Ways to unscrew a small screw with a broken head - drill, nails, cut a slot. How to unscrew a stripped screw How to unscrew a screw from metal

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Unscrew the bolt, rusted or stuck to the base is not so easy to become. It happens that unscrewing one bolt or unscrewing one screw takes up to 90% of the total repair time of the product. Problem unscrewing bolts or nuts occurs most often on parts that are intensively used in aggressive environments.

For the metal from which both fasteners and structural elements held together by these fasteners are usually made, the aggressive environment is water and moist air.

Most fasteners have right-hand threads and unscrews COUNTERclockwise arrows.

Why is it difficult to unscrew a bolt or screw?

Before you start unscrew the bolt let's estimate the likelihood of successfully unscrewing it, or rather, the likelihood of problems arising with unscrewing:

The bolt or screw is rusty (rusty head, leaks from under the head, etc.);

The base (nut) into which the screw or bolt is screwed has undergone a change (swollen) wooden plank, metal base is flattened, etc.);

The fastened parts are displaced relative to their original position, which increases the load on the fastener.

If at unscrewing a bolt or screw we see manifestations of the above factors, after the first test we should move on to measures aimed at making it easier to unscrew our fasteners.

Methods for loosening complex bolts and screws

The most effective and generally accepted method of combating non-unscrewing bolts- this is wetting it (the bolt) with penetrating liquids (WD-40, kerosene). Such liquids penetrate deeply into the threads of the bolt and lubricate it, after which the bolt slides more easily along the threads.

Usually, when unscrewing a complex bolt, it is enough just to move it from its place, then the process of turning it away becomes easier. You can remove the bolt from its place by lightly hitting it with a wrench. You can move the screw by hitting it with an impact screwdriver.

Effective method unscrewing stuck bolts is oblique blows on the cap. Because It is not possible to hit the head of a bolt or screw with a hammer; use a chisel. The chisel is placed on the edge of the cap at an angle and short blows are applied to its base. Using a chisel, you should check the condition of the cap unscrewable bolt, if you cut it down, the process may take longer.

There are special tools for unscrewing complex bolts and screws. They are called extractors. Usually this is a drill with a reverse thread. By cutting into the head of a non-removing bolt or screw, extractors create required area contact with the screw and force it to turn at the base.

If unscrew the bolt or screw If it doesn't work, you can cut it off (or drill it out). If you have to cut off the head of a screw, then it is almost impossible to get it out of the base, and in this case they usually mark a new place for fastening or drill out the screw completely, after which a plug is hammered into this place.

If the problem unscrew a bolt or screw is not due to sticking of the fasteners at the point of contact, but due to the lack of a suitable tool, then you can make such a tool yourself, or use another tool.

So for unscrewing the screw With a Phillips head, you can use a smaller flathead screwdriver. A thin flathead screwdriver with a flared blade can be used to unscrew a bolt or screw with an asterisk or hexagonal slot.

A large hexagon slot can be unscrew the bolt head of the appropriate size, for this a nut is screwed onto it and secured with a lock nut.

The “oblique triangle” slot, intended only for twisting, can be unscrewed with a drill, unscrewing it in reverse side(counterclockwise) or, if space allows, cut with a chisel or screwdriver.

For unscrewing deep screws(usually in household appliances) you can make a long screwdriver from a piece of steel wire. To do this, you need to flatten one end of the wire and sharpen it with a file to the shape of the slot, make a handle on the other side of the wire, bending the wire to the side.

Unscrewing a difficult bolt or nut, remember that by applying significant force, you can damage the structure itself - be careful!

Usually there are no problems with unscrewing a self-tapping screw or screw - a screwdriver, screwdriver or drill, rotation counterclockwise - and now you have a metal fastener in your hand. However, if the cap, head of a screw or self-tapping screw is torn off, the thread is damaged, the task becomes difficult.

We have already written about how you can remove a nail whose head has broken off. Unscrewing a screw or self-tapping screw with the same problem or torn edges on the head is even more difficult.

Option one

If part of the screw or self-tapping screw protrudes above the surface, you can try to grab this tip with pliers. Experts advise using thin-nose pliers, known as duckbill pliers. Then, by rotating counterclockwise, pull out the fastener.

Option two

However, if the screw or self-tapping screw is screwed in deeply, there is simply nothing to grab onto. In this case, you will have to touch the surface into which the fastener is screwed. Yes, it will be damaged and will have to be fixed later. But sometimes there is simply no other choice.

If a self-tapping screw or shurpa is screwed into a tree, you can get to it using a chisel. In case of concrete surface You can shallowly drill the surface nearby or make cuts with a grinder to be able to grab the fasteners with pliers or pliers.

