How to remove a self-tapping screw with a broken head. How to unscrew an old screw

This hack will teach you in several simple ways.

We are faced with this problem more and more often, because fastener manufacturers are increasingly starting to save on materials, so in the end we get a relatively cheap, but insufficiently high-quality product (it would be fine if it tightened). Well, if you use screws several times, this will inevitably lead to licking of the edges on it hat.

How to unscrew a screw with a broken head

There are several ways to do this, simple and not requiring special tools, it all depends on the degree of wear of the fasteners.

1. The first thing you need to try is to press the screwdriver into the head of the bolt and at the same time unscrew it. This will speed up damage to the head, but there is a chance that the screw will be torn out of place, if not everything is so sad.

2. If the first method does not work, then unscrew the screw with the torn cross An electric screwdriver will help you. Sometimes you should combine the first and second methods, then the vast majority will succumb to you.

3. If there are no edges left, then your last hope unscrew the screw with the head torn off These are rubber bands for money (or any other similar things). Simply place the rubber band on the cap and use a screwdriver or screwdriver to unscrew it. If you use a power tool, do not rush, but gradually scroll.

If the screwdriver is constantly slipping in the screw head, you need to create additional friction between it and the head or apply more torque. There are quite a lot simple ways remove the screw using available household materials. Of course, for tightly locked screws you will need special tools, but they are not that expensive and are always on sale.

Steps

Using a regular screwdriver

Maximize the quality of the screwdriver's grip on the screw. If the screw head has not yet been completely torn off and the screwdriver still clings to it, last time try removing the screw by hand. To increase your chances of success, follow the instructions below.

Use auxiliary materials to increase the friction force. If the screwdriver stubbornly slips in a damaged screw head, cover the screw with a small piece of material that will provide better grip between the screwdriver and the head. Place a screwdriver on the head through this material and try to remove the screw again. As auxiliary materials the following can be used:

wide cut elastic band (to make a strip of rubber);
a piece of steel wool;
a piece of green abrasive kitchen sponge;
tape (sticky side to the screw head).

Lightly tap the screwdriver to ensure it fits properly into the slots. Tap the screwdriver carefully to avoid accidentally breaking the screw head. If you are working with a fragile item, skip this step.

Press firmly on the screwdriver while turning. Place your palm on the handle of the screwdriver and place your forearm in line with the screwdriver. Press the screwdriver as hard as you can while rotating.
- If the screwdriver slips through the head again, stop immediately. Further turning the screwdriver in the head will only further deform it and complicate the process of removing the screw. Be sure to check that when removing the screw, you rotate it in the correct direction. in the right direction. Usually (but not always), to unscrew a screw, you should twist it counterclockwise (unscrew it to the left, and tighten it to the right). Firm pressure on the screwdriver itself prevents it from slipping in the head.
Heat the problem screw. If you can heat the problem screw without causing any harm to the object it is screwed into, this will help loosen the thread's grip. Heat the screw construction hairdryer or gas burner, constantly moving the device to avoid overheating. As soon as the screw becomes so hot that a drop of water falling on it immediately begins to hiss, leave it to cool, and then try to unscrew it again.
- This is especially helpful in cases where the screw is screwed in using binder or glue.
Using a hacksaw, cut a slot in the head of the screw for a flathead screwdriver. If you still cannot budge the screw, cut a groove in its head. Then insert into the groove flat screwdriver and try to unscrew the screw. This step can be combined with any of the above steps.

Using an impact screwdriver
1. Take impact screwdriver. An impact screwdriver is hand tool, the tip of which cuts deeper into the screw head due to the action of force and spring. This screwdriver is well suited for durable building structures, but it can damage electronics and fragile equipment. If you're concerned about damaging an object with a stuck screw, avoid cheap spring-loaded screwdrivers, as they require more forceful hammering.
  - It is also not recommended to use an electric impact screwdriver, as excessive force may damage the surface into which the screw is screwed.
2. Set the screwdriver to remove screws. Some screwdriver models have a switch. In other models, the direction of rotation is set by rotating the screwdriver handle.
  
  Attach the screwdriver to the screw head. Insert the appropriate size bit into the screwdriver. Attach the screwdriver to the screw and hold it strictly at an angle of 90º to the plane of the head. Grasp the middle of the screwdriver handle so that the end of the handle is free.
  
  Tap the screwdriver with a mallet. Tap the screwdriver handle firmly with a heavy mallet. Rubber mallet This will prevent scratches on the screwdriver handle.
  
  Check the direction of rotation of the screwdriver. Some impact screwdrivers Reset rotation settings after each hit. If the setting is reset, return it to the unscrew position.
  
