Soft touch nut drivers?

M

matmonster58

Active member
Does anyone have recommendations for nut drivers that won’t scratch up my pedals or guitars?

I’ve been using 3d printed rocket socket style nut drivers but they don’t last very long.

The actual rocket sockets are injection molded so they’ll be much more durable, but what other options are out there?
 
Two ideas:
1. If you have a 3D printer, you could make your own rocket sockets out of stronger plastic filament w/ carbon fiber (e.g., nylon or PCTG w/ carbon fiber).
2. you could buy a metal socket and paint/coat the rim w/ the plasticized rubber that you can put on the handles of pliers. Amazon and other sell that rubberized paint. You would only paint the part that hits the face of the pedal, not where the nut touches the socket.
 
Idea #3: You could also buy thin teflon film, and cut it so that it fits just around the nut, and then use a metal socket. The film would only contact the pedal face and the rim of the socket.
 
I've been 3D printing my sockets for years. Injection molded sockets last longer, but they still don't last forever and the cost of replacement adds up when you're using them a lot. It's especially annoying because there are some values that get used more than others. A "full set" of sockets for me is 2x 8mm, 4x 10mm, 3x 12mm, and 2x 14mm. I use 7mm and 11mm occasionally, but not often enough to wear them out anywhere near as fast as the others.

The absolute best setup I've found so far is "ABS-like" resin print as it's probably the closest you'll get to injection molding, and those sockets last much longer than the FDM printed sockets I've done. I tried other resins that are more rigid, but they tend to also be more brittle, so instead of stretching and stripping out, they just shatter.

For FDM printed sockets I always recommend going with 100% infill, get them as solid as possible. Anything less and they just don't last long at all. The best FDM filament I've found so far has been 3D Fuel "Pro Tough PLA+", which surprised me as being even more durable than PCTG. ABS is counter-intuitive; it's a strong material but it strips out way too easily and isn't a good choice for rocket sockets, even run of the mill PLA is going to last longer.
 
Having had both 3D printed and rocket sockets, just save the faff and get rocket sockets. I would absolutely print a holder for them, though.
However, to @vigilante398 's point, I also wish they would sell individual drivers. Currently I only use 3 of them, and 4 not too long from now.
 
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