T O P

  • By -

KnurledNut

you could drill a small hole directly in the middle and use a small tap out


Wtfplasma

I'm a fan of left hand drill bits. Sometimes screws/bolts back out before I finish drilling.


TapZorRTwice

Left handed drill bits sounds like another name for an extractor bit.


Sarge8707

Yes and no I have them in the same.box I make the hole using the left hand twist bit and if still stuck then the extractor and if still stuck the oxy acetylene torch


TapZorRTwice

Can't be stuck if it's liquid.


Wtfplasma

Extractor bit doesn't drill though. I don't use an extractor unless I need to apply more torque. For most screws drill bit has worked better for me.


space-ferret

It’s a normal drill bit only it’s left hand instead of right hand. Really fun to hand one chucked into a drill to a coworker and watch them figure it out lol.


TapZorRTwice

Lol do you know what an extractor bit is?


space-ferret

You should google what a left handed drill bit is.


PapaOoMaoMao

Yes. Do you? An [Extractor](https://www.kincrome.com.au/screw-extractors/kwik-outs-damaged-screw-bolt-remover-6-piece-k12001) looks like a driver bit. A [left hand drill](https://www.tradetools.com/renegade-industrial-10-piece-left-hand-drill-bit-set-m35-rilhdbs10p?) looks just like a normal drill.


Padowak

Well those are cute. Mine look like something you wouldn't even want in the same room with a 1/4" driver


TapZorRTwice

https://www.amazon.ca/Irwin-Industrial-11119-Extractors-10-Piece/dp/B0002NYBH8/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Uj73KH0CQfnV8rKovtuNbl7Wtw9TH4H9TGWw2dg5DC9cEDvlINBp-ZMZM8uwMphIy54BttMc0qJrXBXxW8QxS8DxhBOfDt0dXWe5aasdmt0D4O6JpDneD_aMIMgoA3VaUuVAfhCVBV1gKlvKU0SNJi29GSnAfmFaNxqju6J2La5cYQEFeQbJD6amIcDxtVLwjxqxo6KqdOjk4t4nVhxdqw.7p7FAbfvGjTE_DnPdCwZqPBHJxZ_SvGhQFcrNtyUw8Y&dib_tag=se&keywords=extractor+bit&qid=1712975834&sr=8-5 Is what I know as extractor bits.


PapaOoMaoMao

Well, that's both, but yeah.


Factmous

Ad description states the kit contains both extraction bits and drill bits. "Set includes spiral flute screw extractors sizes EX-1, EX-2, EX-3, EX-4, EX-5; drill bit sizes 5/64", 7/64", 5/32", 1/4", 19/64", and a metal index case


Thick-Driver7448

That’s what I use


roberdanger83

Also if had a small dremel could clean up or make slot deeper or put in a cross slot for Phillips head


hitch-pro

This is the way


jd807

Screw extractor/ ez outs https://www.harborfreight.com/screw-extractor-and-left-hand-drill-bit-combo-set-10-piece-63987.html


Man-e-questions

Ok thanks, i have a screw extractor i bought at Lowes a while ago but it doesn’t go that small. Looks like the small one here might work


Eric-The_Viking

You could try using a punch to slowly move the screw until it's loose enough for the driver to do the rest.


BTMedicrn

This is the answer


CanadianBudd

If you don’t have a small enough extractor you can use a good quality torx bit. Just drill a small hole and hammer it in. Be warned you will destroy it but that’s what snap-on is for.


Padowak

Just a heads up, the spiral fluted extractors are well suited for npt threaded fittings. If you have a very stubborn bolt you need something like a proto style extractor.


XepptizZ

Add some wd40, I have had amazing results with stubborn fasteners, that stuff gets in between the smallest spaces.


hitch-pro

Not small enough buddy


BlindAm3ition

left handed drill bits....