  Repeat the procedure until the screw gives way. As soon as the screw begins to unscrew, switch to a regular screwdriver and unscrew it from the hole.
Using an extractor
1. Place a hole in the center of the screw head. Place the punch exactly in the center of the screw head. Tap the center punch with a hammer to make a notch for installing the drill bit.
  - Wear eye protection from flying metal filings. Do not remove the protection until the work is completed.
2. Drill a hole in the screw head. Get a quality drill bit designed for drilling hard metals. The extractor should indicate the size of the drill suitable for it. Drill slowly and evenly (if possible, use drilling machine). To begin, drill a hole 3-6 mm deep. If the hole is too deep, the screw may break. It's a good idea to start drilling the screw more thin drill, so that later it will be easier to work with thicker ones.
  
  Tap the extractor installed in the hole with a brass hammer. The hardened metal of the extractor is quite fragile, so a blow from an iron or steel hammer can break it. Tap the extractor until it is securely seated in the drilled hole.
  
  Rotate the extractor carefully. If the torque is too harsh or uneven, the extractor may break, making the situation worse. The safest way to remove a screw with an extractor is to use the handle that comes with it. The drilling itself should have already loosened the screw, so it should come out without much effort.
  - Some extractor sets have a hexagonal non-working end. Grasp this end with two wrenches, positioning them at 180º angles to each other to distribute the force evenly.
3. Heat the screw if it does not budge. If the screw does not come out or you are afraid of breaking the extractor, remove the tool. Heat the screw with a torch and then apply paraffin or plain water to the screw to lubricate the threads. Once the screw has cooled, try using the extractor again.
Additional Methods
1. Drill out the screw head completely. Drilling a hole in a screw will often allow you to release the pressure on the screw shank and unscrew it, but if you fail to do this, then you have little choice in what to do next. Use a drill bit with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the screw shank so that the head of the screw falls off when you drill it out. First, make a notch strictly in the center of the cap, and then drill it in this place.
2. Make sure you are turning the screw in the correct direction. The screw may be reverse threaded, requiring clockwise rotation to remove it.
3. If the hole remaining after the screw is damaged, the situation can be corrected in several ways.
  - Cut a larger diameter thread into the hole. Then, for reliability, lubricate the hole with sealant and screw a suitable wire insert into it.
  - Screw a larger screw into the hole.
  - Use a bolt and nut. To secure metal objects, a nut can be welded to a hole in the metal to create a permanent screw attachment point.
- Metal burrs on stripped screws can cause injury and temporary disability.
What you will need
- Screwdriver
- An extractor for removing stripped screws or a whole set of extractors (in a tool store, the price of these products can vary from several hundred to several thousand rubles)
- Box spanner
- Electric drill
- Metal drill
- Eye protection
- Work gloves
- Regular hammer or mallet
- Impact screwdriver
- Hacksaw
- Pliers
- Tape, rubber band, steel wool, or abrasive material

Or a simple screw is often baffled home handyman. Of course, because it needs to be unscrewed, and there is nothing for the screwdriver to catch on in order to even turn the screw a little. Let's try to consider several options for solving this problem. We will assume that the head of the screw is recessed; it is impossible to get to it with a hacksaw. Let's consider what tools can be used to solve this issue and how difficult it will be to do so.

The Homius editors decided to combine the simplest “folk” remedies for solving the problem of unscrewing a torn screw into one section. The first thing you should try is a small piece genuine leather. It fits like a spacer between the screw and the bit. After this, with decent pressure and at low speeds, you need to try to unscrew the screw. Let us immediately make a reservation that this method does not always work. It is necessary that the slots of the head are not completely smoothed - at least the slightest hook is needed.

In a similar way, craftsmen advise trying to use a piece of rubber. If the screw is not driven too tightly, then the method is quite workable. But what if the slots are completely smoothed, and the material into which the screw is screwed is quite dense. In this case, “heavy artillery” will be used.

Using other tools and equipment to unscrew a broken screw

One of the most effective ways is application . You shouldn’t listen to those who say that it’s enough to heat a self-tapping screw with a similar unit, and it will easily come out - everything is not so simple here.

First, you need to treat the head and the hole created in it as a result of breaking off the splines with soldering acid. It will remove all dirt along with the oxide film that prevents solder from sticking. Next, take a small piece of tin and melt it with a soldering iron on the screw head. It should be heated until the temperature of the screw rises to the temperature required for solder to stick. After this, a bit is immersed in the molten tin. All you have to do is wait for it to cool completely.

This action serves 2 purposes:

Partial restoration of self-tapping screw slots.
Burning of wood fibers along the thread as a result of strong heat.

