Broken screw head

[mahkagari]

Dammit.

Drilled my pilot hole just larger than the mainshaft of the screw for the top of the buttplate. Lubed it with wax. Went slow by hand so as not to strip the head. And somehow both I and the slot were strong enough to break the shaft.

So, I see three options, none of which appeal to me, unless people have others.

A) Drill into the screw and use a screw extractor. No mean feat with the shaft is less than 1/8".

B) Drill the manure out of the shaft, threads, and surrounding wood, fill it with epoxy, and start over.

C) Finish the rear screw and JB Weld the hell out of the top screw, and deal with A or B later.

 

[necchi]

It's a hidden area.
I'd gouge wood out around the offending screw, get a hold of it with a needle nose vicegrip to remove it.
Then drill the hole out larger and epoxy a wood dowel in the hole,

but not like this;

Drill the manure out of the shaft, threads, and surrounding wood, fill it with epoxy,

 

[simonbeans]

I would carve a little wood away from the screw to maybe allow access to it with needle-nose pliers. It is hidden by the butt plate (I believe) so the carving won't show. Then extract it and use a larger or at least longer screw. I use bar soap to "lube" the screw before installing.

 

[Black Hand]

It's a hidden area.
I'd gouge wood out around the offending screw, get a hold of it with a needle nose vicegrip to remove it.
Then drill the hole out larger and epoxy a wood dowel in the hole,

but not like this;

Drill the manure out of the shaft, threads, and surrounding wood, fill it with epoxy,

I agree entirely. I've done the same myself. Epoxy is a poor choice - a dowel and wood glue would be my choice...

 

[alex efremenko]

Make a little hole saw out of an aluminum arrow shaft. Get the screw and material out . Glue a plug and screw again.

 

[mahkagari]

It's a hidden area.
I'd gouge wood out around the offending screw, get a hold of it with a needle nose vicegrip to remove it.
Then drill the hole out larger and epoxy a wood dowel in the hole,

but not like this;

Drill the manure out of the shaft, threads, and surrounding wood, fill it with epoxy,

I agree entirely. I've done the same myself. Epoxy is a poor choice - a dowel and wood glue would be my choice...

Ah, yes. That would be neater. Thanks.

 

[necchi]

Epoxy is a poor choice - a dowel and wood glue would be my choice...

Yup, Tightbond 2

 

[chawbeef]

Make a little hole saw out of an aluminum arrow shaft. Get the screw and material out . Glue a plug and screw again.

x2 this, but use a plug cutter to straddle the screw and then glue in a dowel...........Daniel

 

[Vaino]

I'd use a small circular disk grinding stone in a Dremel and grind a slot for a well fitted screwdriver tip and back it out.....Fred

 

[Larry Akers]

Woodworking tool stores have "hollow drills" which are made just for this purpose. Run the drill in over the screw, pull out the resulting plug containing the broken screw and glue in a dowel.

 

[necchi]

Woodworking tool stores have "hollow drills" which are made just for this purpose

Interesting, never even heard of those and had to look it up, https://www.google.com/search?q=hollow+drills&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=hollow+drill+extractor

 

[MSW]

much as it pains me to do so, i'm coming down on the side of the consensus: you should try to get a slot cut in the top of the broken screw and give that a twist ... this may or may not work, depending on the juju, the phase of the moon, and the quantity and quality of bad language applied... after this fails, get the thing drilled out and replace it with a wood dowel... Titebond II is my 'go to" glue for these applications.

good luck with our project!

 

[Col. Batguano]

All of the above are options. Start with the easy stuff first, and then proceed to the more complex. Just remember that epoxy, while it can be gap filling, does not hold screw threads as well as wood fibers do. Very easy to strip threads with that stuff.

 

[mahkagari]

much as it pains me to do so, i'm coming down on the side of the consensus: you should try to get a slot cut in the top of the broken screw and give that a twist ... this may or may not work, depending on the juju, the phase of the moon, and the quantity and quality of bad language applied... after this fails, get the thing drilled out and replace it with a wood dowel... Titebond II is my 'go to" glue for these applications.

Tried cutting the slot for a screwdriver. The screw shaft laughed at me and crumbled so I went ahead and drilled it out. Didn't use a hollow bit. Just chewed through it with a regular bit made for metal. I'll tap in the dowel and start over.

 

[necchi]

wow, you got it out and your not bleeding?

 

[mahkagari]

wow, you got it out and your not bleeding?

Chunks of metal flying everywhere made me cajole myself at one point, "You know, you paid a chunk of change for prescription safety glasses for better coverage to keep stuff from getting around your regular glasses, and they're right there in the range bag, maybe you oughta consider putting 'em on?"

 

[Black Hand]

I have an inexpensive pair of locking needle-nose pliers that I ground the tips of the jaws to a cone shape. I can get the tips around the broken screw without needing to gouge a large hole.

 

[MSW]

shhhh ... be very quiet ... Black Hand has revealed a deep dark secret ...


you're allowed to modify tools once you get them home. it is a well know fact, however, that you must not mix modified tools with plain old ordinary (i.e. unmodified) ones, least you get cross contamination. additionally, you can never admit to doing so, and if anyone asks how you did that, you have to say something vague like "it needs a special tool..." also, you must keep the modified tools well hidden, and if anyone asks what's in that box, say something like "oh, nothing ... just some old junk..."

ok - THOSE ARE THE RULES ... DOUBLE PINKIE SWEAR