What are your tips/tricks for removing or extracting stripped screws?
What are your tips/tricks for removing or extracting stripped screws?
I come across an absurd amount of stripped screws (Apple refurb machines often have stripped screws in them, as do other machines I work on, and I have been known to strip a screw or two on my own).
"I use a Dremel tool with the thin round disc cutting attachment to cut a groove into the head of the screw, at which point it's often possible to use a flathead screwdriver to get it out. Just be careful not to cut too deep, because you'll run the risk of cutting half the head of the screw off, and then things are even more difficult.
In the case of the bottom casing of iBooks, I often end up just ripping the case right off when one of the three long screws won't come out, and then I use a heavy wrench to turn the screws and get them out once the casing has been removed. Fortunately the screwholes break off pretty cleanly, so it's possible to put the bottom casing back on later and it's not apparent (unless you look really hard) that damage has been done."
"Put a piece of a thick rubber band in the screw hole and then use the screwdriver, pressing down so that the screwdriver engages the screw. This works good on small stripped PH or slat head screws. BEFORE starting, read the following>>
NOTE: You want to be sure to get the screw head and the screwdriver lined up BEFORE inserting the piece of rubber band. I use a very fine line permanent marker on the top edge of the hole where the screw is in order to get the orientation correct. Then mark the piece of rubber the same way. I use narrow, fine tweezers to insert & adjust the piece of rubber to line up with my screw hole marks. A long sewing needle can help you fine tune the alignment. This way, you'll know exactly how to line up your screwdriver head AND avoid chewing up the piece of rubber band. And with a little patience, the screw will come out."
I needed to replace the battery on my 6 year old Mac-it wasn't holding a charge anymore! So I got a replacement, and got the back cover off with no real fuss...(used a drinking glass to hold the lose screws-they are apparently super expensive to replace if lost!!) .......then came the internal battery screws. These screws are screwed down super tight, and are a soft metal, so even when using the (in my case ) included with the replacement little screwdrivers-and yes one of those was a 3prong!-two of the three got pretty stripped!
I thought I was *ahem* screwed!
I looked online and found this forum: tried the rubber band trick- and I only ended up poking through the rubber. It might have nugged the one I tried it on.
BEFORE I went for glue, I took some needle nose pliers I had been using to get a better grip on the small screwdrivers(glasses repair kits have a flat head, great for cross screws!) and, for the heck of it, gripped the head of the screw, turns out, they are not a sunken screw inside a case! THIS WORKED!!!!
The plastic tab extending from the battery that the screw holds down did get fractured, but not sure if this was met bad, or due to the original tightness.
Needless to say, all three came out, the battery is replaced, (watch for the connector, it attaches to the underside of the battery and plugged into the rest of the computer near the center edge of the battery, it will need to be pryed from the plugg's sides gently, ) and my computer lives to die another day!"
"I've seen a special liquid product for stripped screws at the hardware store. I've never tried it myself but you apply it on the stripped head and after it cures a bit, it's supposed to help you unscrew the thing.
Here's the product that I'm talking about
ww.bison.net
If the link doesn't work for you, google it, it's called Bison Grip or Bison Screw Grip."