For such purposes, you should use a powerful soldering iron. A small device that consumes 40 W is not suitable for this. When the tin has completely cooled down, you can turn out the screw - it will come out without any problems.

What to do if the previous 2 methods did not work

If the methods described above are ineffective, you will have to use optional equipment and tool. An engraver with a cutting disc has proven itself quite well in this regard. With its help, you can make a small cut on the head, after which the self-tapping screw is unscrewed with a regular slotted screwdriver.

Another method will most likely require a trip to the store to purchase a special attachment called an “extractor.” Such a bit has special slots, which, when rotated counterclockwise, bite into the steel of the screw, finding the slightest remnants of slots in the head, clinging to them, which helps to unscrew the screw.

In fact, there are a great many ways to unscrew a screw or self-tapping screw with broken slots. Home craftsmen are not even aware of many of them, and therefore spoil the surface, trying to pick up the cap with side cutters or pliers.

Finally

Torn slots on the head of a self-tapping screw or screw are, of course, unpleasant, but not fatal. In such cases, you should not immediately give up and drill out the surface around the screw. You can find a way out of any situation, which means it’s better to try to use the options described in the article. At the same time, it is better to start with the simplest ones, such as leather and rubber. If in the set home tool If there is an extractor, then you can forget about other methods - this path will be the easiest.

The editors of Homius hope that the methods described in today's article will help some home craftsman if a similar problem arises. Any questions on the topic, if you have any, ask in the comments below. We will be grateful if you share your experience in unscrewing screws with broken slots on the head.

Finally, we bring to your attention a short video on today's topic, from which you can learn a lot useful information about extractors.

Photo 1. Unscrewing an old countersunk screw from a glass window sash.

Of course, the simplest and quick way getting rid of old screws is a crowbar, but this method is only good when the old ones are removed wooden windows or doors before disposal or when appearance is not of fundamental importance. And to unscrew old screw with a minimum of damage to the wood in which it is screwed, and to glass, if work is carried out with window sash(as shown in the photo), you often have to do the following:

1. Clean the slots from paint

A slot (from the German schlitz - cut) is a recess on the head (head) of a screw for a regular or Phillips screwdriver. IN Soviet times they didn’t really stand on ceremony with all sorts of handles, locks and other latches on windows and doors, and therefore covered them with oil paint, without hesitation and without paying attention to whether there were any on the fittings or screws protective covering or not. Well, the paint, obeying the laws of physics, accumulated in the slots and dried there, replacing the putty. It is almost impossible to unscrew a screw with 3-5 layers of paint on a countersunk head without cleaning the slot. However, cleaning old oil paint from a slot is not that difficult. To do this, it is enough to have any sharp enough metal object, made of durable metal. Under enough durable metal This means not only tool steel, but also various kinds pobedite and corundum soldering on various types of scribers; in extreme cases, you can use a thin nail, in any case, its strength is much greater than the strength oil paint. Personally, I use a special wedge attachment for these purposes; this used to be included in the screwdriver set. With this nozzle you can not only mark wood, but also clear paint from the slots. However, the disadvantage of such an attachment is that it is not always at hand. This happened in the described case, when at the dacha it was necessary to unscrew a couple of old handles, so a nail was used to clean the slots.

You need to clean the slots very carefully; the more paint you remove from the slots, the more likely it is that you will be able to unscrew the screw. However, this is not a guarantee of success. I don’t know exactly why, whether because there was some miscalculation or flaw in the technology for making screws, or screws for household purposes were made only on equipment worn out in the arms race, or from low-quality steel, or simply because I only come across These are such old screws, but the slots on old scoop screws are not of high quality. And their main drawback is that the slots are not deep. And the shallower the depth of the slot, the easier it is to “tear off” or “lick” these same slots when unscrewing. After all, when we try to unscrew a screw, we must overcome the frictional force between the screw shaft and the wood. This force arises during elastic deformations of wood and does not weaken over many years and even decades, and if the screw also rusts, then it is necessary to further destroy the resulting scale. And this is not always easy to do. Even a simple nail driven into wood, which can immediately be pulled out without any problems with a crowbar, after many years, due to corrosion, can adhere to the wood so that it is almost impossible to pull it out, only to cut it off or break it off.

Sometimes, if you have an old unnecessary screwdriver, you can sharpen it and use it as a chisel to deepen the slots.

2. Press the screwdriver as hard as possible at the very beginning of unscrewing

As already mentioned, the main task is to overcome the frictional force and adhesive force of rust, i.e. rip the screw off the ground. If you managed to turn the screw at least a quarter of a turn, then consider the job done, everything will only get easier from there. With each revolution, the area of contact between the screw and the wood will decrease and, therefore, the friction force will decrease. Sometimes, during the process of unscrewing, the slots are completely licked off, but if the screw is unscrewed by at least half a centimeter, then you can continue to work with pliers.

