Bought the wrong screwdriver

X350 XJR

From my limited knowledge blade thickness corresponds roughly to blade width.
There a variety of devices specifically made to hold a screwdriver to sharpen them.

DirtyDozen12

I recently bought a VOH screwdriver (30.00769, 1.80 mm) in order to replace the ratchet wheel screw on a Longines caliber 12.68N. The 1.80 mm dimension of the blade seems to be the right size for the screw, but the blade is too thick to fit inside the slot. This mistake, on my part, has led to a few questions.

1. Based on the information above, is the screwdriver that I bought designed for wristwatch movements?

2. For a given blade width (e.g. 1.80 mm), are there many different blade thicknesses available?

3. How would I go about selecting the correct screwdriver or blade?

4. Is reducing the thickness of the blade on my screwdriver a viable and advisable option?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Archer

Blades do not come fitted to the wide array of slots that are out there on screw heads. The thickness of the slots these screws head are not standardized, so it's very common that you have to dress the blade of your screwdriver to make it fit properly.

You want the blade to almost, but not quite, touch the bottom of the slot in the screw head. If you let it touch, the possibility that the blade will cam out of the slot and cause damage will be greatly increased.

Dan S

In my experience, it's pretty common to custom grind/sharpen the tip to get the desired thickness and shape ... maybe even expected. So an oversized tip would be a good thing. I wouldn't want to use a narrower blade, it's ideal to have the full width.

Archer

Blades do not come fitted to the wide array of slots that are out there on screw heads. The thickness of the slots these screws head are not standardized, so it's very common that you have to dress the blade of your screwdriver to make it fit properly.
You want the blade to almost, but not quite, touch the bottom of the slot in the screw head. If you let it touch, the possibility that the blade will cam out of the slot and cause damage will be greatly increased.

Pip

Oh if only, but that would make life too easy! Several watchmakers I know have a few sets of screwdrivers on their bench, each being dressed appropriately for different movements.

janice&fred

Al, have you ever heard of the practice of putting an ever so slight coating of valve grind compound on the blade of a well-fitting screwdriver for when an especially stubborn removal is anticipated? Just curious if this is a well-known method as I've come across it utilized a few times in tricky small part repairs where the screws are miniscule.