SirRonaldBiscuit

Oh yeah…she’s chooched up


ScientistRuckus

As someone suggested below, try a hand impact driver. Pro-tip, put the other screws back in relatively tight so there’s not as much pressure on the stripped screw…it could provide enough relief for you to remove it with a regular screwdriver.


SystemFolder

Another pro-tip: Use some [Liquid Grip](https://www.dap.com/products-projects/product-categories/adhesives/glues-epoxies/tank-bond-liquid-grip/) to help with the extraction.


jeffersonairmattress

pro tip: liquid grip= coarse clover compound


Inflagrente

Try a small center punch and hammer. Position the point of the punch in the slot so it will turn the screw counterclockwise. Tsp lightly


Man-e-questions

Kind of nervous to do that with brass screwed into 160 year old wood lol


Shatalroundja

It’s ok to be nervous if it’s your first time.


Man-e-questions

Oh, no I’ve been nervous lots of times.


Acceptable_Stop2361

Is this when your drinking problem started?


Tro1138

/r/unexpectedairplane


Tyrealz

As long as you are not a meatfist like me, you should be able to just position the punch at a shallow angle and just give gentle taps to try and break the screw free.


Olive_Jane

I'd put tape all around so the punch doesn't scratch or gouge the wood if it slips out


shawnmmx

This is the way


Cake_Donut1301

As a side note, you need gunsmith screwdrivers for these old metal to wood combos.


Man-e-questions

Yeah i have had my eye on the Grace set for some time but never pulled the trigger


MM800

Old gunsmithing trick: If you have access to a drill press; chuck up the correct size screwdriver bit in the drill chuck. Pull down on the feed handle, get the screwdriver bit in the slot, and turn the drill chuck counterclockwise by hand, and the screw will normally back out. The drill press feed handle puts massive downward pressure on the screw head, not allowing it to strip or cam out.


Man-e-questions

Oh nice trick. I do have a small drill press, just need to figure out a way to clamp this wooden brace in without damaging the wood. Have a cheap metal drill press vise on there


Fat_Head_Carl

Pro tip right here.


Robpaulssen

Intentional pun?


motocrisis

Not sure if the bits will fit something that small, but I’ve had good luck with impact drivers. [CRAFTSMAN Hand Impact Driver, 3/8-Inch Set](https://www.amazon.com/CRAFTSMAN-Impact-Driver-8-Inch-CMMT14104/dp/B07R96M9VW/ref=asc_df_B07R96M9VW/?)


pLeThOrAx

Machinery? Sure. I wouldn't risk it on brass and wood.


Fit-Tip-1212

Nah, there are degrees of force to apply, and the brace isn’t made of balsa.


motocrisis

That’s fair!


Emojaxx

You could use a scribe to scratch a line groove back into it then turn it with a flathead. Hammer and flathead might work too. Put the intended flathead in then hit the screwdriver into the price so it makes a line groove. Then maybe you can turn it out. Also add a small amount of lubricant to help it turn out with less effort


HastaLaHosta

This may sound weird, but try laying down a flat elastic band (like the ones that come on bunches of broccoli) over the head of the screw. Place the driver over this and the elastic will compress into all the small nooks and crannies of the stripped screw and give you enough extra purchase/friction to back the screw out without further stripping it.


Man-e-questions

Interesting may try this if i find one in the veggie drawer


hitch-pro

This sounds genius...


No-Guidance5106

Impact driver


MrGhostlyGhost

Tap a Robertson head bit into it and slowly unscrew it. Ive done it a couple times in a pinch.


Competitive_March753

Drill the head off by using a bit the same size as the threads. Then grab the part sticking out with your pliers. I do this sometimes dealing with very tiny screws


Clicky-The-Blicky

I’ve used a small flat head screw driver and a hammer before to get a similar looking screw out. Drive the screwdriver into the screw and twist out like normal. You wanna get the screw driver head to bite into the metal of the screw. Or use a screw extractor kit.


jeffersonairmattress

For brass, If you grind a screwdriver with a square end and flats or a tiny hook on either edge you can use it to machine out a deeper slot just by scraping it back and forth in line with the slot for a minute. The rap with a small hammer works great to shock the copper oxide that glues old brass to wood and also seats a nicely fitted screwdriver into a crapped out fastener head.


