Removing a stripped allen set screw?

John McClung · From: Olympia WA, USA

My Rittenberry uses a small 5/64" allen set screw to hold its bell cranks on a hexagonal cross rod.

Two bell cranks' set screws are buggered and neither an SAE nor metric allen wrench will back out their set screws to remove the bell crank.

Anyone know a slick way to get that set screw out of there? The screw is in too far to be able to grab it with needle nose pliers and unscrew it that way.

Thanks!
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Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

I have run into this a lot ob Dekleys I've had. Some success drilling them out, but more than once I've taken the part (cross-shaft and all) to a machine shop and let them do it. Sent a batch to Tommy Cass once to get them out.

One thing I did to avoid future issues is bought a bunch of longer set screws, so there's always be enough sticking out to grab with a needle nose.

Good luck!

Barry Coker · From: Bagley Alabama, USA

I have used a small file find one the handle is a nice tight fit in the hole use a small hammer to gently tap the file handle into the allen head while you gently turn the blade of the file with your hand.
the file is harder than the screw and will work like an ease out. VERY GENTELY once it moves it should come out easily.

Good luck
Barry
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Bill Moore · From: Manchester, Michigan

Sometimes a new Allen wrench will fit tight enough to get a screw out. The corners of the Allen wrench will round off slightly with use, especially the smaller sizes.

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

I know this frustrating situation well. If only the allen socket were deeper in the set screw for deeper contact.

The brand new wrench is a good idea. Often, I've been able to hammer the end of the old one so that it's a bit larger. Sometimes that will give enough contact to let you turn it out. You might try using a punch to flatten the screw socket out a bit to make the opening smaller.

A little bit larger metric wrench will sometimes go in there if you tap it in.

I also like Barry's idea if you can find one that small, but all my small file sets have the same 1/8 in. round handle. Other file handles are tapered so it fits tighter, deeper. Wish I'd thought of that.

Of course once it's out, don't re-use it. That brings up another issue for small set screws. Finding the right length, pitch etc. in the size you want can be difficult. Most times, local hardware stores don't have the small ones and I'm forced to order online.

George Kimery · From: Limestone, TN, USA

I have used a star bit in a couple of things that were stripped. I also have a set of bits designed for this job, called EZ out, or something like that. You drill a hole in the head of the stripped out screw, then screw the EZ out bit in. It acts as a left handed screw tap and screw driver combined. The more you tighten it, the more it makes the bad bolt turn counter clockwise.

Peter Harris · From: South Australia, Australia

I was also going to suggest the EZ-out method, having spent more hours than I can ever count removing old frozen bolts from antique cars..
...HOWEVER.. given the (small) scale of the Allen set screws in question, I would caution that the engineering principle involved in the EZ-out method depends upon the tool getting a good 'bite' on the inside of the hole drilled in the offending bolt.

When we are talking something as small as these set screws (with their resulting wall-thickness between the inside of the hole and their outer threaded surface) the tendency will likely be for that 'wall' to want to distort outwards and possibly (?) further bind itself to the female thread in the bell-crank.

With 'tiny' stuff (on cars) I often resorted to first putting the offending components in the freezer for a while, and then pouring boiling water over them...the temperature changes and differential expansion rates of the bits and pieces would sometimes do the trick without a whole lot more technology...of course, being able to provide some sort of impact shock to a binding thread connection is always more effective than just an increasing gentle pressure.

To hold an assembly in a bench vice and then installing a well-fitting Allen key, one would be better off applying pressure WHILE gently tapping the back of the key....

Just a few thoughts from an Old Hand on getting wayward bits to come apart..

Cheers,
Peter
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Dale Rottacker · From: Walla Walla Washington, USA

Patrick Ickes · From: Upper Lake, CA USA

Hi John.
Left hand twist drill bit. Use slow speed and heavy pressure. The cutting edge will dig in and back out the small screw.
I use these very often and they work great as long as it's not very corroded or threadlocked in another way.
Good luck,
Patrick

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

Do not try to use an Easy Out, To take steel screws out of aluminum parts. It will swell a small bolt and lock it in the aluminum.
Take a new wrench, Grind the end perfect flat, Now with a file cut a small groove around the wrench close to the end making like teeth on all 6 points of the wrench, Full size of the wrench. Clamp wrench in small set of Vice Grips. Put a drop of Cano-kroil on set screw. Insert wrench into bolt. peck with small hammer, To set up vibration in the parts. Then firmly hold wrench and Vice Grips turn the wrench left hand, The teeth you cut on the wrench will hopefully keep the wrench from slipping and it will remove the set screw.
Work slow and good luck.

richard burton · From: Britain

Heat is your friend when aluminum is involved.

