Basic blender went bad (motor ran but spindle wasn’t rotating). I wanted to disassemble to see if it could be repaired. Three of the four screws were Phillips head. I had to cut the casing open in order to discover why I couldn’t unscrew the fourth. It was a slotted spanner.
If you haven’t already, look into getting a ratcheting screwdriver with replaceable bits, and a pack of various bits for it. Idk where I got it, but I’ve got all kinds of screwy bits (including the H-bit head) that I need very infrequently, but I’m always happy when I do and I already have it.
I think the bit pack I got was for the security torx and it came with a bunch of other stuff.
I’ve found my ratchet driver is surprisingly often too thick to get into those screw holes of many electronics. There are thinner ones available, maybe go for those
Honestly, if you don’t have a set of security bits I would be concerned about you opening up a blender.
honestly i’d be concerned about somebody without tools opening a blender. Why are they in there? How did they get in it? And what did the blender do to them?
Looks like a job for a regular flathead and a grinding wheel.
ah yes a classic we call this a flathead, but without the part of the flathead that makes it good at not being a shit screw, but also it’s located now so the driver doesn’t slip out of the screw, so it’s actually kinda better than just a flathead screw, but it probably strips a lot easier than a flathead, since there’s a lot less surface area on it. Screw.
edit: there’s a lot of people coping on this thread for some reason, bro it’s a blender, who cares, it’s like 20 dollars, 99% of the population is buying a new one anyway.
yeah, they’re missing the fact it was posted in right to repair maybe.
idk how anybody would be missing that. I think people are just being their usual selves.
1% is buying a new one anyway, 49% repairs blender, 25% dreams of blender and 25% never
installedheard of blender.i didn’t know there was a repair market for the free open source application of blender, that’s cool
The security bit is doing it’s job. If this is a barrier for someone, then they aren’t the kind of person who should be playing with the internals of a dangerous electronic device.
Shit take.
a dangerous electronic device.
i feel like if someone has the capability of bitching about a security screw on the internet, they probably have the intelligence to unplug a blender from the wall.
If this is the standard for security screws, hex/torx will almost certainly do it’s job, but significantly better.
This is the same person that had to smash open the device like a caveman banging rocks together. Posting a rant online instead of just buying a security bit isn’t a good second step either. OP may certainly be the exact type of person to keep out: bold enough to try to break open electronics, but stopped by a fairly standard security bit.
but stopped by a fairly standard security bit.
Did you read post. Before writing was best time, but second best is now.
Here’s quote if you have eyesight like mine:
I had to cut the casing open in order to discover why I couldn’t unscrew the fourth.
The screw head was at tho bottom of a 2 inch shaft.
They didn’t have to cut shit.
Which was discovered AS RESULT of cutting open.
You are quite spammy, aren’t you?
No, the shaft was not uncovered as a result of cutting the thing open. They were able to reach the screw-head with a regular screw-driver, just not turn it. Says right there in the post.
Learn to read, stop spamming people with your shit takes, and sure, let’s pretend replying to your copy-pasted bullshit with more copy-pasted bullshit is somehow worse. Anything to feed trolls like you.
maybe caveman want motor out of blender, and screw is hinderance to motor collection. Don’t judge a mans cave by the lack of blenders. Judge it by the principles held within!
Regardless, security bits are a skill issue, and i will not stand for them. They make cars with traditional bolts and nuts, those are perfectly accessible to the average person, yet people killing themselves with their bad car repairs, is disconcertingly low. They’re bad for repairability, they’re bad for the environment, and most importantly, they waste time and money for no fucking reason.
Seatbelts tend to be held in with Torx-head bolts. Right bicycle pedals have left-hand-threaded studs. Spanner-screws are a standard you’ll find drivers for in any good security or electronics/small-appliance repair set.
Odds aren’t that far off that this screw was chosen for their blenders decades ago when this screw-driver was more common, and this one part was never updated as the design … “evolved”.
i’ve got no problems with torx (it’s one of the best driver designs) and nothing wrong with left hand thread, as you said, it’s needed for bicycles, but using proprietary “security” bits is just, less than acceptable in the modern day and age.
Though i am inclined to agree with you on the design theory, it’s more than likely they have billions of those little proprietary things kicking around in a warehouse, and there’s just no reason for them to get rid of them.
I know I have terrible eyesight, but it seems like I opened blind or dyslexic community. Why only few people noticed
I had to cut the casing open in order to discover why I couldn’t unscrew the fourth.
The screw head was at the bottom of a 2 inch shaft.
They didn’t have to cut shit.
Which was discovered AS RESULT of cutting open.
You are quite spammy, aren’t you?
No, the shaft was not uncovered as a result of cutting the thing open. They were able to reach the screw-head with a regular screw-driver, just not turn it. Says right there in the post.
Learn to read, stop spamming people with your shit takes, and sure, let’s pretend replying to your copy-pasted bullshit with more copy-pasted bullshit is somehow worse. Anything to feed trolls like you.
No, the shaft was not uncovered as a result of cutting the thing open.
I had to cut the casing open in order to discover why I couldn’t unscrew the fourth.
