Drive screws

[mklotz]

I'm very pleased to see that my original post has elicited many descriptions of alternate ways to remove these little buggers. Your contributions are turning this thread into a useful reference for dealing with these fasteners.

Even attaching a name to these fasteners is useful. I'm probably not the only person who, on first encounter, had no clue what they were called, which made ordering them difficult. Now I've learned, thanks to MM, that they are also called "screw nails". I wonder if they have other names in the other English-speaking countries.

[Frank S]

A pair of wire snips shaped like these with the edges ground so as to have them meet at the forward most face of the jaws are great for removing these little buggers.
to determine if they are left or right thread just give a very slight twist while holding tightly on the head twist gently to the left and right one way will show signs of becoming loose while the other way the nips will try to just cut off the head
When working on some hydraulic components often time the manufacture may hide a porting plug under a data plate ans since the data plate usually has essential circuitry information on it. it should always be returned. I have found that sometimes the data plate is glued on as well which makes it even more tricky to remove without damaging it any kind of harsh solvent will wash away the ink used creating the data.
On some restorations of old equipment you may find that the drive screws/ screw nails or what ever name you choose to call them by will have a been installed with a symbol stamped in them these if you are trying to do a points inspected restoration will have to be reused. Great care should be taken to cause minimal damage to the head I have actually used collets to grip around the edges of the head.

[Murph1090]

Years ago, we used those to re-rivet Master padlocks after we'd take them apart and rekey them. Done right, you can't tell they've been taken apart.

Schlage would use them on their double-sided deadbolts, after you installed the two Allen screws, you drove those into the hex to keep them from being removed! Had one dumb-ass customer who thought he could install the lock himself, got it on the door, drove those drive screws in with epoxy to make SURE they weren't coming out, only to find out he left out some parts amd THAT'S why the lock didn't work! That got expensive for him real fast!

Murph

[owen moore]

They could have used these as a security measure to make it more difficult to switch or counterfit name plates. I have been told that some of the automotive companies use a special rivet with a rose or floral pattern on the head. I was also told that this particular rivet cannot be had by anyone. It is the rivets that hold the nameplate and VIN number on the edge of the drivers door. Believe me, when you get a vehicle inspected, the state troopers will look at that and determine if it is a stolen vehicle.

[Murph1090]

That was then, this is now. Take a truss head pop rivet and a CNC mill, and you can have any type of head you want on the rivet.

Not every state has vehicle inspections, we aren't ALL living in police states!

Murph

[Toolmaker51]

I have had pretty good success with using a very sharp diamond point chisel and tapping them out by working counterclockwise at them.

On restoration projects, I've had excellent success addressing ID plates and drive screws;
With masking tape........

[Frank S]

On restoration projects, I've had excellent success addressing ID plates and drive screws;
With masking tape........

if never removed they don't have to be replaced. But hard to get new paint under the plates

[thehomeengineer]

Hi
These are known as hammer drive screws in the UK. Where I work we use them all the time to hold RF finger strip to components.
The Home Engineer

[blkadder]

I have run into these while taking engines from MG sports cars. We had it down to a science when we were stripping the block. We found some tiny left handed drill bits, and the what we were calling rivets came right out. If we didn't remove these the aluminum engine number plates were usually melted during the cleaning process. Of course we ran into those that the heads were sheared off for what ever reason. Usually some heat and lefty bits would get things out.