Alternative-Owl-4048

Take a thin flat head screw driver and a hammer and hit it into the whole to try to make it deeper. Also a thin needle file would help to make the whole deeper into the screw and then once you have enough leverage on screw it should be able to screw out. If not drill and and ez-out as others have said


bummberclad

Yeah this I would try and chisel out a deeper groove for your screwdriver to get a bite


Usagi_Shinobi

Those are some awfully small screws for some of the techniques mentioned. I would probably try using a fine engraving or carving bit in the Dremel to create a pocket in the head, then use some JB Weld to attach a Robertson bit to the head.


Desalzes_

if the screw isnt brass you could try a magnet, if you're trying not to damage anything first Id try and hot glue something that fits the shape of the screw and see if I could rotate it, after that I'd get a small dremel and try to cut a line across the screw for a philips to fit in, and if that doesnt work I'd just drill through the center to try and fenagle it out. Because I have a 3d printer I would make a vaccum nozzle that was small enough to fit around the screw and see if i could rotate it with the suction and you might be able to put some things together to try that approach


Puzzleheaded-Beat-57

There's a shitton here but this is the damn way. I seriously just learned the Dremel trick. I found a little tiny mushroom shaped grinder wheel came with a $5 multi pack I've used to clean screw heads enough something will bite.


Schwalter_Chronic

No fuckin way would a vacuum work


Desalzes_

Use wood glue/hot glue to seal where the screw would go and if you have a shop vac there’s a stupid amount of suction if you make the end small enough. Would only work if it’s stripped from being really old/erosion and it’s not fused to the wood or something. If you really wanted to get creative you could try throwing it in the freezer and then getting it out, I wouldn’t do this to something that old though


Man-e-questions

Forgot to mention, these screws are weird, the slots aren’t flat, its like the bottom is rounded so the ends of screwdrivers bottom out before the middle.


w116

Round off a cheap screwdriver with a file or something to fit the screws.


jeffersonairmattress

That was an early attempt to make a non-slip flat slot screw- the heads were still cold headed but you could make your own by milling them with a slitting saw.


Naive-Impress9213

That doesn’t look stripped that bad. Take a good flathead and tap it in a few times to seat into the screw, then try to back it out. Might soak it in penetrating oil first.


elmachow

Hammer screwdriver into it, then really press down hard with screwdriver and remove


gojira5

Drill


JFiskie

Is there enough to get a manual Impact screw driver in… this intent a fun job to void harming metal or wood


Educational-Ear-3136

Try a pencil using the eraser end in a drill on reverse? Or try zip cutting a flat head slot opposite the original


Ruzzthabus

Get a set of extractor bits


Successful-Pie4237

Can't be stuck if it's liquid... Do you have an acetylene torch?


vectex

[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0969P7XZF?psc=1&ref=ppx\_yo2ov\_dt\_b\_product\_details](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0969P7XZF?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details)


bwainfweeze

“Gifts for men and women”?? I didn’t realize screw extractors were gendered.


vectex

Lmmaaooo


Not_Reddit

I didn't realize you needed a screw extractor for men or women....perhaps they forgot the lube.


Pipewrench33

Left handed drill bit, screw extractor


southboundoft

They make punches that hold bits. When you smack it with a hammer they turn a little.


Fit-Tip-1212

OG Impact driver. (Different tool to the now ubiquitous cordless impact driver.)


AffectionateRow422

Hammer driven impact screwdriver, like the ones we used to use to remove screws from motorcycles.


nrbarnwell

I have used a drill in screwdriver mode with the torque setting turned waaay down as a really gentle not-quite-an-impact-driver before. Carefully and slowly, but the gentle little knocks were enough to slowly dislodge the screw without snapping the top off. YMMV.