Heat the bellcrank up with a hairdryer, or better still a heat gun. The aluminum will expand twice as much as the steel setscrew, facilitating easy removal

Tom Campbell · From: Houston, Texas, USA

If you have a soldering iron or soldering gun, place it on the area where he screw is...the soldering gun/iron should heat the area enough to loosen the screw.
A hair dryer will run the risk of damaging your finish!

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

You can also take a slightly larger allen wrench (one that won't go in the hole), and carefully file a gentle bevel on each flat until it just goes in the screw. Then, add a dash of penetrating oil and "tap and turn", and hope for the best. Winking

Tom Mortensen · From: Nashville TN

Use a torx bit instead of an allen wrench.

John McClung · From: Olympia WA, USA

Guess there is more than one way to skin this cat! Thanks, guys. After a talk with Gary Rittenberry, I'm first trying holding the cross rod in a vise, and tapping or twisting the bell crank loose and off.

I'll keep you informed. Some great ideas from y'all!
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Kevin Fix · From: Michigan, USA

Use a four sided easy out. May have to drill it enough to get the easy out to bite in. Some easy outs have a tapered point on them. Grind the point flush so easy out will go in farther. Tip from a retied 40 year truck mechanic. Seen my share of broken bolts and studs.

Gene Tani · From: Pac NW

Hope that works. i've used ball end hex keys and Torx drivers in the past for stripped screws/bolts only, for hex sockets in good shape, I use T-handle allen keys with a square end only, or one with a little round handle, not the L-shaped ones, which are difficult to keep exactly in line with the bolt's axis. Ball end hex keys are not exactly hexagonal: https://toolguyd.com/ball-hex-vs-straight-hex-tools/

I've also sawed slots in stripped bots with a dremel diamond cutting wheel but *not* recommended in this case, will produce nontrivial amount of metal dust.
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Jim Palenscar · From: Oceanside, Calif, USA

All are good suggestions. I like the new wrench (don't use a ball end) and the heat combo. However- if you try to restore the old worn wrench by grinding it down, when you grind down a worn allen wrench to get a new end it leaves a small ring of metal- don't take it all off- just enough that you can still barely feel a small ridge. The apply a soldering iron to the surrounding area- take a bunch of time- sufficient to let the aluminum relax- then try with either the new wrench or a ground down one- I have confidence in you John Smile

Bengt Erlandsen · From: Brekstad, NORWAY

There is this stuff called screw-grab that greatly improve grip between the 5/64" hex tool and the screw. If screw-grab, together with heating up the area with the screw and threads doesnt get the screw loose then last option is to have the screw drilled out w a reverse threaded special tool.

B.Erlandsen

Robert W Wilson · From: Palisade, Western Colorado

An old airframe mechanic trick for stripped phillip screws is to pack the head with valve lapping compound. Aircraft tool cribs keep it in stock specifically for that purpose. Works amazingly well! Rubbing compound and antisieze are possible inferior substitutes. Careful heating of the female part is the second line of attack. Drilling and easy-outs are third line followed by fabbing a new part.

Antisieze goes on every aluminum thread I touch. Galvanic corrosion of dissimilar metals is very real and routinely dismissed by young engineers (pinhead professorâ€™s). Not a surprise since the majority of ME grads canâ€™t define ferrous vs nonferrous metals. If it cannot be fixed with software 98% of them are dumbfounded.

Sorry for venting but it helps! I run the student engineering shops at a university and have to go back to work next week. Sad

PS: I didnâ€™t id the university because I could be fired for describing a part as â€œfemaleâ€, which is noninclusive language. Probably get fired for writing â€œattack, inferior, drilling, easy-out, fabbing, dissimilar, pinhead, dumbfouded, fixedâ€ Smile

I have no problem with any respectable human and enjoy teaching all my students, except the stinky ones (still do it with a smile). Incidentally the 98% think I am an old blue collar fool, the 2% think Iâ€™m brilliant! Smile

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

Yes heat will also help remove like and unlike metal from being stuck. I forget sometimes to mention the use of heat. I grew up in my dads welding shop, worked as a welder in a machine shop, and in a light bulb plant. We was always used heat as the first thing to loosen anything stuck metal to metal.

Al Evans · From: Austin, Texas, USA

John McClung · From: Olympia WA, USA

Got one of my set screws unstuck by using a Torx T8 from a small Husky kit I bought a while back at Home Depot.

Sadly, the other buggered screw did not back out with that T8, or T9 or T10. Will try other suggested methods today.

Really appreciate all the input, you smarty pants!
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Peter Harris · From: South Australia, Australia

Jimmy Gibson · From: Cornwall, England

Replace them with Torx bolts.

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