I’ll reply with your quote:
Learn to read, stop spamming people with your shit takes, and sure, let’s pretend replying to your copy-pasted bullshit with more copy-pasted bullshit is somehow worse. Anything to feed trolls like you.
This was NEVER about access to the screw.
Thanks for stating obvious. I’ve never said that it was about access.
Since its not about access then they never had to break anything for any reason besides their own impatience, plain and simple.
Must be your eyesight, my friend. Looks normal to me…
Grab a dremel tool and make that piece of shit into a flathead
Cut that middle bit out and make it into a flathead.
The screw head was at tho bottom of a 2 inch shaft. I destroyed the casing just to find out what the issue was.
Wow that’s terrible.
My library has a lendable “Ultimate Screwdriver Kit” that has every bit size and type I’ve ever heard of, security Torx, pentalobe, oval, gamebit, spanner, etc etc. Also a bunch of different styles of bit holder, and a bunch of attachments like angle adapters, depth setters, torque limiters, etc. Only tangentially relevant I guess… but if you run into a problem like this again, check your local library to potentially avoid having to buy obscure bits online!
Were you able to fix it?
I destroyed the casing to learn why my Phillips screw driver couldn’t grab the screw head.
hahahahahaha, about three years ago now, I bought a hunting knife from Amazon that came with a sheath which had a belt clip that was held on by one of these fucking screws.
at the time, i couldn’t figure for the life of me what it was or if there was a tool for this so I went to Home Depot, bought a .99 cent flathead our of their bargain tubs, took it to their tool rental department where they also will cut metal for you if you ask nicely. had them make a notch in the top of the flathead, brought it home and after some filing got it to get in there and loosen up this devil screw top.
now i know it’s called a U or H type screwdriver. my way was cheaper, but nice to know the real solution now.
That belt clip is there to make the knife technically legal in some areas. A 3"+ blade can’t be concealed by putting it in your pocket, so the workaround is to have the clip showing on the outside of your pocket, making it visible. That’s why they use screws like that. At least that is my understanding - I could be wrong.
a belt clip that was held on by one of these fucking screws.
Wow. This needs to be shown to all “ThIs Is FoR yOuR sAfEtY” idiots.
Wow, doing a MacGuyver with corporate assistance. I like it!
Buy a security bitset! It is surprisingly handly to have around. Sometimes, I’ve needed a certain screw size that they don’t have in imperial, but they do have in metric at the hardware store. But it’s a security bit only.
They also work on regular, non security bits in a pinch.
Comon, do some reading:
I had to cut the casing open in order to discover why I couldn’t unscrew the fourth.
Phone camera; $30 digital microscope; $30 Endoscope. There are just so many better ways available to look down a hole to see what’s at the bottom than to tear apart the space around it.
Spanner bits are available in sets starting as little as $7. They are anything but “non-standard”.
They didn’t have to, somehow this was screwed in and it wasn’t magic.
Just a basic security screw. It’s so kids (and people who don’t know enough about repairing appliances to know about security screws) don’t disassemble the dangerous machine.
Comon, do some reading:
I had to cut the casing open in order to discover why I couldn’t unscrew the fourth.
Phone camera; $30 digital microscope; $30 Endoscope. There are just so many better ways available to look down a hole to see what’s at the bottom than to tear apart the space around it.
Spanner bits are available in sets starting as little as $7. They are anything but “non-standard”.
For 67$, OP could probably buy a new blender :)
Is that new blender going to help them fix other things around the house? $30 endoscope plus $8 screwdriver is still cheaper, and now they’ve broke the one blender, they’ve given themselves the excuse to just buy a new one anyways. Sure, applaud them for it, here of ald places.
It’s a blender… As long as it’s unplugged you’ll be fine.
I think the concern is that you would re-assemble it with the safety bypassed, not that you would harm yourself while disassembling the appliance.
PLUG IT IN UNDER WATER!
Don’t forget to use your toaster as a bath toy at the same time.
Well your blender problems would be over at least.
Seriously. I’m not sure why people think it’s so dangerous. Unplug it and remove the blades. Its just a motor for God’s sake
Though it should be noted this does raise the bar above most people, especially on a budget, single use tools are hardly ever worth it.
Arguably more dangerous things have easier screws too, like electricity outlets
But they’re in no way single use.
I have a set of these that was part of a larger set of precision bits I was buying anyway. I’ve only ever used one of the security bits in like a decade of having them. I wouldn’t have bought the security bits alone.
That’s more than some sockets or crescent wrenches I have from sets. I don’t know that I’ve ever used an 11mm of either.
I can’t say personally any of my appliances have had this screw, so again relative to someone not doing this for a living it very well could be
Grinding a notch into a flathead screwdriver is annoying but it’ll still work fine as a flathead even afterwards. I would probably just grind the bulge out of the screw though.
In this case the screw was at the bottom of a narrow slot, and they only found it after breaking things.
They didn’t find the screw by breaking the blender. They were able to reach it with a screwdriver before that, just not the right one. They broke it because they were too impatient to find a way to look into the hole and then find, make, or buy the right tool.
The bit set and tool set from IFixIt has those. I’m not sponsored by them in any way, but I will shamelessly recommend their tools when I can because they’re objectively good for this kind of stuff.
One more use for the awesome oscillating cutting tool I received for Christmas last year!
