Stubborn Screw

[Halk]

Seems I've screwed something too far in.

It's an allen key I have to use to get it out, but it's just shearing the sides of the inside of the screw head.

Anyone have any tips on how to get a stubborn screw out?

[iggy]

drill it.

i thought this was gonna be about a prison officer ;/

[Herminator]

you could try soldering an allen key into place.
Tell us what kind of screw it is and into what material it's going into and I may have a few more suggestions.

[reaper]

If the head of the bolt isn't recessed, then use a hacksaw to cut a slot across the middle of it then use a decent screwdriver on it. :)

[daniel_owen_uk]

If the head of the bolt isn't recessed, then use a hacksaw to cut a slot across the middle of it then use a decent screwdriver on it. :)

What he said and a bit of WD40 wouldn't go a miss.

[latency]

Assuming you've tried a pair of largish pliers aswell? I've got out stubborn screws with pliers before... grip it round the edge and rotate...

[[GPO]Solitaire]

Best bet is a squirt of WD-40 and a big pair of pliers with a good grip! If that don't work then a powerdrill is the way to go!! :D

I tried the "cut a slot in it" option once! but it broke the head of the screw, (cheepo soft screws!!) so i ended up attacking the case with the drill.

[shifty.ricky]

as iggy said try drillling it.

drill a hole just smaller than the shank of the screw and watch it come right out

[dangerous_dom]

Good sugestions. Drilling is often a good way (I have to do that with my ikea bed recently). But be carefull if the bolt is going into a threaded shaft because it is easy for the drill bit to go at a slight angle, damaging the threads. In other words, you may find that once you have got it out you can't put another in. If all else fails, there is special attachment for drills for this job. I forgot what its called but ask in a hardware store and they should have one.

[Halk]

I eventually got it out, and although I had already tried pliers....

I got a set with longer handles - this meant I could apply even more force to the tips of the pliers in contact with the screw.

In the past I've drilled out screws, by just sitting a metal drill bit in the middle of the screw, and drilling until the head of the screw is separate. This does leave the rest of the screw stuck in the thread - but usually 3 out of 4 screws does just as well as 4.

Another way I've done it is by using a hacksaw to cut a slot in the screw, this worked as well.

But this particular screw was on top of my PC holding the reservoir in, so it wasn't an option to butcher the screw, thankfully huge pliers worked :)