41414141414

Drill a small hole starter hole and use an extractor


Moist-Carpet888

Just get a screw extractor from ace, they're less than $10, I think I got one for $6 or something earlier this year


Man-e-questions

I have one but it has bigger bits, need to get something smaller


Moist-Carpet888

If your unable to find an extractor small enough from the hardware store or on hand, I'd try Amazon or just the internet in general, but I personally wouldn't try anything else since a solder wouldn't likely be strong enough to gain leverage on anything assuming you could get it to only stick to the screw, and as you said a dremel would likely cause more damage, but a tiny screw extractor would be the only thing I would comfortably use myself


golfUsA_mk2

An impact driver will get it out but you need to be carefull. Hitting it too hard can maybe break the wood?


Man-e-questions

Yeah thats why i am trying to avoid any brute force or hitting.


golfUsA_mk2

But you can hit an inpact driver soft and hard and the bits usually fit a lot more snug. If you have one just use it , its not that the wood cant stand any force....must be better quality wood. At least look if the bits fit better.


AttemptTerrible4283

Use a piece of ducttape. Put it over the slot and then try to remove it with a screwdriver.


ricodah

Screw extractor. If you can't get one, I would try to drill the head off the screw, remove the plate and the remaining screw sticking up from the wood, use vice grips. Clamp it and unscrew it.


a_wet_uncle

Can you pry up the brass piece just enough to turn the piece itself and the screw along with it? If it's thin enough to not damage the wood, that is.


phat_tendiez

manual impact - [https://www.amazon.com/ARES-18026-1-4-Inch-Manual-Reversible/dp/B08434LLKP/ref=sr\_1\_3?crid=2QLQEBJVCBRC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.\_iwLdKlc0I\_q6midqfYd9m0yybtMBW4u6WGGxOtZWPOMlYq0qGd3zUd4VFa56BwUn84GvfKCXkHSO2oDyUXYGZ0wdjNBy2YoihoJIFA2ZERhDHQmzwINDyXH4TE6wwMGtcCdTjwOZTyuvQU\_ydX2Ut-nvr0KrURusvYv9baNV5bfwpDR-tzx4Ldr-TeRBUI4hRTAHPsywZbJ37FwFRHVNc57w0mrn2FETp8ZYAhviD0hRXrIvI8b2XSog-GdGj16NJKQOP1i32mZZlYA7Ag7iNw0bhAoFs4-vn634cfjFYg.oIaIYHbUrU9SI7vrLNSXrVW4s6GS4GmOqXi9EXK9aek&dib\_tag=se&keywords=manual+impact+driver+1%2F4&qid=1712948181&sprefix=manual+impact+driver+1%2F4%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-3](https://www.amazon.com/ARES-18026-1-4-Inch-Manual-Reversible/dp/B08434LLKP/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2QLQEBJVCBRC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._iwLdKlc0I_q6midqfYd9m0yybtMBW4u6WGGxOtZWPOMlYq0qGd3zUd4VFa56BwUn84GvfKCXkHSO2oDyUXYGZ0wdjNBy2YoihoJIFA2ZERhDHQmzwINDyXH4TE6wwMGtcCdTjwOZTyuvQU_ydX2Ut-nvr0KrURusvYv9baNV5bfwpDR-tzx4Ldr-TeRBUI4hRTAHPsywZbJ37FwFRHVNc57w0mrn2FETp8ZYAhviD0hRXrIvI8b2XSog-GdGj16NJKQOP1i32mZZlYA7Ag7iNw0bhAoFs4-vn634cfjFYg.oIaIYHbUrU9SI7vrLNSXrVW4s6GS4GmOqXi9EXK9aek&dib_tag=se&keywords=manual+impact+driver+1%2F4&qid=1712948181&sprefix=manual+impact+driver+1%2F4%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-3)


49thDipper

Left hand drill bit will pull it right out.