If you used a metal self-tapping screw, all that remains is to do additional holes nearby for the platypuses to get close to it.

Option three

Let's assume that the head on the self-tapping screw or screw remains, but the slot is torn off, as many craftsmen say - “licked”, rolled. A screwdriver or drill simply breaks off such fasteners. The easiest way to deal with this problem is to use a piece of rubber or any rubberized material. For example, a medical tourniquet or bicycle camera. We cut out a small rectangular or square piece from the material and place it on the head of the fastener with the broken thread. Then we rest against it with a screwdriver and begin to carefully unscrew it. The rubber creates additional grip, the metal screwdriver no longer comes off the slippery metal head and does its job. If the rubber was damaged or torn during operation, just take a new piece and continue unscrewing.

Video on the topic:

Option four

New edges can be cut on a torn or damaged screw head. Or rather, to deepen previously existing but erased ones. The easiest option is to make one cut using a flat-head screwdriver. To do this, use a grinder, a metal saw, or a Dremel. However, in the case of a self-tapping screw red-hot metal This option is problematic. In addition, part of the fastener must protrude above the surface so that the notch can be made.

Option five

Apply “Moment” type glue to the damaged head of the self-tapping screw or screw. Wait until it hardens a little, apply a screwdriver to this place and press for about five seconds. The glue will set and the screwdriver will no longer slide off; you can slowly begin to unscrew it.

Option six

Use extractor. This is a special tool for unscrewing unruly bolts, but it is also suitable for self-tapping screws. The secret of the extractor is that as it rotates counterclockwise, it grips the fastener more and more, preventing it from being pulled out. But before using the extractor, you should drill a hole in the screw along the vertical axis, where the tool will then be inserted. In the case of a regular screw, this is possible, you just need to choose thin drill. But it is very difficult to drill a self-tapping screw from hardened steel; the drill will simply go to the side.

WHAT TO DO IF THE SCREW DOES NOT REMOVE?

1. If using a screwdriver, a screw or self-tapping screw cannot be unscrewed, and the screwdriver begins to scroll in the head of the screw, then stop and do not try to unscrew it further, as you can tear off the edges under the screwdriver from the screw, and then it will be even more difficult to remove it from the structure .


2. Take a screwdriver and press hard on the back of the screwdriver handle, try to unscrew the screw, making movements, now to the left, then to the right. If it is not possible to remove the self-tapping screw from the structure, then we move on to another method.


3. Take a special screwdriver, which has a hexagon on the back of the handle wrench. Pressing the screwdriver firmly against the screw, we begin to turn it using a wrench.


4. To unscrew the screws, you can use the “eco-tractor screw” attachment, since it completely grips all the edges of the screw. For better adhesion of the ecotractor to the self-tapping screw, we use a cleaning agent such as “pemoxol”, applying it to the ecotractor.


5. If the screw does not give in, then proceed as follows. Having inserted a screwdriver into the screw, we hit it with a hammer, thereby weakening the adhesion of the screw to the structure. The main thing is not to overdo it with blows, because if the wall is made of plasterboard, then you can break it. After striking the screw, we try to unscrew it using a screwdriver.


6. We take thin rubber and, using a screwdriver, insert it into the slot of the screw, since the rubber fills the entire space between the screwdriver and the screw, after which we try to unscrew it from the structure.


7. The last option, if the self-tapping screw does not lend itself to more than one proposed method, then drill it out using a metal drill and an electric drill.

When carrying out repairs or construction work With your own hands, it often happens that you need to remove a screw whose head has been torn off. Depending on the type, size and material from which the screw is made, they can be used various ways extracting it. It also matters how badly the slot is torn and the material into which the screw is screwed.

You can remove the remaining screw using special tools– extractors. They are selected according to the size of the screw, screwed into drilled hole counterclock-wise. After the extractor jams, you can remove the screw. If you don’t have such a tool, you can unscrew a small screw with a broken head using improvised means.

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Removing a screw

You can remove the screw if the head is completely torn off in several ways:

  • If the diameter of the bolt allows, you can drill it with a drill with a drill of a suitable size.
  • If you take a smaller drill, you can place a bent nail into the drilled hole and remove the screw.
  • If you need to unscrew a small screw, you can drop superglue on it and attach a screwdriver. After the glue has hardened, you can try to unscrew it. Liquid nails can be used in a similar way.
  • If the size and material into which the screw is screwed allows, you can use welding, then you need to weld the nut on top and then unscrew it.
  • You can cut a slot on a large screw with a hacksaw and unscrew it with a screwdriver.

If the head is not completely torn off, you need to heat the screw very carefully so as not to damage the material into which it is screwed, then try to remove it.

