Hello and welcome to Joe Shows How! Whenever you’re installing brass hardware, you must be very careful when driving in the brass screws. That’s because brass is relatively soft and if you apply a little too much pressure, the screw head will snap right off, leaving the screw shaft buried in the wood with no easy way to retract it. In this week’s video, I’ll show to avoid this problem with one simple trick:
Start by drilling a pilot hole, which you should do regardless of whether the screw is brass or not. Then, and here’s the real trick, drive into the pilot hole a steel screw that’s the same size as the brass screw. Since steel is much stronger than brass, there’s no worry of it snapping. Next, back out the steel screw to reveal a hole that’s threaded to accept the brass screw. Now you can easily drive in the brass screw with much less pressure, so there’s no fear of it snapping in two.
Hope you find this tip helpful next time you’re installing decorative brass hardware. And please stay tuned to the end of the video for a Bonus Tip on using no-mortise hinges. Thanks for your support!