A question about stripped screws

[Elysium]

Is there a secret to loosening a stripped screw? I stripped a screw putting a case fan in my case, and now I want to remove it. BTW, would JB Weld do the trick?

[Dread]

The easiest way to remove it if you have the room, is to drill it out.

[Quakindude]

Try this. Place a flat-tip screw driver in between the case and the fan. Pry lightly while trying to remove the screw. Putting this outward pressure on the head of the screw will more than likely allow it to back out. Especially since the metal is so thin in these things.

If you use JB weld, you'll not get that screw out ever again without cutting the surrounding metal.

[garetjax]

Originally Posted by Quakindude

Try this. Place a flat-tip screw driver in between the case and the fan. Pry lightly while trying to remove the screw. Putting this outward pressure on the head of the screw will more than likely allow it to back out. Especially since the metal is so thin in these things.

Very good advice. A variation of this technique was something I quickly learned to do during my years as an F-16 mechanic.

[DeanOlicious]

Originally Posted by garetjax

Very good advice. A variation of this technique was something I quickly learned to do during my years as an F-16 mechanic.

Sweet Lord man, they let you work on gov property? Peoples lives are at stake!

[halutzparilla]

is the pilot of the F16 still alive... (j/K)

[stinger608]

Originally Posted by Quakindude

Try this. Place a flat-tip screw driver in between the case and the fan. Pry lightly while trying to remove the screw. Putting this outward pressure on the head of the screw will more than likely allow it to back out. Especially since the metal is so thin in these things.

If you use JB weld, you'll not get that screw out ever again without cutting the surrounding metal.

Originally Posted by garetjax

Very good advice. A variation of this technique was something I quickly learned to do during my years as an F-16 mechanic.

Yep, excellent advise!!! When I first started reading this post, that is exactly what I was going to advise!!

The big question here, did it strip in the fan, or the case??? If it striped in the fan itself, then you could just take a soldering iron and heat up the inside of the stripped hole, and it will likely swell the hole up a bit allowing a screw to re-thread the said hole.

[Elysium]

The Phillips Head part is the strew got stripped. (The part the screwdriver goes in to).

EDIT: Not the threds themselves, the little 'crosshairs' at the top of the screw. (Sorry for my wording.)

[screwballl]

if it has the hex head then just get a small socket or wrench... if it is rounded then a regular slip-lock pliers should work if you can get to it. Even a smaller pair to maybe get the bottom of the screw turned a few rotations then grab the head and screw it out... otherwise there are screw extractors at the hardware store but thats a bit pricey for one screw like this.
Sometimes you can take an old drill bit and screw it in with a weaker drill... then reverse the drill once the bit gets stuck and unscrew it that way

[Quakindude]

A smaller flat tip screw driver will probably fit in there. A butter knife sometimes works since there really isn't a lot of torque on those.

Like Screwy said, if there's enough of the head sticking out, vise-grips, slip joint or channel lock pliers could help you.