"Terry Coombs" wrote in message
...
On 3/28/2019 9:41 PM, Jac Brown wrote:


"Terry Coombs" wrote in message
...
On 3/28/2019 8:48 PM, rbowman wrote:
On 03/27/2019 11:50 PM, Jac Brown wrote:
My initial thought was a screw extractor/easy out but the don't really
go small enough. The threaded part is only 5.5mm thick. The smallest
screw extractor is listed as 3mm which might well work with a hole
drilled into where the philips slots used to be.

https://www.thegrabitstore.com/collections/grabit-micro

I've never used one on plastic or the micro sizes but I've had
excellent results with standard machine screws. One end creates
something like a countersink in the damaged screw head. Then you
reverse the bit and it grabs. You do need a reversible drill motor.

It's a lot easier than drilling a pilot hole for a standard screw
extractor. They're the cat's nuts for deck screws no matter what drive
type. I've used them on damaged Torx fasteners on the bike too.

I was skeptical when I saw a set in the hardware store but I became a
true believer. Worse case you stall the drill motor or break off the
screw because they don't let go. It also avoids the trip to an EDM shop
when you break off the hardened extractor and are really screwed so to
speak.

I read somewhere that alum will dissolve steel ... yup , just checked
it out , dissolves steel but doesn't affect aluminum .

Problem is that its head down in the car so not easy to dissolve
the broken extractor, the I spose it is unlikely to break with a
plastic screw. And the part the screw goes into is sheet metal
and just a small tab, not a hole is a metal plate.

Might be safer to just drill the plastic screw out I spose.

Or do as I suggested and use a heated screwdriver to form a slot .

Yeah, havent tried that but if it really is nylon as Clare proclaimed,
its unlikely to end up with much of a slot that way. It is pretty hard
plastic. I tried with the sharp end of a small rat tail file to see if I
could poke the metal into the plastic as FMurtz suggested but
I didn’t try heating it. I've paused for the moment waiting for an
extractor to show up and because I need to use the car
tomorrow and I have some beer brews to bottle today.

That last post of mine was aimed more specifically at rbowman , as steel
screws are often broken off in aluminum parts on motorcycles .

OK.

Not that I know anything about motorcycles , I only have 4 right now . But
then Harleys vibrate so much that corrosion doesn't have a chance to form
.