Screw Removal

Looking for suggestions on how to remove a screw from the disc on Scar to allow me to get started fixing it up. Its an allan cap screw that is fairly corroded, I have tried the obvious (using an allan key) and even used a hammer on the end of an allan key to try and loosen it but it falls out as the internal shape has been lost. I can get to both side of the screw, if that would help in getting the screw out. Got most of them out, just 2 left to go but the way they are in if one of them is removed the other will be easy.

Cheers guys.

If it's that bad, cutting a slot in the top with a Dremel or grinder and using a very broad flathead screwdriver should help ease one of them out.

use a dremel or something to cut a groove in it and use a flathead screwdriver to get it out.

weld a long bar to it

Cheers guys,

I have a grinder that available so will give that a bash tomorrow and see how it goes. If that doesn't do it, i'll need to learn to suck less at welding.

actually a better way would be clamp it using a set of mole grips and then turn it out. Lots of lube too and if you can heat it, all the better :)

Tried the mole grips with loads of WD40 method earlier, the mole grips came off worse than the screw. Just now tried the dremel method and unscrewing, I managed to cut the slot in it and found a screwdriver big enough but no joy, cant find a drill bit big enough either to try that on a low speed setting but that will be the next thing.

Have you tried cursing/swearing loudly, kicking it and hitting it with a hammer all whilst your patience with the stubborn screw becomes lost in a torrent of anger?

It might not help, but if you haven't yet resorted to any of the above, then something is wrong :P

My cousin and I have been swearing at it, eachother, passers by, everyone really since we got at it a month or so ago. We've also tried such gems as sneaking up on it, ignoring it, calling it girls names, pulling funny faces and threatening it. All to no avail. Also my mother repeatedly add the very useful comment why dont you just leave it every couple of hours.

Seems to be a stubborn little beastie then. Although calling it girls names might not have worked as some robots are actually female (can be hard to tell), so try saying that its current armour makes its bum look big. If you get an aggressive response, you'll know it's a girl.

Of course, that won't help in any way whatsoever with getting the screw out.......... :uhoh:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Anttazz

Cheers guys,

I have a grinder that available so will give that a bash tomorrow and see how it goes. If that doesn't do it, i'll need to learn to suck less at welding.

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Do you have a welder?

Then the welding idea is IMO best ...get a bit of flat bar drill a hole thru it to fit over the caphead, and possibly countersink the hole to it give extra depth for the weld... then puddle weld the cap head to the bar.

Yeah I have a welder, but I've only used it once, just as a practise, and as you can imagine i'm still making a cod of it. I'll give it another go tomorrow and see how it goes.

Good idea Jamie, I don't know where i'd be without your insight :p

Full of good hints and tips I am :lol:

You could try hammering the right sized torx bit and the taking it out with a ratchet. We found on Hydra that if you did this you could get 95% of all allen key bolts out even the ones on the side of the robots which had the heads destroyed by impact from other robots.

Try drilling through the centre, leaving material in the hole and then using an easy-out screw extractor. They have a tapered left hand thread and can be picked up fairly cheaply. Also try some freeze spray. This is similar to the stuff trainers have in rugby and will shrink the screw slighty which often allows it to be moved. If neither of these things work then you could resort to drilling it out to the tapping hole size of the screw and tap it out, though this is tricky as the hole has to be exactly central. If this still doesn't work, drill the screw out with an oversize hole and use either a bigger allen screw when refitting or fit a heli-coil to the hole and use an allen bolt of the original size when refitting.
Hope this helps

I managed to get it out a week or so ago, thanks for the suggestions though. I had it in a rust removal solution and it loosened the threat off just enough so that sticking the screw head in a vice and turning the rest of the disc managed to get it out.

I also used the Torx method you mentioned on an unrelated screw the other day there :)

Thanks for the help guys.