Re-magnetize screwdrivers

[Dave1]

I was helping some friends with wicking and coiling today and noticed how they battled with screws because their screwdrivers had lost their magnetism after being used to straighten and neaten their coils after they had pulsed them.

Heat removes the magnetism in metals and most of those small screwdrivers are made of really cheap metal and don't retain much of that magical ability to make the screws stick to them which of course makes refilling a tank like the Lemo a little more difficult.

We have everything we need right there on most mods to fix this. The snap on cover has powerful little magnets. Remember to always use the same one for best results.

Place the screwdriver as below on a magnet from the mod cover and pull back all the way till it is off the magnet.

Always pull in the same direction and only keep contact with the magnet in one direction. Put on the magnet, pull back until no longer in contact with the magnet, pick-up and put back in the starting position.

Do this a few times and the magic returns.

Repeat as required when needed.

It's the little things that make life more pleasant. Hope this helps someone.

PS. That screw from the Lemo is supposed to be stainless steel and should not be able to stick to a magnet.

 

[Silver]

Great post @Dave1 , thanks for sharing
I agree that the little things often make life more pleasant

On the topic of magnetic screwdrivers and screws

I have a dedicated screwdriver with a stubby handle - think its a Rolson - that has different screwdriver bits and it has retained its magnetism for a long time. Luckily, i dont use it to wrap coils so thats probably why it has retained its magnetism (as per your post).

But what I find interesting is how some screws are metal and obviously some stainless. My Lemo1 fillport screw works a charm with my Rolson screwdriver, so I assume its metal, not stainless. Funny though it has held up for many months and I have filled many times.

I have a fill screw on my Kayfun Monster V2 clone (lemaga I think) which irritates me because its probably stainless so it doesnt stick to my magnetic screwdriver. But to make matters worse, it has a little black o ring under it which, when tightening the screw, it pops up over the screw head. Drives me nuts and i cant seem to easily find another o ring of a similar (or slightly smaller) size.

If a device has a fill port screw that must be used often it should be made from a good material and not be leaky. Surely that is what the manufacturer knows? Perhaps not. Anyway, for this reason i dont use my Kayfun Monster V2 clone anymore and its a royal pity because it is perfect for this one juice of mine...

Maybe i should make a post about this separately to ask for some advice from the DIY experienced folk...

 

[Pixstar]

Great post @Dave1 , thanks for sharing
I agree that the little things often make life more pleasant

On the topic of magnetic screwdrivers and screws

I have a dedicated screwdriver with a stubby handle - think its a Rolson - that has different screwdriver bits and it has retained its magnetism for a long time. Luckily, i dont use it to wrap coils so thats probably why it has retained its magnetism (as per your post).

But what I find interesting is how some screws are metal and obviously some stainless. My Lemo1 fillport screw works a charm with my Rolson screwdriver, so I assume its metal, not stainless. Funny though it has held up for many months and I have filled many times.

I have a fill screw on my Kayfun Monster V2 clone (lemaga I think) which irritates me because its probably stainless so it doesnt stick to my magnetic screwdriver. But to make matters worse, it has a little black o ring under it which, when tightening the screw, it pops up over the screw head. Drives me nuts and i cant seem to easily find another o ring of a similar (or slightly smaller) size.

If a device has a fill port screw that must be used often it should be made from a good material and not be leaky. Surely that is what the manufacturer knows? Perhaps not. Anyway, for this reason i dont use my Kayfun Monster V2 clone anymore and its a royal pity because it is perfect for this one juice of mine...

Maybe i should make a post about this separately to ask for some advice from the DIY experienced folk...

Hi @Silver. Have you tried using it without the o ring? The reason I ask is that I don't use the minuscule o ring on the fill screw for my Goblin Minis and they don't leak.

 

[Dave1]

Hi @Silver a good quality screwdriver will retain its magnetivity for a long time if it is treated well. Heat and shock (being dropped or banged on a surface) will reduce it. Many screwdrivers with interchangeable tips have a tiny magnet in the tip holder to keep the tip in so the tip will hold onto metal well and never need re-magnetizing.

