stripped stuck screw help!

[captian pinky]

so i got this green eclipse splash mag today in a trade

well i take it apart to clean it and the foregrip is stuck so me being a strong guy grab my allen key and go to town well sure enough i strip it.

2nd attempt
i know that sometimes you can use a torx set and get it out well not on this one


so my question is should i heat it, then use easy out bit or dremel the screw to fit a flat head in it? and which way will give me a better chance of success. if these dont work whats next?

[xero28]

Yeah, I'd use a dremel to cut a groove for a flat head screwdriver. Then heat it up and try to get it out. If that doesn't work, just drill it out.

[captian pinky]

when you drill it out do you drill the size of the screw or the size of the head?

[C_losjoker]

or you can go to home depot, get a screw extractor. there are two type that they have, one is by black and decker. the other i think its by gator, its a 3pack, one end you drill the top of the screw then flip it over and extract it with the other end. just put your drill into reverse when using both ends, i have use them and work really good.

[captian pinky]

the only thing i worry about is that if i use the screw extractor then i may not have enough material to use the dremel because its in there good

[Tunaman]

when you drill it out do you drill the size of the screw or the size of the head?

no. just a little bigger than the 10/32 screw...like 1/4"" will work

[captian pinky]

is doing this intended to separate the head from the screw?

[captian pinky]

dremeled the middle of the screw till it was almost all the below the rail then used hammer and screw driver one wack

[factoid]

Sounds like you got it out, but the method I've used for removing a stripped screw from tight spots: take a cheapo allen wrench (not a nice one with a handle or something, just one you got for free with Ikea furniture or something) and super glue or metal epoxy it to the screw face. Let it get good and dry.

I usually like metal epoxy rather than super glue because it's thicker and I don't worry about it running and gluing my bolt or screw to whatever I'm trying to get it pulled out of.

Once that sets you can often just turn the allen wrench and back the screw out, unless it's really in there good, or rusted shut. Even then I've been able to do it before, I just have to build up a few layers of epoxy or glue.


This method is great if: your screws are allen socketed, they're set deep into the material making the dremel method impossible, or the material is hardened metal and chews up your dremel bits too much.


I had a huge set of metal shelving to disassemble and move and of course it was in a leaky shed and covered in rust. I stripped about 8 screws out of 30 trying to remove them. I couldn't dremel them because they were recessed too far, so I tried this and it worked great. I was able to get the bolts off the allen wrench by pinching them in a vice and knocking it off with a hammer.

Not the fastest or easiest method, but effective in a pinch. I've since had to do it a few other times, usually helping people move Ikea furniture.