All sorts of uses. Cross points grind one down so that it has a slow taper on it – ideal for "Podging" or aligning two plates together before inserting a bolt. Grind another with 4 tapered flats on it and use it like a bradall to make screw holes.

Grind a 'V' in the centre of one flat screw driver and use it to get tacks out of furniture before re-covering with new material. Van also be used for those cylindrical nuts with a screw slot – use on old electrical stuff.

Thousands of other uses.

Decades ago now I ground one of the blue pozi ones to form a point after the tip broke off in use. Flat blades can be reground, it is useful to have them tailored to fit screws.

I'd be seriously tempted to weld modern 1/4" hex fittings onto the shafts of those blue pozidrive screwdrivers.

Still, in my opinion, the best and most comfortable handles for general work. Anything except gorilla jobs, either way.

Genius idea to have different coloured handles to identify the different types of end. Blue for pozi, red for phillips, green for flat. One of my biggest regrets is being too penny wise, pound foolish, and not buying full sets of all styles back in the day. But I had plenty of screwdrivers and other things screaming louder for money.

My failed no 2 posi has a shot taper for alignment duties. Lucked into a new replacement several years after they officially went off the market.

Clive

I've reground several of the blue handled pozi ones into normal flat bladed drivers, ground carefully so as not to draw the temper. Some I did in the eighties are still going strong today. We used to have loads of RS ratchet pozi drivers used on the assembly lines and did quite a line in re-grinding the tips to flat blades for staff to take home, all came to an end when replaceable tips became available. Probably be banned from doing that these days in case someone hurt themselves and sued the firm!

I've sharpened a couple of worn out Pozidrives into spike tools. Spikes are useful for aligning holes in sheet-metal and making Meccano models.

Last time I had the back off a washing machine, putting it back on was awkward because the bendy weight of the back caused it to settle a few millimetres out of position. A spike with a handle allows the back to be held and levered into position after slightly loosening the screws, so they can be re-tightened when everything's straight.

Dave

The blue Stanly ones are the best Pozidrive I've ever had. Still got 4 of them, one is different and more a Philips than a Pozidrive, I'd make sure they are truly knackered before butchering them.

The flat ones can be heated to dull red and bent easily by sticking the end in your vise and pulling over with your hand, a weakling would stick a tube over it for a bit of leverage. Never bothered with quenching etc with small drivers like them.

More seriously… I altered a screwdriver by filing a 5mm hex on the end, as my mini lathe vertical slide has a couple of hard to reach cap screws.

Neil

I have heard if you impale them into a potato, such that the bit you want to heat projects, the fleshy nature of the delicious tuber stops the heat travelling further. In such times of soaring food and energy prices, an adventurous amateur engineer would eat the spud afterwards.

To whom do I apply for my £30 Chester food voucher?

Paint stirrer

With the straight-bladed screwdrivers, what's wrong with touching them up on the bench grinder to make them as-new again?

Or just keep them for rough work like opening paint tins and general prying and levering or scraping work, so your new screwdrivers don't end up in the same state. Used exclusively for tightening and loosening screws, a good screwdriver should last a lifetime of home workshop use.

And if they are old UK or US-made screwdrivers, they will be better steel than today's typical Far Eastern hardware store offerings, so well worth touching up and continuing to use.

Edited By Hopper on 22/10/2022 10:07:12

I use a file for tidying up flat screwdrivers. A correctly tempered screwdriver should be able to be filed with a correctly tempered file. A chrome vanadium blade may be a bit harder. Probably best not to expect the file to be effective on brass after though.

Mike