On the subject of fillport screws I have never had one leaking or that needed an o-ring. As @Pixstar said, remove the o-ring and never look back. The other option is to tighten the screw with the o-ring until it starts to compress the o-ring then stop tightening it. Personally I would just remove the o-ring. You could use a tiny bit of plumbers tape on the screw thread, wrapped anti-clockwise if it does leak without the o-ring.

I get all my o-rings from Bearing Man here in Durban. They have a huge selection including silicone and have every size I have needed. Never asked about a M2 but will next time.

 

[blujeenz]

PS. That screw from the Lemo is supposed to be stainless steel and should not be able to stick to a magnet.

Only true austenitic stainless steel is non-magnetic, although most ss has some residual magnetism from working it, ie ss kitchen sinks are quite magnetic from heat and pressure used to press it into shape.

 

[Silver]

Hi @Silver. Have you tried using it without the o ring? The reason I ask is that I don't use the minuscule o ring on the fill screw for my Goblin Minis and they don't leak.

Thanks @Pixstar - I did actually try it without the o ring - and it did dribble a bit. Not a major leak - but there was some wetness there afterward. Didn't like that at all. So I shelved it after not being able to find another o ring in my boxes of stuff. You would think they would give you one in their spares, but the ones they give are for the other o rings and seals.

Maybe I will try it again and just try screw the fillport screw in a bit tighter...

 

[Silver]

Hi @Silver a good quality screwdriver will retain its magnetivity for a long time if it is treated well. Heat and shock (being dropped or banged on a surface) will reduce it. Many screwdrivers with interchangeable tips have a tiny magnet in the tip holder to keep the tip in so the tip will hold onto metal well and never need re-magnetizing.

On the subject of fillport screws I have never had one leaking or that needed an o-ring. As @Pixstar said, remove the o-ring and never look back. The other option is to tighten the screw with the o-ring until it starts to compress the o-ring then stop tightening it. Personally I would just remove the o-ring. You could use a tiny bit of plumbers tape on the screw thread, wrapped anti-clockwise if it does leak without the o-ring.

I get all my o-rings from Bearing Man here in Durban. They have a huge selection including silicone and have every size I have needed. Never asked about a M2 but will next time.

Thanks for the feedback @Dave1 - I will remove the o ring and try again. Thanks for the plumbers tape tip.
What I resorted to doing a few tankfuls was to tighten it just until the o ring starts compressing. Then stop. But that also occasionally led to some minor leakage which drove me mad as well.

I think the plumbers tape or a new o ring is what i need. And I will try again. That tank with the Bell Cap top config gives such a delightful flavour that for me its worth getting it into service again... It stayed on my iStick50 for a month or two until the fillport screw issues started.

#theLifeofVapeGearProblems

 

[Dave1]

Only true austenitic stainless steel is non-magnetic, although most ss has some residual magnetism from working it, ie ss kitchen sinks are quite magnetic from heat and pressure used to press it into shape.

Hi @Bluejeenz, I should have complained / explained better.
Being an inhalation device one would expect it and all parts to be made of Type 304 (surgical) stainless steel, an austenitic steel containing 18-20% chromium and 8-10% nickel, not hardenable by heat treatment and non-magnetic. The screw is probably Ferritic about type 430.
In a perfect world and if cost was not a factor all parts would be T304 to T316.

A bit of useless but interesting info for those who don't know anything about Stainless steel, info from: http://chemistry.about.com/cs/metalsandalloys/a/aa071201a.htm

It is the addition of a minimum of 12% chromium to the steel that makes it resist rust, or stain 'less' than other types of steel. The chromium in the steel combines with oxygen in the atmosphere to form a thin, invisible layer of chrome-containing oxide, called the passive film. The sizes of chromium atoms and their oxides are similar, so they pack neatly together on the surface of the metal, forming a stable layer only a few atoms thick. If the metal is cut or scratched and the passive film is disrupted, more oxide will quickly form and recover the exposed surface, protecting it from oxidative corrosion. (Iron, on the other hand, rusts quickly because atomic iron is much smaller than its oxide, so the oxide forms a loose rather than tightly-packed layer and flakes away.) The passive film requires oxygen to self-repair, so stainless steels have poor corrosion resistance in low-oxygen and poor circulation environments. In seawater, chlorides from the salt will attack and destroy the passive film more quickly than it can be repaired in a low oxygen environment.