Subject: Where to get a screw driver for star of david screws?

From: [email-masked] (lbliao)
Date: 27 Sep 1996 00:43:23 GMT

In many OEM devices, they use bolts or screws that have a depressin similar
to phillips screws, but instead of 4, it has 6 corners. I would say that it
looks similar to the star of david. Since these are very tight usually, it
is not possible to open them by hex keys. It is possible to open using the
regular screw driver, but either the bolt usually gets damaged or the screw
head. I would appreciate if some one can tell the proper name of the screw
and the tool and where to get one.

thanks a lot
lblaio

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From: [email-masked] (Ernie Leimkuhler)
Date: 27 Sep 1996 07:42:22 GMT

> and the tool and where to get one.

I'm not sure how old the equipment is that you are working on is, but
there are only 2 possibilities.
If the interior of the six sided hole has relativly sharp corners and the
equipment is about 20 years old or older, then you have "Bristol Spline"
fasteners.
If the edges are kind of rounded over, and the equipment is fairly recent,
then you have "Torx" fasteners.
Bristol Spline drivers are difficult to find, but Torx drivers are quite
common at any tool store.

Best of luck

-- 
*********************************************************************
                            Ernie Leimkuhler
                   STAGESMITH PRODUCTIONS
                     Custom Metal Fabrication
       ABANA       AWS        SCA        IATSE Local 15/488
                        Renton, Washington, USA
*********************************************************************

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From: Michael Latcha <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1996 09:31:22 -0400

What you are looking at are Torx screws, originally invented by automakers
to keep us from repairing our own cars.  The sizes are listed as T-20,
T-30, etc, with the size increasing as the number goes up.  Most
replaceable-bit screwdriver sets come with at least one Trox bit, with
others available at hardware stores, at least until you get to the tiny
ones.  Compaq computers use T-6 (I think) Torx screws to secure the hard
drives.  Took 3 weeks to find a bit to remove/replace a drive in 5
minutes... 

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael A. Latcha, PhD                     VOICE: (810) 370-2203
Associate Professor                        FAX:   (810) 370-4261
Department of Mechanical Engineering       Email: [email-masked]
Oakland University
Rochester MI 48309-4401

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From: [email-masked] (Robert Nichols)
Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1996 16:37:30 GMT

Note: E-mailed *and* posted.

In article <[email-masked]>,
lbliao <[email-masked]> wrote:
:
:In many OEM devices, they use bolts or screws that have a depressin similar
:to phillips screws, but instead of 4, it has 6 corners. I would say that it
:looks similar to the star of david. Since these are very tight usually, it
:is not possible to open them by hex keys.

Are these perhaps "spline head" screws?  In the smallest sizes they have
only 4 splines, but the larger ones have 6 (1/8" is "large" in this
context).  I have a few spline keys, which I guard carefully as a have
no idea where to get more.  You might try an electronics distributor.

-- 
Bob Nichols         [email-masked]
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