Removing stripped screws

Merlin5

Merlin5

Merlin5

Soldato
Joined
17 Aug 2009
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Finchley, London
Any ideas on the best way to remove screws with mangled heads? I watched a couple of videos and tried the elastic band trick but it didn't work. Should I get one of those double ended bits that creates a new hole and then the other end grabs and unscrews it? These screws are countersunk. M6 I think? I'm going to see if I can buy some replacement screws at Toolstation.







 
That looks like a prime example of just drill them out. Pick a drill thats just a little bit bigger than the threaded diameter of the ones you have already got out and then drill the head as close to the middle as you can till it just goes through. Pull apart and use pliers to take the rest of the screw out of the hole. Replace with new screws
 
peige said:
That looks like a prime example of just drill them out. Pick a drill thats just a little bit bigger than the threaded diameter of the ones you have already got out and then drill the head as close to the middle as you can till it just goes through. Pull apart and use pliers to take the rest of the screw out of the hole. Replace with new screws
Click to expand...
I was just going to suggest this.
This is the way
 
Have you got a selection of other bits?
I often find a square bit will go in with a bit of a tap and you can slowly unscrew it.
But other times a torx or something can do the job.

What kind of chimp attacked those screws?

Whenever dealing with bad screws I always fix them by hand. Power tools make the process far harder
 
Depends if you need to reuse the existing hole/thread.

Drilling out is likely the quickest option (especially with those size screws), but does mean you may need to retap the hole etc
 
Thekwango said:
Use a dremel (other makes are available) to cut a slot into the head for a flat screwdriver?
Click to expand...

Dremel and cutting a slot was one of the suggestions in the videos I watched. I've been meaning to buy a dremel for ages.

maddness said:
i used these in the past -


cheaper version from temu mind you, but they work..
Click to expand...

Yea, that's the double ended bit also suggested in the videos and what I was thinking of buying. Don't know if Toolstation does them or does them cheap.

peige said:
That looks like a prime example of just drill them out. Pick a drill thats just a little bit bigger than the threaded diameter of the ones you have already got out and then drill the head as close to the middle as you can till it just goes through. Pull apart and use pliers to take the rest of the screw out of the hole. Replace with new screws
Click to expand...

So I understand correctly, do you mean drill clockwise as normal, then pull apart the drilled/split head and then use pliers to unscrew the threaded part of the screw?
 
Armageus said:
Depends if you need to reuse the existing hole/thread.

Drilling out is likely the quickest option (especially with those size screws), but does mean you may need to retap the hole etc
Click to expand...

Yep, I definitely need to reuse the holes and don't want to be messing up the holes or retapping. The screws are holding metal plates underneath a drum stool which allow the seat to mate with the legs base and allow the backrest to be attached. I'm thinking the tool that maddness suggested might possibly be the safest option.
 
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Armageus said:
Depends if you need to reuse the existing hole/thread.

Drilling out is likely the quickest option (especially with those size screws), but does mean you may need to retap the hole etc
Click to expand...
If you just drill to remove the head then you don't need to thread again. Head pops off as you lever the metal up again, pliers to remove the little studs that are still in the holes.
 
Merlin5 said:
Dremel and cutting a slot was one of the suggestions in the videos I watched. I've been meaning to buy a dremel for ages.



Yea, that's the double ended bit also suggested in the videos and what I was thinking of buying. Don't know if Toolstation does them or does them cheap.



So I understand correctly, do you mean drill clockwise as normal, then pull apart the drilled/split head and then use pliers to unscrew the threaded part of the screw?
Click to expand...
Use this set, I used these to get a screw out of the back of a tv... successfully
 
Merlin5 said:
Dremel and cutting a slot was one of the suggestions in the videos I watched. I've been meaning to buy a dremel for ages.
Click to expand...
Dremels are a wonderfully useful tool to have even if it rarely gets used.

I bought a cheapo brand version of Amazon for about 30 quid a few years back. Rarely gets used but absolute life saver to have when it is!
 
Armageus said:
Depends if you need to reuse the existing hole/thread.

Drilling out is likely the quickest option (especially with those size screws), but does mean you may need to retap the hole etc
Click to expand...
This. If they weren't so knackered you could have tried a proper impact driver but at this point use a drill press and drill out. I don't have my Zeus to hand but you'll want to select a drill bit that allows you to re-tap afterwards, so for M8 google says it's 6.94mm so you'd get away with a 7mm drill.
 