Torn edges

If the edges of the screw are torn off and the screwdriver turns when you try to remove it, you should:

  • Cut out the edges so that a flathead screwdriver can grip.
  • Place the chisel against the edge of the head and, tapping with a hammer, try to turn the screw.
  • Use a socket or adjustable wrench to remove a screw with stripped threads.
  • Remove the screw by placing an impact screwdriver on the edge of the head.
  • Place a flat-head screwdriver under the head and lightly hit the handle with a hammer.

If none of the options work, you can use a chisel and chisel to break the screw into pieces and remove it from the hole.

Instructions

As a rule, paint is applied to the threads of the smallest screws before tightening to increase the strength of the fastener. Therefore, if the head is not completely torn off yet, try heating it with a soldering iron with a thin tip. It is important not to overdo it, because... if there are plastic parts of the housing next to the screw, they can be melted to the screw.

After heating, immediately try to unscrew the screw - it should give in easier. The main thing here is also not to overdo it, so as not to completely break the thread.

If the thread is completely torn off, superglue will help you. Place a drop of glue into the torn hole in the head and insert a screwdriver into it. Press the screwdriver to better connection screw and screwdriver. Do not wobble the screwdriver while there is glue!
After waiting for some time (depending on the speed of drying of the glue), carefully, without sudden movements, begin to unscrew the screw, gradually adding force.

You can also try dropping solder instead of glue, but this is less effective.

If all of the above measures do not help, take a drill with a drill whose diameter is equal to the diameter of the screw head. Carefully drill out only the head (!) of the screw, trying to touch the plastic of the part into which the screw is screwed as little as possible. After you disassemble the laptop (phone), part of the screw will remain protruding from the lower part of the connection. It can be carefully unscrewed with pliers.

For assembly, instead of a drilled screw, you must use a new screw with a washer (since the diameter of the hole in the plastic has increased after drilling).

If the listed methods are not suitable and it is not possible to use a repair shop, but the unit needs to be disassembled, then take the soldering iron again and, constantly heating the screw head, at the same time try to separate the fastened parts (you may need an assistant). Soon the internal plastic threads of the housing will heat up and break off. The disadvantage of this method is that reassembly requires a screw of a larger diameter, which in some cases is impossible.

note

Perform all actions carefully, otherwise you can only make things worse.

Helpful advice

When unscrewing/tightening screws, use only screwdrivers that fit the shape. This is especially true for star screws, which have 5 or more marks for unscrewing.

Everyone needs the ability to tighten and unscrew screws correctly. home handyman. To carry out this operation, the industry produces a wide range of tools - from simple screwdrivers to electric screwdrivers.

Instructions

Before performing any operation on a screw, make sure that removing or adding a screw will not cause the mechanism to become jammed and break, cause an object to fall, remove a cover that contains moving or live parts, or expose your hands or tools to the screw. in the immediate vicinity of such parts. If necessary, stop or de-energize the device you are about to work with.

Choose the right screwdriver or replacement blade. Don't try to remove, say, a Phillips head screw. slotted screwdriver, even if it works out. The size of the tip is also important - it must fit the slot according to this parameter.

It is especially important to ensure the correct combination of spline and tip if you are doing repairs. mobile phones. Do not under any circumstances try to use a Phillips screwdriver for this (except for Samsung devices, where such screws are sometimes used). Invest in a special kit, and it will pay for itself after repairing the first device due to the fact that you repair it instead of purchasing a new one.

If your screwdriver has replaceable bits attached with a magnet or a ball with a spring, develop the habit of immediately putting the previous one in the box and closing it when changing the tip. If you don't develop this habit, you will soon lose all the bits.

Unless otherwise specified, turn the screw clockwise when tightening it, and counterclockwise when unscrewing it. The exception is screws with left-hand threads. If there is a nut on the opposite side, hold it with a wrench or pliers.

Never apply excessive force to the screw when tightening, otherwise you may strip the threads. This is especially important when working with a screwdriver. Learn to use the force limiter built into it.

When using a screwdriver, use only bits designed for this purpose. Switch the direction of rotation using the reverse switch located next to the trigger.

Video on the topic

When repairing a car or motorcycle, home or garden equipment you have to unscrew a lot of fasteners, various metal and other elements. Very often we are faced with broken screws, the removal of which sometimes seems almost impossible. In fact, unscrewing a stripped screw is not that difficult.

You will need

  • - spanner or socket head;
  • - adjustable wrench;
  • - sharp chisel;
  • - straight and Phillips screwdriver;
  • - impact screwdriver;
  • - drill;
  • - gas-burner.

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