Unscrewing a stuck, small screw

[shoenberg3]

I have to open my iaudio X5 (don't ask me why

) and while the bottom two came off easy with the screw driver, the top two screws are refusing to unscrew. And of course, in my frustration, I did what I shouldn't have done. Try harder.

Now, the screws are a little bit eaten in the inside, so I really am bit frustrated as to what I can do.

Any ideas?

 

[hempcamp]

Oh, dear!

First thing you should do is find a screwdriver head that fits almost EXACTLY (to grip anything left that you didn't strip) and VERY SLOWLY turn it while giving it even, firm pressure (so you don't strip it even more).

If that doesn't work... Since you can't use an impact driver on a sensitive electronic device

then you might next have to find a really small screw extractor (basically screws in to the head of the screw), or drill out the screw (use caution!).

--Chris

 

[DSlayerZX]

so basically now you have a stripped screw hole right?

ok, if you have the courage, in my experience, if similar things happen like this, try to totally ruin the screw hole first, you can repair it later..
.
then, you find a screw driver with a head that fits the screw well. then put super glue on top of the screw driver, stick the screw driver onto the stripped screw, then slowly pull it out while moving counter clock wise.

To fix a stripped screw hole, mix epoxy, put some into the stripped screw hole, put a little bit on the screw, then insert the screw into the screw hole. put a small tape onto of that screw (since some epoxy tend to push the screw back a bit) then let it harden, usually just take over night. then you will have a fresh screw hole.

 

[shoenberg3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DSlayerZX /img/forum/go_quote.gif so basically now you have a stripped screw hole right? ok, if you have the courage, in my experience, if similar things happen like this, try to totally ruin the screw hole first, you can repair it later.. . then, you find a screw driver with a head that fits the screw well. then put super glue on top of the screw driver, stick the screw driver onto the stripped screw, then slowly pull it out while moving counter clock wise. To fix a stripped screw hole, mix epoxy, put some into the stripped screw hole, put a little bit on the screw, then insert the screw into the screw hole. put a small tape onto of that screw (since some epoxy tend to push the screw back a bit) then let it harden, usually just take over night. then you will have a fresh screw hole.

Hmm it's not completley stripped. Maybe I should try super gluing right now and try it again?

 

[DSlayerZX]

yes, if it is not completely strip (under the condition that screw would not fall out if you shake it or tab on it) then you should try super glue first. Well, if the space around the screw is big enough you can even try to use a tweezer and see if you can get the screw out.

If the screw hole is ruin or almost ruin (the screw fell lose, on resistance while unscrewing/screwing then I suggest you to try the epoxy method.

=========================

edit: forgot to mention, don't use too much super glue, so that you won't be under the situation that you can't take off the screw from your screw driver.
Actually, any glue that has enough strength works, but super glue is the fastest, easiest fix in my experience.

 

[shoenberg3]

mayhbe i am not waiting enough for it to dry, but the super glue does not seem even close to strong enough to hold on to the screw.

 

[DSlayerZX]

super glue should give enough support in less than 30 second if the screw hole is kind of lose but not quiet lose.
maybe a bit and give it a try???? or you can chose to completely ruin the screw hole then fix it with epoxy XD
I did that on my deck legend, the epoxy fix actually gave me a better screw hole than the original one.

 

[cotdt]

here is what worked for me: drill a hole all the way through the screw slightly smaller than the width of the screw. then freeze in liquid nitrogen. after that, the screw will be very easy to remove.

 

[DSlayerZX]

HOLY@&^@#$*&^
where the heck do you get liquid nitrogen in this area, your lab @@

but anyway, drilling a holes through the screw seems kind of risky for me.... I understand what is going on... but man,,.... that solution sounds kind of ur... dangerous.

 

[shoenberg3]

freeze the whole mp3 player in liquid nitrogen?? i assume the hole in the middle and the low temperature cause the screw to shrink and it comes out by itself?

Oh and for the super glue, I tried dipping the screw driver in the glue, rested it on the screw and let it sit for few minutes. Even after that however the bond was so weak that when I lift it by the player, the screw drivier would fall down.

 

[cotdt]

yes i get the liquid nitrogen from my lab. you can use a dremel to drill through the hole. but i also like your idea of just simply removing the area around the screw and use a bigger screw.

 

[DSlayerZX]

actually, I think you can use a can of compressed air for this purpose. just simply flip the can up side down and then squeeze, there will be liquidfiy gas coming out of it, enough to simulate the situation of using liquid nitrogen but in a much smaller scale

 

[shoenberg3]

i will try these suggestions one by one eventually until i can get the little bugger out. but i must say i am impressed by the head fi ingenuity

 

[pne]

you guys have the craziest ideas i swear....

heres what you should do

1) find a quality screwdriver tip that fits the screw exactly. Put a lot of downforce on the screw and see if it will unscrew.

2) if this doesn't work you can either drill the screw out, slot the screw with a dremel and use a flat screwdriver bit, or buy a special drill bit for extracting stripped screws. The latter two might be quite difficult since the screw is so small.

I'm looking at my player right now and if the screw is completely stripped your best option is probably to drill it out. You don't need to drill through the entire screw, just enough so the head is gone and only the shaft remains. The cover will come off this way and then you might be able to remove the shaft with tweezers or slot it with a dremel and unscrew it.

 

[Uncle Erik]

You can also use heat to loosen a stuck screw.

I haven't tried this on an electrical device, but I have many times with mechanical devices where the screw is stuck in another piece of metal.

Get a screwdriver with a good plastic handle. Sometimes, it helps to wrap the handle with a shop rag or washcloth because of the heat. Put the screwdriver into the screw head and use a lighter or, if you're really serious, a propane torch to heat the screwdriver. It'll make the screw expand and it'll also melt or loosen up old grease/oil it might be stuck in. I've had a lot of luck with this.