Stripped Torx screws

[Raymond Sirois]

I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
'pre-stripped.' In other words, there's not much edge for a Torx
driver to grip them. They almost look like rounded allen-head screws.
I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them.

These are not the tamper-proof variety, so I don't need a hollow-point
Torx driver (if they even make them that small).

The first thing that occurred to me was to place a small Torx driver
in the holes and tap the end lightly with a mallet. That could do
more harm than good though, as this looks like very soft metal. It's
also a working disk drive case, so I don't want to damage the drive.

I could try a tiny screw extractor, but the risk is that it wouldn't
work and then the remainder of the screw would really jam things up.

Any other ideas?

Dremel
Raymond Sirois KU2S
SysOp: The Lost Chord BBS
607-733-5745
telnet://thelostchord.dns2go.com:6023

 

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

I use a Dremel too, but not to take the head off. Use a thin cutting
wheel and grind a screwdriver slot in the head, then use a regular
screwdriver to remove it. Works great if done carefully.

Back in the days when I used to help do aircraft annual inspections, we often
used this technique for inspection port screw heads that were stripped. It
works great most of the time.

 

[kony]

Back in the days when I used to help do aircraft annual inspections, we often
used this technique for inspection port screw heads that were stripped. It
works great most of the time.

It is good for many situations but I believe OP already
described this as one of the more typical plastic enclosure
methods where the screws are well-recessed, it would require
cutting a fair distance through the casing around the screw,
maybe even enough to make the casing structurally unsound
due to cutting the slots.

 

[Goedjn]

It is good for many situations but I believe OP already
described this as one of the more typical plastic enclosure
methods where the screws are well-recessed, it would require
cutting a fair distance through the casing around the screw,
maybe even enough to make the casing structurally unsound
due to cutting the slots.

Line the depression with paper, with the screw-head
poking through. Then mix up a wad of 2-part epoxy,
and stuff it in the hole.

 

[kony]

Line the depression with paper, with the screw-head
poking through. Then mix up a wad of 2-part epoxy,
and stuff it in the hole.

This epoxy idea may work, but it seems you left out a few
details as a hole filled with epoxy isn't much easier to get
out than one with an odd head pattern. I have used epoxy
before though, sometimes with success and other times it
just tore up the epoxy. This was using JDWeld, do you have
a better suggestion for a stronger epoxy? I'd also thought
about saving some aluminum filings the next time I did any
metalwork (non-computer related, just fine almost dustlike
Al) then mixing that into the epoxy to fortify it.

I still like my idea of filing down a bit because if you
ever come across that pattern & size again you'd already
have the bit.

 

[Chips]

I was able to remove the torx screws on my E2 with a very small (1/16")
regular slotted screwdriver.

GC

 

[old jon]

I was able to remove the torx screws on my E2 with a very small (1/16")
regular slotted screwdriver.

GC

Heating the screw with a soldering iron will help to free it, if you can
devise a method of turning it.
bw..OJ

 

[Bob]

Heating the screw with a soldering iron will help to free it, if you can
devise a method of turning it.

No. Heating the screw will make it expand, which will make it harder
to extract.

Sears has screw extractors. Get the kind for screws that cannot be
drilled - the one that fits over the head of the screw and has
left-handed protrusions inside which grip the screw.

Go easy or you will snap the screw off. You should soak the threads in
anti-seize liquid like WD-40 overnight to help ease the unscrewing.

 

[kony]

No. Heating the screw will make it expand, which will make it harder
to extract.

Sears has screw extractors. Get the kind for screws that cannot be
drilled - the one that fits over the head of the screw and has
left-handed protrusions inside which grip the screw.

Go easy or you will snap the screw off. You should soak the threads in
anti-seize liquid like WD-40 overnight to help ease the unscrewing.

SInce the heads on these screws are probably protruding
above the casing, a high-tolernace pair of needle-nose
pliers might be used to turn them. Other alternatives
include using a high acid silver solder plus a clean torx
bit, soldering the torx bit into the screw head (Or at least
making an impression of the screw head even if they dont'
mechanically join.

I have to wonder what gain there is in getting these screws
out though, if the drive is scrap anyway and they can't RMA
it, then maybe using a drill press to drill the head off is
enough.

 

[Bob]

SInce the heads on these screws are probably protruding
above the casing, a high-tolernace pair of needle-nose
pliers might be used to turn them.

A small pair of vice grips can also be used.

Other alternatives
include using a high acid silver solder plus a clean torx
bit, soldering the torx bit into the screw head (Or at least
making an impression of the screw head even if they dont'
mechanically join.

I would be afraid of burning something.

He might try JB Weld overnight epoxy. That stuf is strong enough to
repair an engine block

I have to wonder what gain there is in getting these screws
out though, if the drive is scrap anyway and they can't RMA
it, then maybe using a drill press to drill the head off is
enough.

They aren't going to RMA a drive that has obviously been tampered
with.

 

[kony]

A small pair of vice grips can also be used.

Perhaps, but all the vice grips I've seen had so much play
in them it might be hard to grip the screws- drive screws
usually dont' stick up much.

