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That guy at the hardware store was right about using a rubber band on stripped screws
He told me to press a wide rubber band over the stripped head before using the screwdriver, and honestly it gripped perfectly on the first try. Has anyone else gotten random advice from a store employee that actually worked?
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fiona_reed1mo ago
Oh man, the rubber band trick is a lifesaver. Tried it a few months ago on a screw that was basically smooth from me being too aggressive with the wrong size bit, and it worked like magic. Felt like a complete idiot for not trying it sooner, especially after all the swearing and bruised knuckles. The hardware store guy just shrugged and said "happens to the best of us" which made it even funnier. Now I keep a stash of thick rubber bands in my toolbox right next to the spare bits, just in case. Also learned that you can put your phone in a clear bag of rice if you drop it in the sink, but that one didn't work out so well for me.
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mark491mo ago
My dad taught me that rubber band trick back in 2003 when I stripped a bolt on my dirt bike, and I still laugh about how I thought he was messing with me. @fiona_reed you're spot on about feeling like an idiot, I had the same moment where I stared at my own toolbox like it had betrayed me. The rice thing though, I tried that on an old flip phone in high school and it just came out smelling like Uncle Ben's and still dead. These days I keep those thick orange bands from asparagus bundles in the garage, they grip way better than the thin ones. At least you didn't end up like my buddy who used a candle on a stripped screw and now has a permanently waxy screwdriver.
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