Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

I have complained about slotted screws in the past so I finally did something about them. I never saw a screw, nut, bolt, or nail I didn't like in my younger days. If I went to a yard sale and someone had a box of nails or screws, I would buy them as long as the price was right. Through the years I amassed quite a collection of these, some were separated by size and type but a lot were in cigar boxes or plastic shoe boxes unsorted. Finally, I decided to clean up my workshop, took a large lid, and emptied all of the mixed fasteners out, a box or can at a time. I quickly grabbed all the slotted screws and discarded them, separating out washers, nuts, L- brackets, pop rivets, etc., and putting a lot of that into cabinets that have little plastic trays. I also got rid of a lot of older hardware like old light fixtures, cabinet knobs, and speakers I had purchased to build into large speaker boxes which will never happen. All in all, I have discarded about 150 lbs. of stuff from my workshop that I will never use. As I continue to whittle down stuff I will never use, there is probably another 50 - 75 lbs. I will be discarding. Some things just go out of style. One box contained photo folders where you would insert 8x10 or 5x7 photos. They were brown and no one I know still uses brown folders or frames. Today black and gray are the colors to use. I still have enough nails to build a house but those come in handy when doing projects around the house. I think the next things to go are the finish nails. I have a couple of cigar boxes of those as well as some small tins. Now that I have a battery-powered tack gun it is unlikely they will ever be used. The larger ones which might be used for some projects will be kept but anything 1" and smaller will be going away. As I get older, projects once envisioned seem less important or less likely to ever be undertaken so thinning out the workshop seems like a good project in itself!

elee950021 Loc: New York, NY

"For Want of a Nail"

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Want_of_a_Nail

Be well! Ed

Horseart Loc: Alabama

Good for you! I need to do the same thing. I have almost as many tools, fasteners of all kinds and things to build with and make repairs with as most men. I am an artist who loves to paint, loves photography, loves to make things out of wood like cabinets, shelves, shutters, window boxes and wood cutouts for yard decorations. At 85, I feel like I will soon have to slow down, but I hate to turn loose of anything until I do!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Good confession! I recently started down the same path. I filled dozens of small bottles with like items... screws, nuts, bolts, terminal lugs, wire nuts, and all sorts of parts left from projects around the house. It has made quick fixes and small projects go faster, since I know what I have and where to find it. I'm still trying to part with stuff that I rationally know I'll never use, but can't find the will to get rid of.


Still, I'm sure that when I die, my kids will have tons of stuff to recycle or throw away... They don't have the same "fix it" mentality I do.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I bought the farm in 1992.

The farm was owned by two brothers prior to my purchase and they were true New England farmers. Never threw anything away.

On the farm there was a barn. (Actually two barns but one of them got torn down before it fell down). In the barn there were three nail barrels. They used to ship nails in barrels, probably about 100 lb of nails to a barrel. The brothers used the barrels to store nails, screws, brackets, whatever. All used. I would have called them all used up. They were rusty and bent and so I threw away the used up stuff and kept the barrels.

Then I started filling the barrels with used bolts, nuts, brackets, whatever. But at least my nuts and bolts still had usable threads and the brackets were galvanized.

As far as I know the barrels were still there when I sold the farm last year.

I used to pick up stuff from the side of the road that I thought might be useful. After all, I had a barn to keep it in.

After a few years I had too much stuff. So I decided to get a 5 yard dumpster and get rid of some stuff. The dumpster rental places didn't have any 5 yard dumpsters so they sent me a 20 yard dumpster.

I filled it.

In the process of filling the dumpster I threw away 6 kitchen sinks. We used sinks to wash vegetables from the farm, so I kept 4 others (last I saw, we had 10 working sinks on the farm, all in use, and all picked up from the side of the road except one, which I got directly from someone who wanted to throw it out).

bikinkawboy Loc: north central Missouri

All I can say is that I’ve had stuff setting around for 20 years, got tired of stepping around it, threw it away and within a week I needed it. That’s happened more than once.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

That's why Home Depot and Lowes are still in business!

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

I have about a 20# box of individual small boxes of nails. I know most of them will never be used and my kids have already told us that when my wife and I are gone, they will have a large dumpster placed in the driveway and most of all that we've saved through the years will go right in. That's fine with me since I won't need any of it! Next to go are photos and slides. I have enough to fill two of those 18 gal. totes. I want to set up the slide projector and go through and eliminate all slides that are duplicates, no longer of importance, or have faded and aren't worth saving. I'm working on paper photos currently.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

I got over the saving nails when I was around 10yrs, Thanks to my father , Would save every nail he pulled as long as the head was good And I had to straighten the damn things!!
When we moved from the city to the country I scrapped over 600#., of bolts nuts and screws I had saved thinking I might need one of the SOME DAY, and in the following years I never missed one of them!!
Today I save only special screws, bolts and nuts !! and very few of them, and tossing some every so often.

starlifter Loc: Towson, MD

Funny to read about cleaning up your work shop as I am doing the same exact thing and feel the same way about slotted screws. I kept some of mine but not nearly as many that went bye bye. Did you ever try and keep a sliced bit in a drill in the slot of a slotted screw?

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

That’s exactly why I hate them!

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Interesting comment about the slotted screws. I have always detested Phillips screws and firmly believe that the guy who invented them (Mr.Phillips?) should be required to insert every one ever made himself.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I have been replacing slotted screws with Phillips whenever I get the opportunity.

Phillips screws are easier to engage in tight spots. My screwdriver jumps out of the drive slots less frequently with Phillips than it does with slotted screws. A screwdriver can move sideways in a slot and gouge the seat of the screw whereas a Phillips screw is constrained in both axes.

Sometimes more torque can be applied to slotted screws than it can with Phillips, but only if the screwdriver accurately matches the slot. Slots on slotted screws are not uniform in width while Phillips screws are more uniform so standard numbered drivers work well with them. Both styles can strip out but in my experience the slotted screws strip out more frequently than the Phillips.

sgt hop Loc: baltimore md,now in salisbury md

i was about to say that....it's happened to me a few times....

deberry Loc: Spartanburg, SC

I do same thing. Time to clean out. I donate all nails bolts screws building brackets electrical boxes/switches to habit for humanity. They can use it all.
Just a thought. My trash is another's treasure!