There have been multiple accounts created with the sole purpose of posting advertisement posts or replies containing unsolicited advertising.

Accounts which solely post advertisements, or persistently post them may be terminated.

How can I get a screw like this out?

I decided on cleaning my laptop fans today, which I’ve been procrastinating for about a year now because of this one screw. But I just can’t seem to open this with my screwdriver, since whatever I did back when I last opened it it’s nearly circular now. Is there a way to unscrew this?

ace_garp ,
@ace_garp@lemmy.world avatar

Just unbutton it :P

Jackhammer_Joe ,

Oooh man - you’re screwed!

lobo ,

I’ve had good success tapping stripped the screws loose with sometring sharp and a hammer

Not sure if you can get something small and strong enough, small punch or sacrificial screwdriver might work

Here is a video of what i mean

youtu.be/SXNAW96O_d8?si=cxJt59PKdEOQDuqV

FuglyDuck ,
@FuglyDuck@lemmy.world avatar

So if you have a dremel and steady hands, a cut off wheel can make your own slot for a straight Phillips.

Just be careful to not knick anything else. This is more of a last resort thing, but I’ve never had it not work.

Impromptu2599 ,

I came here to say that

ShepherdPie ,

Flathead/standard not a straight Philips.

eRac ,

Flathead is a description of the head profile, like panhead. Slotted is the screwdriver type that is just a single slot.

Warl0k3 ,

Learn from my mistakes, mask off your laptop’s ports and vents before you do this

FuglyDuck ,
@FuglyDuck@lemmy.world avatar

Ooof. Not something I’d have thought of myself…

Benefit of your hindsight it’s obvious… lol. How bad were the sparks?

trolololol ,

Keyboard too?

Gimpydude ,

Yes

gibmiser ,

Take the drill bit out of your drill. Open the chuck up all the way and place it over the screw. If there is enough screw head there you might be able to grab it with the drill and just unscrew.

Edit: looking at the other picture makes me think it is recessed and that wouldn’t work then.

CeruleanRuin ,

Cripes, it never even occurred to me that you could do this with a chuck. Thanks for expanding my mind.

vxx ,

Looks like a screwdriver with a slit and the right size might still be able to grab it.

MTK ,

Try addinv a rubber band between the screw and the screwdriver, it adds friction which sometimes (usually not) helps

AsakuraMao ,

Ask Frieren to do it for you

fernlike3923 OP ,
@fernlike3923@sh.itjust.works avatar

I believe I have become a skilled enough mage, so I’d prefer solving this on my own.

ganksy ,
@ganksy@lemmy.world avatar

If you have one of the other screws, and you’re dead sure it’s the same size, you can use a tiny drill bit that is the size of the screw’s shaft minus the threads. Careful drill through the center. The Phillips divit should center your bit.

You might only use this after trying the others here.

Brkdncr ,

Jb weld a nut to it.

Tippon ,

From the two photos you’ve posted, it looks like there’s a little bit of the grooves left in the top of the screw, but not enough for your screwdriver to grip.

Try the rubber band trick first, mainly because it doesn’t cost you anything other than a rubber band to try. The combination of the little bits of the grooves and the grip from the band might do it.

If it doesn’t, a sacrificial screwdriver might work. You basically need to file off the pointy tip of the screwdriver until it can reach what’s left of the grooves, and unscrew it with a bit of downward pressure.

Good luck 👍

RattlerSix ,

If you didn’t have a Dremel, try channel lock pliers or vise grips. It’s not going to be in there right and rusted or anything, you just need something to grip it.

quixotic120 ,

Put a rubber band between screwdriver and screw, otherwise the other things already stated like CA glue, filing a flathead groove, or drilling the cap off

in the future use the appropriate sized driver and retire drivers when they become stripped

j4k3 ,
@j4k3@lemmy.world avatar

This. The rubber band trick works well for the first step. I came to say this.

prime_number_314159 ,

The rubber band trick is great, and very low effort/cost. I want to say, though, that it can take substantially more force than it looks like it should on small screws like this. You also don’t have to use something shaped for the original driver of the screw. With the rubber to help it, a round cylinder a little smaller than the head of the screw can work very well.

Kolanaki ,
@Kolanaki@yiffit.net avatar

Is the groove for the screwdriver filled in? 🤨

Maybe just chisel out your own grooves to use whatever style driver you like. Should be doable with a dremel if you have a small enough cutting wheel.

Waveform ,

Maybe try using a file to make flat sides on the outside of the head so you can use a wrench on it? (Not sure if that would be better or worse than the Dremel/slot idea… you would risk scratching the surface of the object it’s on.)

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • [email protected]
  • random
  • lifeLocal
  • goranko
  • All magazines
    •