How do I remove a rounded screw?

YellowLedBetterMan

Hi guys.

I'm in the middle of modifying my Harley Benton Fusion, and am at a roadblock. The plate which holds the output jack can't be removed because the screw holding it in is rounded off. It has come from the factory already moreorless circular, and I fear any attempts I make to remove the screw will either do nothing or make it worse.

How would I go about removing it? I obviously can't just drill around it as there is the metal jack plate there, and it is sat too flush to try and get pliers on it or to try and prize it out. Is it just a write off at this point?

mrkb

Drill the head out and replace the screw is the simplest option. Sounds like the screw is made of cheese anyway, so won’t be too difficult.

TTony

I've used a disc on a dremel to cut a slot into a rounded-off screw head before,  Then used a slot-headed screwdriver in the slot.

But that might not work here.

If you can't prise it out by leveraging the jack plate, I'd be inclined to drill it out.  Use a metal drill bit, use the rounded-off head of the existing screw as your punched centre, and then drill it out.

I doubt that the screw will be particularly hard - it'll probably disintegrate quite easily - and not very long. 

You can then either fill the hole and use  similarly sized (but better quality) replacement screws, or just use slightly bigger screws to re-secure the jack plate.

SteveRobinson

You have to cut the head off. Either drill it off or just snip it (safer) if you have some cutters that will get close enough.

YellowLedBetterMan

TTony said:

I've used a disc on a dremel to cut a slot into a rounded-off screw head before,  Then used a slot-headed screwdriver in the slot.

But that might not work here.

If you can't prise it out by leveraging the jack plate, I'd be inclined to drill it out.  Use a metal drill bit, use the rounded-off head of the existing screw as your punched centre, and then drill it out.

I doubt that the screw will be particularly hard - it'll probably disintegrate quite easily - and not very long. 

You can then either fill the hole and use  similarly sized (but better quality) replacement screws, or just use slightly bigger screws to re-secure the jack plate.

When you say drill it out, do I literally just drive a drill bit through the top of it until it disintegrates?

SteveRobinson

Yes, it should centre okay but be very careful it doesn't slip! I'd use a smallish bit, say 3mm and drill down the centre. Once the drill cuts to the shank the head will pop off.

If you're lucky there will be enough screw sticking out for you to get pliers onto it

Roland

Ideally you’d use a small diameter drill bit which will fit through the hole in the jack plate without damaging it. Once the remains of the screw head disintegrates you will be able to take the plate off. Then you need to remove the rest of the screw before you can put another one in it’s place. If there’s any metal protruding once the plate is removed then you might be able to use pliers. Otherwise keep drilling. You won’t have to go far. 

Be careful with small diameter drill bits they snap easily. If all else fails then use a larger diameter bit, and be prepared to plug the hole before putting in a new screw.

ICBM

Don't try to actually drill the screw out - the metal (no matter how cheese-like) is still harder than the wood, so the drill will slip off to the side and make a new hole alongside it, which will then make it difficult to remove the broken stump and will cause trouble if you try to put the new screw in next to it.

What to do:

Drill off the *head only*. Use a drill bit which is just a little larger than the shaft of the screw, and go just far enough that the head comes off as a ring. Now you can remove the plate, and you should have the stump of the screw sticking up just far enough to grip with pliers - or sometimes wirecutters can give you a better grip (but don't cut it right off!). You should be able to wind it out leaving the hole undamaged.

If this fails then you will need to either enlarge the hole around it slightly until you can get down far enough to grip it - if you don't go too mad it will still be covered by the plate - or you can heat the screw with a soldering iron, which will make it expand and push the wood back, then as it cools the metal will shrink faster and the screw should come loose enough to wind out.

YellowLedBetterMan

ICBM said:

Don't try to actually drill the screw out - the metal (no matter how cheese-like) is still harder than the wood, so the drill will slip off to the side and make a new hole alongside it, which will then make it difficult to remove the broken stump and will cause trouble if you try to put the new screw in next to it.

What to do:

Drill off the *head only*. Use a drill bit which is just a little larger than the shaft of the screw, and go just far enough that the head comes off as a ring. Now you can remove the plate, and you should have the stump of the screw sticking up just far enough to grip with pliers - or sometimes wirecutters can give you a better grip (but don't cut it right off!). You should be able to wind it out leaving the hole undamaged.

If this fails then you will need to either enlarge the hole around it slightly until you can get down far enough to grip it - if you don't go too mad it will still be covered by the plate - or you can heat the screw with a soldering iron, which will make it expand and push the wood back, then as it cools the metal will shrink faster and the screw should come loose enough to wind out.

I did think about trying to use a soldering iron actually, but was worried I'd split the wood

ICBM

YellowLedBetterMan said:

I did think about trying to use a soldering iron actually, but was worried I'd split the wood

No, but if you overdo it you can char it slightly. Not usually a problem if it's going to be covered by a plate - blistering the finish over a wide enough area to show is a bigger problem.

sev112

Amazon (and other retailers) sell screw extractor bits designed to drill into the screw and then rotate it out 

YellowLedBetterMan

Managed to drill it out using the method @ICBM mentioned. Cheers.

If only the pre-wired wiring kit I'd been sold actually worked. No sound from 4 of 5 positions.

Time to step away from the tools and leave it alone methinks.

ICBM

YellowLedBetterMan said:

If only the pre-wired wiring kit I'd been sold actually worked. No sound from 4 of 5 positions.

Strat type? Sounds like you have a short in one of the tone control components. It could be as simple as a bent terminal touching a pot casing or something similar. Which position works?

YellowLedBetterMan

ICBM said:

YellowLedBetterMan said:

If only the pre-wired wiring kit I'd been sold actually worked. No sound from 4 of 5 positions.

Strat type? Sounds like you have a short in one of the tone control components. It could be as simple as a bent terminal touching a pot casing or something similar. Which position works?

Neck, in full humbucker mode. The coil split toggle is acting like a kill switch.

The seller has agreed to take it back and fix it.