2. misc-audio
  3. 1238427457

ruined a phillips screw, any inspired solution?

Not strictly audio but related and a real mess. I wanted to open up the cabinet of a cdp to change a tube inside which involved removing 6 small phillips screws with a recessed head,... and of course, there is always one that pretends to be sword Excalibur. Sadly, after I had attacked it with every imaginable screwdriver, I noticed that I had literally milled out the head. So I now have an unbudgeable screw with a perfectly round cavity on the head sitting on a rather sensitive piece of gear (the plate I have to remove holds most of the electronic circuitry, the cd drive and the tube, go figure). Anyone faced a similar conundrum and solved it?
Thanks for not laughing 8^(
karelfd
usblues
1,217 posts
 
Some good advice,some bad.I was a Harley wrench for a couple years till a shoulder went down.Lots of oils,greases etc. which is fine.Stay away from anti-seize[messy] and lock-tite[pointless].Petro-chemicals[WD-40,sewing machine oil,Vaseline etc.] are OK,but best to stick to teflon base[Tri-flow,Bel-ray etc.].They dont smell as bad and are superior for lube.Pam cooking spray[veg base] is an option as is Crisco as last resorts.When tightening screws use 2 fingers unless your units have a top-end of say 75MPH and vibrate alot in their racks.Never turn a screw or bolt without pushing in at the same time.Too much info for this thread but be gentle when tightening and use some form of lube would eliminate 95% of stripped heads on audio equipment.YMMV,Bob
mockturtle
7 posts
 
I stripped badly a Phillips screw on my preamp several months ago. Then I tried a screw extractor. Now it is as you describe. I haven't had the courage to go back to it since then. (I don't want to subject the innards to the vibrations of a drill.) So, you're not alone (if anything, I messed up mine even worse!
psacanli
535 posts
 
Great info Usblues,from another old motorcycle wrench.
Nice to hear hard earned experienced speaking.
usblues
1,217 posts
 
Very hard earned,the best kind aye?One of the highlights of my working class life was the Service school and wrenching at the dealerships.Great guys and what fun!Just scratched the surface really in 2 years......
karelfd OP
476 posts
 
Wow, Dreadhead I tried the hammer'n'chisel remedy. What can I say, it's as if I have a completely new player, clear upgrade: now a three-box system with separated psu snugly anchored in the ceiling. One smallish drawback: it is now slightly on the clanking side of neutral but that makes it the ideal player for gamalang, of course, Radio Indonesia have already approached me for modding their gear
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