Stubborn screws

[DavidB1126]

It's been stripped a while, but when it comes around to replacing the diff case, yea

This one is really stripped. Tried everything I have on hand and nothing. Can't use my regular Dremel method since it's 1, counter sunk and 2 it will mess up my pretty chassis! I already replaced all the other hardware around, got 2 slightly rounded ones out with my MIP bits and electronic driver.

 

[332_RC]

Left handed drill bit a little bit bigger than the drive hex. Pressure with a drill press is great but can be done with a drill motor & it'll back right out when it drills the stripped hex & hits the full bottom of the screw. If not, drill it on further till the head is gone (w a RH bit if no LH) remove remnant with pliers after the plate is pulled up.

 

[DavidB1126]

Guess I'll put a drill on my 2025 christmas list then lol

 

[Littlemotor]

Pound a torx bit/driver in there.

 

[332_RC]

Guess I'll put a drill on my 2025 christmas list then lol

Pawn shop all day

 

[Littlemotor]

^^^^He’s not wrong, ya know..

 

[332_RC]

Might could even take something & trade for a drill. That's probably one of the most popular items & the pawn shop.

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

Might could even take something & trade for a drill. That's probably one of the most popular items & the pawn shop.

A slash?

 

[Littlemotor]

In all seriousness-pound a torx bit/driver in there first. It’s literally a “poor man’s” screw extractor, ESPECIALLY for low torqued, hex head fasteners. I cannot even begin to tell you how many I’ve removed that way. And ESPECIALLY from worn chassis/screw head locations.

 

[332_RC]

In all seriousness-pound a torx bit/driver in there first. It’s literally a “poor man’s” screw extractor, ESPECIALLY for low torqued, hex head fasteners. I cannot even begin to tell you how many I’ve removed that way. And ESPECIALLY from worn chassis/screw head locations.

^+1

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

In all seriousness-pound a torx bit/driver in there first. It’s literally a “poor man’s” screw extractor, ESPECIALLY for low torqued, hex head fasteners. I cannot even begin to tell you how many I’ve removed that way. And ESPECIALLY from worn chassis/screw head locations.

While it’s too late I’m sure for Mr David, I keep this on the bench. The first signs of a screw starting to round, dip the tool in the compound and go at it. Works well in other applications too

 

[332_RC]

While it’s too late I’m sure for Mr David, I keep this on the bench. The first signs of a screw starting to round, dip the tool in the compound and go at it. Works well in other applications too

View attachment 213094

I've used that stuff before in the machine shop for lapping parts on a lapping table or sandpaper on a granite surface plate or to lock a big tap down in a collet- never had I thought about this. Excellent!!

 

[DavidB1126]

I got a set of torx drivers in the Amazon cart along with some ec2/deans adapters and a power HD servo. Whenever Dad orders it

 

[Littlemotor]

While it’s too late I’m sure for Mr David, I keep this on the bench. The first signs of a screw starting to round, dip the tool in the compound and go at it. Works well in other applications too

View attachment 213094

Yessir! Old machinist/engine builder/tool & die guy trick!

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

Yessir! Old machinist/engine builder/tool & die guy trick!

Grandpa was just a farmer

 

[Littlemotor]

Grandpa was just a farmer

Then he was D) All of the above

Don’t mess with a farmer, man! I work with a few, and they’re bad mofo’s. They don’t build em’ like those guys anymore..

 

[332_RC]

Then he was D) All of the above

Don’t mess with a farmer, man! I work with a few, and they’re bad mofo’s. They don’t build em’ like those guys anymore..

I know right. I grew up on a farm. 200 head of cattle. My dad was a real cowboy. He came up w all kinds of tricks & fixes. We had a bunch of heavy equipment too. We were always fixing stuff. Hay baling equipment is the worst. I was welding at 11 years old

 

[WickedFog]

David, your answers are all listed above. I had completely forgot about the lapping compound trick. My dad used to do that.

But here you go David.

Thread 'Tips and Tools for Removing Stubborn Fasteners'

Jul 20, 2021

We've all been there. That problem screw. I have seen numerous posts on multiple forums where people have ran into trouble removing screws on their RC vehicles. So I wanted to put this together to help people who may be new to turning wrenches.

Since Allen screws seem to be the most troublesome, I will list tools that I have used over the years for the various Allen fasteners. But first, a little about me...

I worked with small fasteners every day for 25 years. Whether it was bolts holding parts on a fixture, or the locking screws and grubs holding cutting inserts in milling...

• WickedFog
• Replies: 68
• Forum: Tools

• 
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[Lumikko]

A little preventive action goes a long way: when mounting screws into plastic parts, using a pre-tap (one line around the shaft) can help reduce excess friction. Black grease on the threads is another option, AE advises doing this to the ends of turnbuckles.

If a screw is stuck in plastic, the peak force you need to remove it is usually not high, but it remains tight even after breaking loose. For these, simply a higher-quality tip (slightly oversized) may do the trick, or a Torx bit, screw extractor, or left-hand drill bit.

Screws stuck in metal require a higher peak force to break loose, but come off with relative ease after that. A Torx bit or extractor often fails in these cases. The best tool for most cases is an automatic center punch: tap the head around the socket at a slight angle toward the anti-clockwise direction. A few hits most usually loosens the screw to a point where it can be unscrewed the rest of the way even with a stripped head.

I used to solve everything with a Dremel but it’s slow, gets steel and cutting disc particles into the motor and everywhere else, slips easily causing damage to other parts, and often fails.

A set of extracting bits and an automatic center punch are what you need to make the job quick, reliable, and clean.

 

[Jerold]

There was a thread (I think on Arrma Forums) about screw extraction and someone pointed to these. I haven't gotten to try them out yet.

https://a.co/d/g9yQvHF

If you have something to grab on to, they have a pretty solid grip.

Maybe drill the center, then you have a stud. Then you grab the stud with these? I did this with some Vise Grips on a stock mount that stripped out. I'm sure these will work better than Vise Grips.