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I'm in the process of cleaning/rebuilding my first Edison diamond disc reproducer and don't know how to remove the weight screw. There is about ½" clearance between the screw and the sound tube. I read a post describing how to shape the teeth of a set of old pliers into the shape of a flat head screwdriver tip...but that seems like a separate project in itself. Does anyone have any tips for removing the screw? Is there a special low profile offset screwdriver tool out there?

Thanks!!

Take a torch to an appropriate straight slot screwdriver, and bend the tip to fit.

Thanks for your reply phonoboy. I actually came up with a different idea for a tool to remove the weight screw. I went to a hardware store and bought one of those little circular tools about the size of a half dollar that has four different types of flat head screw driver tips around it...looks sort of like the circular spark plug spacer tool. I cut it horizontally with a gromel grinder a little less than half an inch from the tip that would fit the screw so that I have about a third of a moon shape with the tip in the middle, and then tapered the tip even more so that it would fit nicely into the screw. I used pliers to hold the tip of my new tool in the screw head to keep it from moving while I used an adjustable wrench to carefully turn the black weight in a counter clockwise direction to unscrew it from the screw. Now I can clean the dirt collected under the weight so that I can spin it freely when I put it back on.

Or, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Anex-6102T-Profi ... crewdriver

Or, just search for "right angle screwdriver" on your favorite website. Might still need to modify the tool slightly to get the blade thin enough for the screw slot.

JerryVan, I did look at the low profile offset screw driver tool you mention but still would of had to shorten the width of the tip and also taper the tip in order for it to fit the screw...and would of had to spend $15.00+ as opposed to $1.50.

For what it is worth, I ground a butter knife blade down to fit and use as a screwdriver. Cost was 25 cents at a flea market. I figured it was cheaper than dealing with my wife had I selected one from the cutlery drawer in the kitchen.
Dave

Dave D wrote:For what it is worth, I ground a butter knife blade down to fit and use as a screwdriver. Cost was 25 cents at a flea market. I figured it was cheaper than dealing with my wife had I selected one from the cutlery drawer in the kitchen.
Dave

Dave,

How much did you spend in gas to & from the flea market? You gotta factor that in.

;O)

I have several (extra) sizes of hexagonal screwdriver bits in my various toolboxes, I cut a proper blade sized one down with a dremel cutting disc to an appropriate shortness -- to clear the reproducer tube -- and gripped it with vice grip needle nosed pliers. You could use a small wrench to hold it, but it would be more difficult to hold the bit squarely in the screw-head slot, and you wouldn't be able to apply the critical down-pressure needed to keep it from jumping out of the slot. I also placed the reproducer into a small smooth jawed vice -- gripping the hinge block, to hold it steady.

Worked like a charm! These screws can be TIGHT. Couple that with 100+ years of rust, and/or crud, and they can be a bit of a challenge. Use a little penetrating oil, ahead of time.

I like the various ideas that others have developed! There's more than one way to skin an Edison...or something.

Best,
Fran

You can also grind the short end of an Allen wrench down to form a screwdriver blade.