Trusty Sheet Metal Screw

Sheet metal screws.  That was the suggestion from my Facebook friends as a topic to write about.  Here goes nothing!

I really have no clue, I don't think, about sheet metal itself.  I'd imagine one could make a really hot, reflective box out of sheet metal and perhaps cook a turkey in or boil an egg if it were hot enough outside.  Sun-driven solar power.  If it were cold enough, I'd imagine that this box would be good for keeping things cool and for holding fast unsuspecting little-boys double-dared tongues!

This topic is not about sheet metal itself, it's about the screws that fasten sheet metal.  You know, without a good screw we'd be stuck with just nails and, we'll, nails just don't have the same kind of holding power that a good screw does.

With a good screw one might build all the metal boxes in the world and sell them with a turkey inside ready to be roasted for Thanksgiving.

I imagine that the tips of those screws are rather sharp, sharp enough to penetrate sheet metal.  I'd imagine that with these really sharp screws one could do many things, the best of which to hold up sheet metal, the worst of which to drop in the road to puncture someone's poor tire. 

I lived in Knoxville, Tennessee for a long time.  The town of Alcoa is just down the road near Maryville.  In the town of Alcoa is an industrial plant that manufactures aluminum, huge sheets of it.  I imagine that sheet metal comes from places such as these, aluminium being metal and being formed in sheets sounds right accurate. 

I wonder when we send out our beer and pop cans to be recycled if they contribute to the making of sheet metal screws.  I doubt it, but thank you to those who do recycle.  Those cans probably go to making more beer and soda cans. 

Sheet metal screws can be found in any nearby hardware store be it a big box store like Home Depot or your shall town mom and pop shop.  Either way, a screw is a screw. 

The driving force behind a screw is incredible.  It is like a tiny drill burrowing in with its twisty like power.  The only way to un-borrow it is to turn the screwdriver in the opposite direction.  It is like a square knot that I learned to tie in boy scouts in that the only way you can loosen it is if you push against it; as long as there is pull on the knot it will stay fastened.  As long as the screw is securely fastened it will hold.

Sheet metal screw
you do me good
i found you at the bottom of my tool pouch
i find you in the garage
you come most handy
with your twisty turns
how i appreciate you and what you can do
holding up air conditioning ventilation systems and
perhaps even holding together an old Ford pick up truck
thank you to the makers of this particular screw
for if it were not for you sheet metal might have to be glued together
or hung with the untrust worthy nail
i love you screw
you penetrate so nicely
may your penetration be ever beneficial and powerful
for all who use you

In this wondrous universe, I have found that so many things are useful.  The sheet metal screw is a God save to construction workers.  May we remember to wear thick soled shoes around such sites and hard hats to keep us safe.

I know I have been tongue and cheek.  I could see no other way.  Thank you for the suggestion, I'll be on my way.  Until next time, and in the meantime, may your trusty sheet metal screw hold ever tightly.

Thank you!