3. Drill out the screw head

If the screw was hammered and not screwed into the wood and was bent, or rather its axis changed shape and became not straight, then to unscrew such a screw you need sufficient play, which can only be obtained if the screw being unscrewed is the last one. And also if you tore off the splines on the head of the screw, but could not turn it even a quarter turn, then in these cases best option- drilling out the screw head. To do this, you need to have a drill and a metal drill bit with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter countersunk head screw. When you have torn off the splines, you can drill out the head without preliminary punching, and if the screw simply cannot be unscrewed, but the splines are in place, then it is better to punch it first. However, as drilling progresses, the drill itself will fall into the countersunk area. After the head is drilled, you can remove the fittings and the rest of the screw either unscrew it with pliers or hammer it deeper with a hammer.

There are probably other ways to remove old rusty screws, but I don’t know them yet.

A very common problem when carrying out construction work is the deformation of fasteners associated with the inexperience of the performer. However, sometimes even professionals find it difficult to figure out how to unscrew a screw with broken edges, and also to prevent a similar situation from reoccurring in the future. Let's think about solving this problem together.

Reasons for deformation of edges

It is no secret that unscrewing a tightly seated screw or self-tapping screw with torn edges from the body of the material can take a lot of effort, time and nerves, which is why it is advisable to take care in advance to prevent such situations.

And the first thing you should pay attention to is the quality of the equipment, because it is the wear of the tool, in most cases, that causes the edges of the fasteners to “lick off.” This circumstance is due to the fact that the tip of a screwdriver or a screwdriver bit is not sharp enough and does not ensure full contact of the screw with the working tool. Also, such a phenomenon can be caused by a mismatch of the equipment used, which is why before carrying out the actual work, it is advisable to make sure that the tip of the tool is completely immersed in the fastener slots, thereby ensuring a good connection.

The second reason for the deformation of the edges of the screw/self-tapping screw is non-compliance with the screwing technology, which in most cases manifests itself when the performer applies insufficient force to the tool, that is, does not press on it properly. Or the equipment (screwdriver, screwdriver) is located at an angle to the fastener. In addition, screwing in screws at high speeds can also damage the fastener head.

The quality of the screws themselves (type of material, correctness of shape) also influences the correctness of their installation, which is why you should inquire about their technical characteristics before directly purchasing fasteners.

Method for unscrewing a screw with torn edges

If trouble with a screw does occur (the screwdriver or bit begins to turn, jumping over the edges), there is no need to fall into despair and try with all your might to tighten the “stubborn” one or, even worse, hammer it with a hammer, but simply stop and take all possible actions to remove the fastener from body of material. Moreover, depending on the circumstances, you can use one of the methods below to solve this problem.

Unscrewing a screw

The first step is to try to remove the deformed screw using the standard method by unscrewing it. However, this operation should only be performed quality tool, which may require the purchase of additional equipment (bits, screwdrivers).

If the above action did not give the desired result, and the edges of the screw “licked” even more, then more radical methods will have to be used.

So, if the screw is not screwed into the body of the material to its full length and the head protrudes slightly above the plane of the material, then you can unscrew it using pliers, pliers or a gas wrench. Why are sponges enough? metalworking tools Compress the screw head and unscrew the fasteners counterclockwise.

When the screw is completely screwed into the body of the material, it is unlikely that it will be possible to unscrew the fastener without damaging it using the method described above. As an alternative, it is advisable to use the following methods.

Sawing edges

Allows you to provide a screw with a recess of 2-3 mm, with which (using a flat screwdriver with a sharp tip) you can unscrew the product. And making such a slot is quite simple, using a regular metal blade.

Threading

On professional level, a stuck screw can be removed using special device(tap with left-hand thread). To do this, a hole with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the screw should be drilled in the body of the fastener, and after that, an extractor should be screwed into the resulting hole (counterclockwise) and when it rests, unscrew the fastener.

If all the methods described above did not lead to the desired result, then the screw with the torn edges is simply drilled out using a drill with a metal drill bit.

Before unscrewing a screw with torn edges, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with a number of recommendations that will make the work of removing fasteners less labor-intensive.

To form a free gap between the self-tapping screw and the body of the material into which it is screwed, the fastener can be heated (for example, using a soldering iron, an industrial hair dryer or a lighter). In this case, during the process of heating and subsequent cooling, the screw will slightly increase and then decrease in size, thus spreading out the material into which it is screwed.