I stripped this screw in my laptop and as such can’t open the back cover to replace parts.
Things I’ve tried: -Different size/type screwdrivers -Rubber band -Hammer -Hot glue gun
Edit: got it unsuck. Thanks everyone for the advice
if you don’t mind if having to buy a new screw, there are specialized stripped screw extractor bits for drills where one end makes a hole and the other grips the screw and takes it out, they can be bought on aliexpress for dirt cheap
I will try that. Thanks.
This is the way.
I received some bad screws in a high-end monitor mount for medical diagnostic monitors. The tech who was mounting the monitor didn’t realize, and tried to use gorilla strength to drive the screw in. He broke the head of the screw off.
The monitor in question was a brand new, $13,000 monitor. We needed it, and we couldn’t wait to ship it back to the manufacturer to get the screw removed.
I got the smallest set of screw extractors I could buy, wrapped the monitor in plastic with a hole over the screw. I put a piece of tape over the hole so that everything was sealed with only the screw exposed.
I went very slow and very gentle, vacuuming up any bits of metal shavings before fully removing the screw, but it went fine.
It was quite a butt-puckering operation, but I survived it.
Did the monitor also survive it?
Yep.
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Strong down force with the appropriate screwdriver (looks like it started out as a Phillips head) while turning the driver with a wrench. You need a square shaft in your screwdriver or clamp with vice grips.
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Same, strong down force, but use a square driver ( Robertson screw). This can also be accompanied with a wrench.
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Drill it out. This is pretty much the last resort as you will use a drill bit about the same size as the threads which will pretty much take the head of the screw off as you drill into the threads. The threads probably won’t come out but you will at least be able to open the case. I have had very little luck with screw extractors and they probably don’t come that small.
Strong down force is the main thing I have found to work when breaking loose pesky screws. Pushing down hard enough to prevent the bit from skipping to the next slot
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Carefully weld a nut to the head of the screw. Then remove.
Use galvanized steel pipe and eco-friendly wood veneer
I’ve had luck with a strip of gaff tape right over the screw head to kinda fill it in. then as it bunches on turning it kinda pushes on what’s left of the screw head.
The extractors are hit and miss for me. The glue trick sometimes works but sometimes makes it worse. Drilling it out works, but requires another set of work to reattach and is a bit scary to perform.
Before doing those, I’d recommend jamming a rubber band on top to gum up the hole, then trying to unscrew it through the rubber band. It works often enough I this before I do any of the other options above. Quicker and less destructive.
Tried old screwdriver with superglue? And forget about bit and screw.
This works sometimes with epoxy resin rather than superglue, OP
Dig all that shit out. Put in a driver 1 size too large, press down on the handle with one hand, and give it a sharp counter-clockwise snap with the other hand.
I’d try a flathead, it looks like you have enough to get it.
Failing that, maybe cut the tip off a screw, super-glue it to that one and then work it out.
I have used flatheads of various sizes and it wouldn’t budge, unfortunately. I don’t know how to cut metal.
So taking some experience from working on cars where a blow torch would help. maybe try a soldering iron on it to break what rust or loctite might be on the threads before trying to unscrew it? Cycle it on/off the screw head to heat the whole thing up before trying to unscrew.
Some good suggestions on how to remove it but I’d like to add replacing it with a button head cap screw, ideally torx.
If all else fails (before you drill into it), you can try a bit of crazy glue and baking soda to reshape the head of the screw.
You can try a miniature screw extractor. Sometimes they work, other times they just make things worse though.
Not sure how I could possibly make this much worse given it’s already pretty stripped 😅. I’ll get a screw extractor and see if it works.
Use a rubber band. Place it flat against the screw head and then use your screwdriver.You can also fill the screw head with baking soda, imprint your screwdriver in the baking soda, then cover with superglue. That should create a new surface for the screwdriver to catch on. If neither doesn’t work, then use the more expensive solutions.put some silicone lube on it
I see this so often happening with laptop screws and it even happened to me 😭
so painful when u gotta fix something inside but can’t get in coz of one tiny thing
