[Elecraft] Phillips Screws

[Jeremiah McCarthy]

There is another recessed, or "cross-head" screw in common use...It is called "Reed and Prince"...Phillips has  gained more popularity, but Reed and Prince, in my humble opinion, is a better format...Phillips uses different size tips and the tips are blunt, or rounded...Reed and Prince tips are sharp pointed...A single Reed and Prince tip will properly fit any size Reed and Prince screw...That was their intention in order to simplify production and cut down on the number of tools required...If a Reed and Prince tip is used on a Phillips screw, the sharp-pointed tip will most likely bottom out before the side flutes are properly engaged and a tear-out of the screw head will result...If the # 2 Phillips tip you is using has a sharp point, it is most likely not a Phillips at all, but a Reed and Prince...Grinding the tip down a little to remove the sharp point might help...Reed and Prince is an old American fastener company, incorporated in 1902, and they developed the "cross-head" screw in 1938...

There are anti-seize compounds available for automobile spark plugs in order to keep the steel threads of the spark plugs from seizing and stripping out the threads in an aluminum cylinder head...A small amount on the screws at the 2-D blocks should help prevent corrosion galling... 

Jerry, wa2dkg