Prevent Screw Stripping and Scratching

How to Prevent Screw Stripping and Scratching

black oxide phillips head screw

Screw stripping and scratching commonly happen when the driver bit slips out of the drive and causes imperfections in the head of a fastener. This can result in either a burring effect which can remove the finish from a fastener. You definitely don’t want to mess up on a screw going onto a finished product!

We chose to use a black oxide stainless steel screw. Black oxide is a coating that goes over stainless steel to add an extra layer of corrosion and abrasion resistance. This screw is commonly used for its sleek black look so you definitely don’t want to mess it up.

To quickly mitigate the effects of slipping, simply take your favorite roll of painters tape and wrap the bit with it. This will make the drive fit more securely to help deter that slide out effect while also protecting the head of the screw in the event of a slip out.

use painters tape on the drill bit prevent screw stripping and scratching

Make sure you use proper drilling form when you’re drilling. Always keep a good amount of pressure on the screw and make sure you don’t try to drive it too quickly as this may lead to driver slippage. For an even more secure hold, you might want to check out Torx or square drive screws which are designed to decrease the chance of stripping even more!

And here it is! Our fully installed black oxide stainless steel phillips head screw. Free of any burring or stripping. Follow this tip to keep your fasteners looking brand new!
installed screw clean of stripping and scratching

How to Prevent Screw Stripping

Preventing Screw Stripping Transcript

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Bob: Welcome back to Albany County Fasteners – Fasteners 101. I’m Bob and today I’m going to show you a tip using blue tape to prevent scratching or damaging the heads of your screws. And we now have our evolution saws in stock so check it out on the website we can ship immediately. So let’s get started.

I have here a black oxy (oxide) screw. You can see there the head is perfect. No scratches or anything. To prevent making marks to your screws as you’re installing them – this is a sheet metal screw, same thing goes if you’re just using a hand screw driver – to prevent the scratching or damaging of the heads, what I recommend you do is, take a piece of blue tape, this is painters blue tape, and just put it over the head like so.

Then put your screw into the bit and screw it in.

You will see here, the head has no damage to the to the Philips Drive (recess) so you won’t see any marks or imperfections to the metal.

This is a little quick tip for you guys. It’s something that I use when I’m putting in screws that are going to be visible on the finished product, and that’s my tip of the day.

Why Do Wood Screws Have A Shank?

It’s time to start your next wood working project. Grab your tools from the garage, find a box of screws, and wood, cut and ready to be installed. You start driving your first screw and boom, it stops and snaps. You try again, same thing. Then you realize you are using sheet metal screws, not wood screws! One quick trip to AlbanyCountyFasteners.com offers a quick fastener fix and your package shows up in the mail few days later filled with deck screws and wood screws. Hastily, you grab the package in excitement and run out to your shop to continue your work. Open the box and wait, what’s that? Why do these screws have an un-threaded portion? That can’t be right…Why would you want that?

It is one of the most misunderstood designs in the industry. Why is there a shank (shoulder) on a wood screw? If a wood screw was threaded all the way up, it would overheat and snap. Before we can explain why this happens, let’s start with the basics.

What Is A Wood Screw?

A wood screw is a screw made up of a head, shank and threaded body. Since the entire screw is not threaded, it is common to call these screws partially threaded (PT).

Head	The head of a screw is the portion that contains the drive and is considered the top of the screw. Most wood screws are Flat heads. Other common heads: Oval, Round, Hex, Modified Truss, Trim Flat.
Shank	The shank is the smooth portion of a wood screw which has no threads and begins immediately beneath the head.
Threaded Portion	The threads start just below the shank and extend all the way to the tip of the screw.

Now that we know what the different sections of a screw are, we can begin to understand what exactly happens during screw installation.

The unthreaded shank of a screw has dual purposes.

The First Purpose

First, when a screw that is fully threaded is driven into wood, this screw can connect two pieces of material together but it will not pull the two pieces against each other; once the head reaches the material, the screw will stop spinning.

Having an unthreaded shank at the top allows the tip of a wood screw to pull the screw into the wood just as a regular screw would. The difference is that the shoulder portion of the screw will actually slide through the first layer of wood and pull it against the head. This causes compression from the head to the threads. When installing two pieces of wood together then the first will be pulled tightly against the second one. The threads can continue to pull forward as long as enough torque is applied. Coincidentally, this can also make the removal process much easier than trying to remove a fully threaded screw.

*Note: This process of continuing to tighten after a wood screw reaches the head and snug wood together is known as over-tightening and may cause damage as the head is pulled to forcefully into the wood.

The Second Purpose

Second, when a fully threaded screw is being screwed into wood the screw threads cause friction. This friction results in the screw heating up. This causes two flaws in the material. As the metal heats up it will begin to expand. Once it expands inside of a hole that was drilled for a specific sized screw, the screw will seize in the hole. At the same time, the materials overall strength has now also been compromised due to the heat. Overheating leads to a screw breaking and snapping.

These two factors will highlight any flaws the screw may have and exploit them. This typically results in bending or snapping of the screw. So, how can a shank help? The shank allows for heat dispersion in a screw. As the threads begin creating heat, it moves up into the shank which will take longer to heat up and will not generate nearly the same amount of friction when it goes through the wood.

This unthreaded shoulder will minimize the amount of heat a screw generates upon install thus keeping it from expanding in size and compromising the materials strength.