Thekwango said:
Dremels are a wonderfully useful tool to have even if it rarely gets used.

I bought a cheapo brand version of Amazon for about 30 quid a few years back. Rarely gets used but absolute life saver to have when it is!
Click to expand...

Are you able to link me to the one you got? Would you say it's as robust as a genuine dremel?

So I've been to Toolstation and they have M6 x 30mm countersunk Phillips screws in a packet of 25, but I couldnt get it to thread past about three turns into the hole. My screws look identical in thickness though. A marginal difference in the gaps between each thread perhaps but surely not enough to affect it. So I don't know what screw to get. Mine are 25mm and 20mm long and both screw in perfectly and they appear to be M6. M5 is too narrow. I'm going to try Screwfix and see if they have anything. My drum stool was made in Japan so I don't know if they're a proprietary thread, though I doubt it.
 
Merlin5 said:
Are you able to link me to the one you got? Would you say it's as robust as a genuine dremel?

So I've been to Toolstation and they have M6 x 30mm countersunk Phillips screws in a packet of 25, but I couldnt get it to thread past about three turns into the hole. My screws look identical in thickness though. A marginal difference in the gaps between each thread perhaps but surely not enough to affect it. So I don't know what screw to get. Mine are 25mm and 20mm long and both screw in perfectly and they appear to be M6. M5 is too narrow. I'm going to try Screwfix and see if they have anything. My drum stool was made in Japan so I don't know if they're a proprietary thread, though I doubt it.
Click to expand...
M6 thread pitches come in two common sizes of 0.75 and 1mm, 1mm being the most common, I suspect the new screws you bought were 1mm pitch (it may say on the packaging) , when you hold the screws together the threads should align if the do not they are definitely not the same pitch which is why you cannot screw them in, do not force them in or you will strip the threads.
 
Mrp1980 said:
M6 thread pitches come in two common sizes of 0.75 and 1mm, 1mm being the most common, I suspect the new screws you bought were 1mm pitch (it may say on the packaging) , when you hold the screws together the threads should align if the do not they are definitely not the same pitch which is why you cannot screw them in, do not force them in or you will strip the threads.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Well, fortunately I didn't buy the new M6 screws as he let me try one in Toolstation. I've been to B&Q, they've got nothing for me. And I've just been to Screwfix and he had a plastic template with lots of holes. He put my old screw (the one that fits my stool and threads all the way) into an M6 hole in his template and we could see it was slightly too thick to go through the hole. So he reckoned mine isn't an M6. I'm not sure that test is the same as the thread pitch you're talking about though. It seems as though an M6 is a smidgeon narrower and he said because of that it won't thread. I don't know, I'm going to try an independent shop now.
 
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Merlin5 said:
Interesting. Well, fortunately I didn't buy the new M6 screws as he let me try one in Toolstation. I've been to B&Q, they've got nothing for me. And I've just been to Screwfix and he had a plastic template with lots of holes. He put my old screw (the one that fits my stool and threads all the way) into an M6 hole in his template and we could see it was slightly too thick to go through the hole. So he reckoned mine isn't an M6. I'm not sure that test is the same as the thread pitch you're talking about though. It seems as though an M6 is a smidgeon narrower and he said because of that it won't thread. I don't know, I'm going to try an independent shop now.
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We have an independent near us and they are fantastic very helpful and always have what I am looking for, they may try 1/4-20 or 1/4-28 it may be imperial but see what they suggest.
 
Mrp1980 said:
We have an independent near us and they are fantastic very helpful and always have what I am looking for, they may try 1/4-20 or 1/4-28 it may be imperial but see what they suggest.
Click to expand...

Yes, in Screwfix he suggested mine might be imperial. As I know nothing about screws, I wouldn't have had a clue that there are things called imperial screws. :D. I'm going to try the independent shop in a bit. Meanwhile, I just called the drumshop where I bought the drum stool and explained the problem. He said he should be able to get me the correct screws from the company in Japan that made the stool and that they might be proprietary, he'll be able to let me know on Thursday. I have a feeling I'm going to be paying over £20 though for a few screws as opposed to the very inexpensive £4 for 25 x M6.
 
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