TIL I was stripping tiny screws on Leica M3s for a whole year because my driver tip was worn down.

I only figured it out after a guy in the shop pointed out the shiny metal dust on my bench mat and asked if I was using a fresh bit.

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenix_campbell884d ago

I mean, I get what you're saying eric but I don't really think it's the same thing. Kitchen knives get dull and you can still cut with them if you're patient. Stripping a screw on a vintage Leica is permanent damage that costs real money to fix. And beth, I actually think being cheap about bits is smart if you're just a hobbyist. Not everyone needs to swap out a $5 bit every week when they're working on one camera every other month. The real issue isn't the worn bit, it's not noticing the signs. A little metal dust or a screw that suddenly feels harder to turn should tell you something way before you wreck anything.

beth_hart681mo ago

Man, I used to be so cheap about replacing driver bits. I figured if it still fit in the screw head, it was fine. Seeing that metal dust pile up would have been a huge wake-up call. It's crazy how a simple worn-out tool can cause so much hidden damage. I'm definitely going to check my own tools more often now.

ericfox1mo ago

Ugh, it's like that with everything... we use stuff until it totally fails instead of just keeping up with it. My kitchen knives are the same way, just slowly getting worse until you can't even cut a tomato.