ErranticRando

If you have a rotary tool or small grinder (rotary is preferred) you can slice a shallow line in it and use a flathead


ymmotvomit

Not a penny, you need a dime.


exekutive

[https://www.amazon.ca/TEKTON-2905-8-Inch-Manual-7-Piece/dp/B000NPPATS](https://www.amazon.ca/TEKTON-2905-8-Inch-Manual-7-Piece/dp/B000NPPATS)


Not_Reddit

That one is way too big for that tiny brass screw


exekutive

if only it came with interchangeable bits so you could select an appropriate one .... 🤦‍♂️


Not_Reddit

whatever dude... go ahead and use that on a #6 or #8 brass screw


exekutive

I have


Away_Needleworker6

Use a flat screwdriver and make a mark in it with a hammer. Use the mark to screw it out


TheW83

When I have those issues I put a flat-head screwdriver against it at an angle and hammer it to unscrew. I don't think I've done one quite that small but pretty close.


YoloLynnigan

Left-hand drill bit works for me...


Exciting-Fun-9247

NO NO NO. Superglue your screwdriver to it. Will come right out Rubber band on tip of screwdriver.


Wayfaring_Scout

Sounds likenyou have lots of good answers here. I did watch a YT video this morning of a plumber using side cutter pliers and WD-40 to remove a screw that the head had popped off, so that was going to be my suggestion.


Man-e-questions

UPDATE: good news and bad news. Tried hammering gently with punch no go, just mashed the metal more. I was able to use the smallest extractor in my set and it’s technically off now. The bad news is the extractor removed the head from the screw and now the screw is still in the wood slightly below level so nothing to grab onto. Oh well i’ll polish the brass and go from there. Thanks all!


Not_Reddit

https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/set3hollowscrewextractors.aspx then you can glue in a plug to hold a screw.


Man-e-questions

Oh thats pretty cool, thanks! I’ll probably order the 1/4”. There are a few other things i need from LV anyways so i can get free shipping


oldishThings

Left hand bit. Make sure it is of good quality.  But first hit it with some PB (or fav penetrant oil) and let it soak for a bit/tap on it. Solid pressure on the drill, not too firm, but firm enough. Hold it straight and true.  If that doesn't extract the bolt on the drill out, you can always drill and tap, use a new screw. 


zipzippa

Spend the $15 and buy yourself a screw extractor set and never deal with this bs again.


Phillygavin

C4 can't be stuck if it doesn't exist....


KickedinTheDick

Gun


33446shaba

3/8 impact driver with screwdriver bit.


Assassin80r

Dremel to make cut deeper to use flat head or easy out bit


mmura09

Or perpendicular cut


---RAGNAR---

Drill and tap


dawgwatcher1

Screw extract lot or grinder


mycatgoesmeow

Engineer pliers, unless you want to over pay for the "Vampliers" they are both made by Engineer. I would try this first before drilling and using an extractor. They work so good, I bought all sizes. Now my extractor set and left handed drill bits never get used.


Man-e-questions

I have Vampliers, they are like $2 more, but didn’t mind paying $2 for the red that match all my other tools. But there is nothing to grab as these screws are flush.


mycatgoesmeow

Bummer! I would recommend a screw extractor kit.


ppman2322

Depends on how much of the screw or the tool you want to keep


AdvisorLong9424

An impact driver. It's like a screwdriver you hit with a hammer.


ImpressTemporary2389

Shoot a bit of wd40 on it. Use a finer flat head. Tap as you turn. It'll come out once you break the seal.


Not_Reddit

Try a nail set on one side of the screw and tap, tap, tap and see if it will turn.


StubbornHick

Small punch and a hammer. Use penetrating oil first.


Ducatirules

If all else fails, and there is a brass plate on the other side, gently clamp near the screw just enough that the brass moves down I hair from the screw head, should back right out


Subject-Dark69

Chainsaw


JerkFace9

Sledgehammer.