Please help - Best way to remove stuck screws

[Scott M]

After all else has failed, weld a nut to the screw. The easy way to do this is to use a wire feed welder or take it to a weldor who has the equipment to do it. If the Weldor is a friend (who drinks beer) bring a six-pack.

I wasn't aware there was such a thing as a friend that didn't drink beer. Please tell me it isn't so.

 

[Dee]

After all else has failed, weld a nut to the screw. The easy way to do this is to use a wire feed welder or take it to a weldor who has the equipment to do it. If the Weldor is a friend (who drinks beer) bring a six-pack.

On Beast's pay scale, that's at least a 12-pak job. 2 to talk about if it can be done, 2 to plan just which type welding rod to use, 2 to relax after the job and 6 to congratulate yourselves on a job well done!

 

[joyfulsun]

Thanks for the tips guys!

 

[pipedope]

and haven't in about 12 years but I am open to all sorts of alternate 'compensation'.

There are a variety of was to do this and the one choosen depends on the problem and the tools at hand.

My fist tool of choice on getting steel screws out of aluminum (broken off) is a hot metal glue gun, i.e. a wire feed welder with fluxcore wire. This is the closest to point and shoot welding that there is.

 

[DennisS]

There is a product called Kroil, a machinist friend introduced it to me about 20 years ago. It's magic! I've used, WD-40, LPS, 3 in 1 and a lot of others, this stuff works like none of the others. It's incredible!! I have no interests in the company, just want to send them customers so they stay in business.

http://www.kanolabs.com/

 

[seacam diver]

Guys,

Need your help. Please advise me on how best to loosen or remove screws that have become stuck. I have a Sea & Sea tray and failed to regularly remove the braces for the strobe arms. The screw holding the tray and brace together is now stuck. I have tried using WD40 to no avail.

Thanks.

Since you did not specify what kind of camera or housing it was attached to it is difficult to recommend a treatment. Try a hair dryer and heat the area where the screw is attached. Be careful that you dont warp the plastic around the screw. I use a heat gun. Next time use a little never seize on the screw it works wonders. Good luck...

 

[Mac99]

Hi,
There is another way to remove stuck screws once you have ruined the heads without any welding/gluing.
You need a tool called a screw extractor, (no suprise there!), lots of places have them.
It is basically a steel cylinder with a bolt type head at one end for your spanner and a tapering cone at the other, having a reverse direction screw thread on it..
You carefully drill a small pilot hole into the centre of the stuck screw head, then thread in the screw extractor. As it is screwing in anti clock wise it will eventually stick fast and the torque applied to it will then undo your stuck screw. This works for aluminium and steel screws, though steel can be hard to drill a good pilot hole into..
Good luck!

 

[gert7to3]

If the screw is too small to get a screw extracter hole drilled into it, you could always drill out the old screw and replace it with a larger screw. The hole may have to be tapped if the tray material was threaded and there wasn't a nut used to hold the parts together.

Stainless screws and the properly sized taps are available at good hardware stores. This would also be the place to obtain penetrating oil or maybe a replacement screw if you have managed to extract, but lunch up the existing screw.