Earlier this year a jewelry hobby-craft book was published, which
recommendedthat cheap plastic handled screw drivers should be
sharpened for use as chisels.
Now, one of the jewelry hobby-craft magazines is recommending that
cheap plastic handled screw drivers should be dulled and used as
chasing tools.
Neither of these publications recommend the use of safety equipment
to protect their self-taught hobbyist readers from injury.
No where in any of Tim McCreight’s, Alan Revere’s, or Charles
Lewton-Brain’s books are there ever any recommendations for such
dangerous tool alteration. Gee, I wonder why? Could it be that…
Cheap plastic handled screw drivers ARE NOT designed to take
repetitive percussive blows to their cheap plastic handles and they
will shatter. Razor-sharp plastic shards from a shattering screw
driver handle can and will impale your hands, your chest, and your
eyes. I have seen it happen.
For god’s sake people spend the 2-3 extra dollars and buy a real
chisel or spend an hour making 75 cents worth of tool steel into a
decent chasing tool. Being this kind of cheap (and ignorant) with
your
tools can cost you more than you know.
About cheap plastic handles screwdrivers as chisels and chasing
tools. Place the handles in a vice, heat the metal, and with pliers
pull the metal out of the handles. Of course, do this under an
exhaust hood or similarly well ventilated area, Do not breath in the
smoke.
Now with a diamond blade or a grinder, segment (cut) the metal into
chasing, stamping or chiseling size pieces. Chamfer one end and
fashion the other as you see fit. I have made many stamps this way!
Of course, using any tool can be dangerous. I use to hit my fingers
quite a bit when I first started stamping and while forging. One
forging session I hit the same fingers three times with a hammer that
could be considered a small sledge. I had to give up for a few days.
The act of altering anything can be dangerous. I’ve ran my knuckles
into grinding wheels many times. I’ve jewelers sawed fingers, been
branded by hot metal. Now later, when I do my gem cutting run, I’m
going to grind through my skin. I just know it. Once while drilling
through a sterling silver setting the piece caught in the drill bit
and sliced two fingers a few times as it rotated with the drill. You
can hurt yourself!
Razor-sharp plastic shards from a shattering screw driver handle
can and will impale your hands, your chest, and your eyes. I have
seen it happen.
Always remember to protect your eyes whenever you face the
possibility of damaging them.