Tool Talk

What's-It Forum => What's-It Forum => Topic started by: dimwittedmoose51 on September 05, 2011, 11:50:40 AM

Title: Irwin 900?
Post by: dimwittedmoose51 on September 05, 2011, 11:50:40 AM
So here's a 6" long wooden-handled tool with a spiral thread on the end of it.  Anyone know what it's designed to do?  It says Irwin  900  USA on the shaft. 

TIA

DM&FS

Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: lzenglish on September 05, 2011, 12:26:08 PM
According to our Good Buddy "wvtools", it is a screw starter, as he has one for sale on ebay. I had never seen one like it before myself. It must be designed for pre-threading screws in hardwood, or furniture, etc?

Wayne
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: Neals on September 05, 2011, 12:57:20 PM
a gimlet?
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: kxxr on September 05, 2011, 01:39:52 PM
I have a modern black and yellow handled Stanley just like it, smaller tip though. Just used it yesterday. It is handy for starting a hole if you don't have far to go and you don't want to break out the drill.
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: Branson on September 05, 2011, 08:01:35 PM
According to our Good Buddy "wvtools", it is a screw starter, as he has one for sale on ebay. I had never seen one like it before myself. It must be designed for pre-threading screws in hardwood, or furniture, etc?

Wayne

Not a screw starter.  It drills a conical hole for inserting a wood cone so that a screw can hold in an enlarged hole.  Plugs the hole.
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: lzenglish on September 05, 2011, 09:03:37 PM
Not a screw starter.  It drills a conical hole for inserting a wood cone so that a screw can hold in an enlarged hole.  Plugs the hole.



So If I read you correct, you are saying this if for repairing an enlarged, or stripped out screw hole in a door Jam hinge hole, or other wood material Correct?

Wayne
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: Branson on September 06, 2011, 08:58:15 AM
Not a screw starter.  It drills a conical hole for inserting a wood cone so that a screw can hold in an enlarged hole.  Plugs the hole.
So If I read you correct, you are saying this if for repairing an enlarged, or stripped out screw hole in a door Jam hinge hole, or other wood material Correct?
Wayne

Exactly.  I saw them advertiser, oh, maybe 20 years ago.  Thought it was a neat idea, but never got around to getting one.  They came with the conical plugs to insert.
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: ToolsorDie on September 06, 2011, 11:40:21 AM
Not a screw starter.  It drills a conical hole for inserting a wood cone so that a screw can hold in an enlarged hole.  Plugs the hole.



So If I read you correct, you are saying this if for repairing an enlarged, or stripped out screw hole in a door Jam hinge hole, or other wood material Correct?

Wayne

I always use wooden matchsticks to tighten up the screw hole, too cheap to buy a fancy tool for that simple job, yes I have hillbilly tendencies. Might be thee reason they never caught on to well.

.
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: Branson on September 07, 2011, 09:42:10 AM
Not a screw starter.  It drills a conical hole for inserting a wood cone so that a screw can hold in an enlarged hole.  Plugs the hole.


I always use wooden matchsticks to tighten up the screw hole, too cheap to buy a fancy tool for that simple job, yes I have hillbilly tendencies. Might be thee reason they never caught on to well..
[/quote]

Me, I use toothpicks.  Maybe between the two of us we sent the company into oblivion.
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: ToolsorDie on September 07, 2011, 05:38:22 PM

[/quote]

Me, I use toothpicks.  Maybe between the two of us we sent the company into oblivion.
[/quote]

I would like to take credit with you for doing that but I think common sense killed that tool idea.
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: Neals on September 07, 2011, 05:56:29 PM
Toothpicks, match sticks, golf tees depending on the size needed works for me.
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: Branson on September 07, 2011, 07:17:31 PM
Hadn't thought of golf tees.  Now I will!  Thanks.
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: ToolsorDie on September 07, 2011, 07:24:36 PM
Hadn't thought of golf tees.  Now I will!  Thanks.

And if those don't get the job done, I whip out my Tuboencabulator

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLDgQg6bq7o

.
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: Papaw on September 07, 2011, 09:06:36 PM
Quote
Tuboencabulator

I remember that from somewhere.
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: 1930 on September 08, 2011, 04:00:57 PM
Weed wacker string works best in my opinion because it gives put also pushes back, wont go away either eventually.
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: lzenglish on September 08, 2011, 08:49:56 PM
I love all the different methods mentioned, so far. I used a drilled, glued, and hammered in dowel, but never thought to use a golf tee, toothpicks, or weedwacker string! All great tips! If you ever have this happen on a steel door frame, and you cannot go any larger on a screw size, try a rivnut!

Wayne
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: woodsman22 on August 26, 2018, 04:17:03 PM
Thanks for the info on the Irwin 900.  I just got one in a bucket of old tools and wasted my time checking out the Irwin site before coming back to old friends.
Dave Freeman
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: Northwoods on August 26, 2018, 06:13:20 PM
I have always gone with matchsticks and white glue on big stuff and toothpicks on smaller stuff.
Have even used a tiny sliver triangle of paper on those tiny screws that hold the plate on a Stanley (or other) level.
But the weedeater line sounds handy.  And I have about six miles of the stuff in the garage.
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: EVILDR235 on August 26, 2018, 07:09:40 PM
I guess I have been doing it the hard way to fix stripped holes in wood. I drill the hole larger and glue in a wood dowel and cut it flush with the surface. I then re-drill a pilot hole. I use to repair gun stocks where someone broke off a butt plate screw in the stock. I used a homemade hollow drill bit made from a piece of tubing with teeth filed on it and drilled around the screw and glued in a dowel and re-drilled a pilot hole. A little wax on the screws to made them easier to screw in.

EvilDr235
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: coolford on August 26, 2018, 08:10:06 PM
I have used one as a screw starter for over 50 years, thanks for all the info, but I will continue to use it as a screw starter. :grin:
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: p_toad on August 26, 2018, 08:46:12 PM
"Weed wacker string"

Is that the round, square, faceted, or ??

just kidding...i always used matchsticks or toothpicks, too.   :grin:
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: Bill Houghton on August 27, 2018, 09:54:18 AM
I've owned one of those "screw starters," which is how I'd seen them marketed, but was not impressed.
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: woodsman22 on August 27, 2018, 05:29:46 PM
I was assuming it was a total waste of time contacting Irwin but they did respond less than 24 hours with their answer; it is a "Twist Gimlet Drill"
Dave
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: wvtools on August 27, 2018, 10:09:10 PM
Here we go again -- nobody believes me anymore.  From page 21 of the 1974 Irwin Catalog:

No. 900 Irwin Screw Starter -- marks the hole, starts the hole, threads the hole for the screw to enter.

Handiest Hand Tool in Years
Just the right tool for the housewife, handyman, craftsman, school and farm workshops.  Wherever used . . . the Irwin Screw Starter makes it much easier to install screws in wood and non-metal materials.
Title: Re: Irwin 900?
Post by: bill300d on August 31, 2018, 03:20:34 PM
Thats what I've always known them as WV. In my eyes you'd be hard pressed to call that a gimlet