw it laughed ... till I demo'd it !!

 

[pvb]

I did this with my car in a field once. Took the speaker out of the dashboard and swept it over the ground until the magnet found the missing screw.

Now that's creative thinking!

 

[GHA]

Hint - spread an old sheet on the ground first (how do I know............................)

Despite the old saying, umbrellas do have a use on a boat

 

[oldharry]

£6 delivery for a grub screw!!? I would expect them to bring it round personally for that sort of money. Seems fairly typical though nowadays to make a bit extra out of low cost items.

 

[Refueler]

£6 delivery for a grub screw!!? I would expect them to bring it round personally for that sort of money. Seems fairly typical though nowadays to make a bit extra out of low cost items.

Regarding delivery on items .... I am not so happy with eBay nowadays with their imposed Shipping systems on many items ... you can have a part at a fiver and then shipping over 20 quid !!

I know they were stamping out the sellers who sold at low price - low commission to eBay and high postage to make their profit - but its just ridiculous now.