I would be afraid of burning something.

Naw, the entire drive shell is a pretty massive 'sink... all
you have to do is get the bit above the melting point of the
solder and that can even be done before it's inserted into
the screwhead.

He might try JB Weld overnight epoxy. That stuf is strong enough to
repair an engine block

Yes that might work, providing at least one of the surfaces
is roughened up some with some sandpaper. Even JDWeld
doesn't do too well in high-torque situations on smooth
surfaces.

They aren't going to RMA a drive that has obviously been tampered
with.

.... but it has already, the screw head is already stripped.

 

[Roy Lewallen]

If the screw head protrudes, you can cut a slot in it with a Dremel tool
cut-off wheel and use a conventional screwdriver on it. This of course
won't work if the cutoff wheel is too thick for the tiny screw, but the
lightest-duty cutoff wheel is pretty thin. I've used this method many
times for larger screws - works great.

Roy Lewallen

 

[Bob]

Naw, the entire drive shell is a pretty massive 'sink... all
you have to do is get the bit above the melting point of the
solder and that can even be done before it's inserted into
the screwhead.

You still have to heat the screw at least to the melting point of the
silver solder for it to stick.

 

[Bob]

If the screw head protrudes, you can cut a slot in it with a Dremel tool
cut-off wheel and use a conventional screwdriver on it. This of course
won't work if the cutoff wheel is too thick for the tiny screw, but the
lightest-duty cutoff wheel is pretty thin. I've used this method many
times for larger screws - works great.

If the screw is too small you can use an extractor like the one at
Sears. It fits over the head and has left-handed protrusions inside to
grip the head.

 

[kony]

If the screw is too small you can use an extractor like the one at
Sears. It fits over the head and has left-handed protrusions inside to
grip the head.

The thread is old enough now that I've not retained the
first parts, don't remember if this is an external casing
holding the drive or a drive itself. If an external casing
the screws probably are recessed... and if memory serves
correctly, my Craftsman extractors are all larger than the
typical plastic recessions for smaller screws. It'd
probably work though if minor cosmetic damage was
acceptible.

 

[kony]

You still have to heat the screw at least to the melting point of the
silver solder for it to stick.

Yes, but if the case is metal that shouldn't matter.
Heating and contraction (after cooling) might even help to
free it if it's stuck in a dissimilar metal case. It may
not be necessary to heat the screw though, I wasn't only
considering trying to solder the bit to the screw, but also
that if the bit with molten solder is inserted in the screw
head, the solder will still cool to the shape of the screw
head even if it doesn't adhere to it... and it was one of
the reasons I suggested silver solder (or something else
other than tin/lead) as it is tougher than std tin/lead.

 

[Bob]

Yes, but if the case is metal that shouldn't matter.
Heating and contraction (after cooling) might even help to
free it if it's stuck in a dissimilar metal case. It may
not be necessary to heat the screw though,

That's how I usually free up screws - heat the thing the screw is in.

if the bit with molten solder is inserted in the screw
head, the solder will still cool to the shape of the screw
head even if it doesn't adhere to it... and it was one of
the reasons I suggested silver solder (or something else
other than tin/lead) as it is tougher than std tin/lead.

I have never tried that. It may just work. If so, then you do not need
to heat the screw - just melt a drop of silver solder above the screw
and let it fall into the head of the screw.

 

[Notan]

Yes, but if the case is metal that shouldn't matter.

<snip>

Am I missing something?

While the case might be metal, there's a good chance that some of
the internal components aren't... Heat those up and your drive is
dead in the water!

Notan

 

[kony]

Am I missing something?

Yes, you're missing that heat density high enough to melt
solder on a bit will not heat up and entire drive enough to
damage it. Ever noticed that things can be soldered and the
rest of the board isn't trash afterwards? Same situation,
except that it's an order of magnitude harder to heat up a
giant hunk of metal enough to do damage.

While the case might be metal, there's a good chance that some of
the internal components aren't... Heat those up and your drive is
dead in the water!

If someone has never soldered anything large in their entire
life, this certainly isn't the best project to start out
with... but generally speaking, it's rather trivial to heat
up a piece and not have it heat up a giant block of metal
connected by a mere millimeter or two of loose contact, very
much at all in the time it takes to melt a little solder.

 

[Notan]

Yes, you're missing that heat density high enough to melt
solder on a bit will not heat up and entire drive enough to
damage it. Ever noticed that things can be soldered and the
rest of the board isn't trash afterwards? Same situation,
except that it's an order of magnitude harder to heat up a
giant hunk of metal enough to do damage.


If someone has never soldered anything large in their entire
life, this certainly isn't the best project to start out
with... but generally speaking, it's rather trivial to heat
up a piece and not have it heat up a giant block of metal
connected by a mere millimeter or two of loose contact, very
much at all in the time it takes to melt a little solder.

I used to design, and build, printed circuit boards, so I'm more
than casually familiar with soldering techniques! <g>

What I'm not familiar with is the design of *this* particular hard
drive enclosure. Are sheet metal or machine screws used? Are they
driven into plastic or some type of threaded metal?

See where I'm going?

Notan