Conclusion

To conclude, the shank of a wood screw is used to tightly compress two pieces of wood against each other and minimize the heating up of the screw caused by friction. This results in a strong firm hold between two wooden materials with little effort, and just as importantly, no broken screws.

Other information

Looking for more information about screws? Check out our Screws blog post to learn about many different types of screws.

We also recommend using lubrication when installing wood screws into very hard wood. A DIY option that is available is simply adding soap to the fastener. Soap acts as a natural lubricant but it should be noted that many soaps have glycerin in them which can actually attract moisture. This can result in fasteners deteriorating faster than expected.

A full blown solution is to use MRO Anti-Seize Solution. Not only will this lubricate your nails before installation but it can also add a protective coating to deter from corrosion!

Hex Cap Screws Vs Hex Tap Bolts

Hex Cap Screws vs Hex Tap Bolts: What’s The Difference?

Hex bolts, hex caps, hex taps, hex heads…there is so much hex bolt lingo.

Hex Cap Screw Partially Threaded Shoulder Hex Tap Bolt Fully Threaded

Hex bolts can be very confusing. Its one of those situations where you may order a hex cap screw and wind up with a hex tap bolt. A hex cap is sometimes a hex tap, and Albany County Fasteners would like to take some time today to explain the details of hex bolts to you. It’s all about the threading, the length and the shoulder.

Hex Bolts

Hex Bolts are bolts with external threading and a hex head designed to be driven by a wrench. Hex bolts may be partially threaded or fully threaded, and are available in hex cap (partially threaded after a certain length) and hex tap (always fully threaded). Hex caps and hex taps are both considered “hex bolts”. Hex bolts are designed to be inserted into holes with machined, tapped threads, they are available in coarse thread (UNC) and fine thread (UNF). Machine screw sizes (diameters #4 – #12) of hex bolts are known as “trim head hex screws” and are always fully threaded.

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Hex Cap Screws / Hex Cap Bolts

Hex cap screws may have a built-in shoulder (un-threaded area under the head) which increases tensile strength of the bolt. However, the threaded length of these screws may be limited and therefore, they are not suitable for all applications. Cap screws are typically fully threaded up to 1-1/4″, hex cap bolts over this length are almost always partially threaded. Hex cap screws are available in diameters 1/4″ and up. Browse our selection of hex cap screws.

Hex Tap Bolts

Tap Bolts on the other hand are fully threaded regardless of size. This means the threading goes from the tip all the way to the underside of the head of the bolt. They have a weaker tensile strength but the extended threads make them more suitable for situations where hex cap screws may not function well. Hex tap bolts are available in diameters 1/4″ and up. Browse our selection of hex tap bolts.

In Summary

Tap bolts have threading all the way down regardless of their size. Hex cap screws may have a shoulder in longer sizes, which makes them stronger. Both are typically installed with a nut and designed to be driven by a wrench or socket driver. And last but not least, if a hex cap screw is small enough to lose its shoulder it can also be considered a tap bolt. In smaller sizes, they are the same but once a unthreaded shoulder starts, become different bolts. Browse our entire selection of hex bolts.

Star Drive Deck Screws have Arrived!

Stainless Steel Star Drive Deck Screws

Also Known as Torx, 6lobe, and Hexalobular Drive

BUY DECK SCREWS

Star Drive Deck Screws are here by popular demand! Star Drive Deck Screws are functionally the same as our standard Square Drive Deck screws, however they feature an unconventional drive style that offers many installation benefits including higher torque possibilities and more resistance to cam out than a conventional style like Phillips or slotted.
The “Star” drive style for screws (like many things in the industry!), goes by many names including Torx, 6lobe and Hexalobular and is characterized by having a fastener recess with six points of contact which allow for these benefits.

Stainless Steel Deck Screws in all drive styles feature a notched Type 17 point to help cut into the wood or composite boards being installed, as well as sharp cutting threads for stronger retention. Stainless Steel Deck Screws are used primarily in outdoor applications due to the corrosion / rust resistant properties of the metal, making them a good choice for long-lasting applications.

For more information on Deck Screws in both Star Drive and Square Drive and to browse our selection visit our Decking Fasteners section today!

Stainless Steel Security Socket Set Screws

Stainless Steel Tamper Proof Socket Set Screws

18-8 Stainless Steel Pin-In Set Screws

Socket Set Screws in this selection are driven with a special hex key or allen wrench designed to accommodate the hex drive with a central pin (pin-in). This pin prevents tampering with the fastener after assembly because it cannot be driven by a standard bit or hex key. Socket Set Screws are also referred to as Grub Screws, or simply Set Screws. Stainless Steel Set Screws are used in applications where a flush surface is key. Because they are headless fasteners, this property also adds a level of security to the screw, since it is resistant to gripping devices and anything besides the corresponding bits.

Socket Set Screws, Grub Screws
Set screws are commonly used in pulleys, tracks, manufacturing, surfboard fins, handles and grips. Tamper proof screws are commonly seen in public areas because removal of the fasteners will be difficult, if not impossible without the correct bit. Because of this, they are commonly found in public restrooms, safes, hotels, campgrounds, jails and food processing areas. Stainless Steel tamper proof screws are ideal because the corrosion and rust resistance of the metal makes these screws suitable for long-lasting applications.

Shop Tamper Proof Set Screws Today!