My boss told me to always use a 2mm hex on those tiny Minolta screws... I thought he was wrong

I was fixing an old Minolta X-700 last month and the tiny screws on the film door hinge were stuck. My boss at the shop in Tacoma said, 'Trust me, only the 2mm will work, anything else will strip them.' I tried a 1.5mm first and it started to chew up the head. Switched to the 2mm like he said and it came right out, no damage. Has anyone else found a specific tool that saved a job like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

rowanp1520d agoMost Upvoted

Is it possible your boss was working off of a thread pitch difference and not just the hex size? I had a similar thing on a Pentax MX where a 2mm fit tight and a 1.9mm was loose, turned out the 2mm was actually a fraction smaller in the tip because of how it was ground. Some cheap hex keys from China are actually undersized, so a "2mm" might be 1.95mm and that causes all sorts of confusion. Might be worth checking your set with a caliper next time you run into a tight fit.

kellylopez1mo ago

Yeah, that's so true with old camera screws! They used weird sizes and the metal is soft. I've learned to check the service manuals now because they often list the exact tool. It saved me on a Nikon F2 where the rewind fork needed a 1.8mm, which is just impossible to find. Had to order a special set online.

angela_wilson781mo ago

Honestly, that feeling when the right tool finally works is such a relief. Tbh, those old screws can be a real nightmare to deal with. Glad you listened to your boss on that one.

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