How to remove badly stuck torx screws.

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holymolar

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Aug 8, 2011
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I like to disassemble/reassemble some of my knives but I had a couple of knives (Kershaw OSO Sweet, Byrd Cara Cara) with badly stuck screws. I could have sent the knives to the companies for service but I don't like to feel defeated. I tried loosen them with TuffGlide, WD40, PB Blaster, and even banging on the bit with a hammer. I rounded off Torx bits as well as the screws trying to loosen them. I also tried using T7 bits in T6 screws but none of that worked.

Here's how I finally got those stubborn torx screws out. I used a dremel to carefully cut a slot in the head of the screws and used a plain screwdriver to unscrew them.

dremel.jpg


Here's one of the T6 torx screws (on the right) compared to untouched torx screws:
torx.jpg


I just have to find replacement screws.
 
Yup....thats exactly what i do.

I have hardened star bits and i still mange to strip screws, etc. Boker's are the worst from my experience.
 
I've had to do that before. I didnt have a Dremel handy so I used the file on a small leatherman. It took a little while but it worked. Then I just called in for replacement screws.
 
The screws are probably tight because of thread locker being used. You need to apply heat and they will spin right out. Best way I have found on small screws is the heat the screwdriver or other piece of metal and then touch it to the top of the screws and simply hold it there. You may have to reheat a few times, I would go 15 sec and try removing the screw. It usually doesn't take longer than that and it prevents the heat from damaging the rest of the knife. YMMV?
 
I'm curious what kind of driver you use when the screws are that tight. Is it a screwdriver with interchangable bits? I prefer to use my 1/4" ratchet for more torque with better control. I find torx heads to be pretty tough to strip generally, but sometimes its not clear what the actual size is. Some of the heads will accept three different sizes that will engage the splines.
 
I'm also betting the thread locker was the culprit. Applying localized heat is what's recommended by Loctite, for removing fasteners held in place with at least some of their products, including the commonly-used 242 (blue) and 271 (red) Threadlockers. The tip of a soldering iron (with adjustable temp control, hopefully) is known to work well for this. Hold the hot tip of the soldering iron to the head of the screw for a few seconds, then apply torque to the screw.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
I'm also betting the thread locker was the culprit. Applying localized heat is what's recommended by Loctite, for removing fasteners held in place with at least some of their products, including the commonly-used 242 (blue) and 271 (red) Threadlockers. The tip of a soldering iron (with adjustable temp control, hopefully) is known to work well for this. Hold the hot tip of the soldering iron to the head of the screw for a few seconds, then apply torque to the screw.
Click to expand...

Thanks Obsessed.

I took your suggestion and bought an inexpensive soldering iron with adjustable temp control at Fry's for $20. I used it on two stuck screws that I was going to use the dremel on. The soldering iron trick worked like a charm. I had to apply the hottest heat a couple of times and a new Torx bit - but the screws came out undamaged. This is a much better solution.

The soldering iron that I bought is a Velleman VTSS5 model (see below). Also, I started using the purple colored Loctite #222MS which is low strength - rather than the blue colored Loctite #242, which IMO seems to eventually dry too hard for small torx screws in knives.

soldering.jpg
 
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