I've got a heck of a stripped screw head on a flathead screw holding a lower cowling on my Cessna. Any recommendations for EZ Out/Extractor sets?

Is it just the head that is stripped? Or is te screw seized in? If just the head is stripped, can you use a small grinder and cut another slot cross ways to the old slot? We've used that a fair bit if a head strips out on us. If the screw is seized in, my Mac EZ outs have always worked well.

It's just a stripped head.

I was thinking of using the EZ out first then if it didn't work then use a Dremel to make a slot for a straight blade driver. My logic was is that it seems like it'd be easier to slip with the grinder and accidentally damage the cowling skin. Thanks for the recommendations.

The extractor is a last resort. You are proper hosed if it breaks.

As already mentioned the thin cutoff wheel on a dremel tool can work well to cut slots.

But try a hammer driver first...it can often do the job without much fuss. They are 10-20 bucks at a lot of stores, and is a handy magic trick to keep around.

http://m.sears.com/k-tool-international ... lsrc=aw.ds

Also spritz it with a little penetrant and let it soak a bit. If you can access the backside of the nutplate from inside the cowling, shoot it there too.

Valve Grinding compound on your screwdriver tip.

Gentle heat - from a hot air gun + ATF/acetone mix.

Cut a slot with a dremel.

Drill the head right off carefully.

Curse a lot.

Good luck.

Some great tips here... I had already figured out the "curse a lot" one, but the screw still didn't budge. I'll give that another try along with some of these others. Thanks for the recommendations everyone!

Snap on stubby extractor set. Snap on will warranty the 1/8" extracor when it gets dull

Just drill the head off like a rivet, unscrew the remainder with vice-grips once the cowling is off. If it won't unscrew replace the nut-plate, prolly needs replacing anyways...


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I got really skilled with an easy out when I was building both decks on the house, as the finish screws were a small size stainless steel, which won't take a lot of torque before the Phillips head would strip. If the screws would bind at all going in, the driver tip would slip, and there went the screw head. It always seemed to happen just as the screw head touched the deck material, not leaving enough to grab with a vise grip, but still sticking out too much to just leave.

The kit that I bought was at Sears, I think, or maybe Home Depot. Nothing fancy. It came with 3 different size bits. But basically I would drill into the screw backwards using the slowest counterclockwise speed possible with the electric drill (mine has 3 geared speeds plus full variable), and when it got deep enough, the bit would bind and begin to turn the screw counterclockwise, and it would come out. Frankly I was surprised at how well it worked. I never broke the easy out, and I must have used it on 25-30 screws before it wore out enough that I bought another one. Great little tool.

Cary

Cheesy goofy thing advertised on late night tv called a grab-it, sounds like the same thing Cary is talking about. It works great on screws, especially Phillips head screws. Impact driver is real good if the mount is solid. they worked like a charm on motorcycle engine screws but not worth a damn on panels that will flex. Small vice grips, cut new slots, oil, heat, drill off the head, all have worked at some time but the goofy little grab-it is the fastest and easiest I have used.

Yes ... Ditto on the valve grinding compound using a good tip.
Amazing how well that works.

Search for Vampliers on the web. I won't post a link because there are many sources. I don't want to promote one over another and/or break a forum rule.

Pinecone wrote:Search for Vampliers on the web. I won't post a link because there are many sources. I don't want to promote one over another and/or break a forum rule.

Are my rules for posting that ambiguous? There's no rule against casually referring someone to a retail product.

Might have to grab a pair of these myself. Thanks.

Vampliers:
http://amzn.to/2dFyGn6

The Grabits look really good.

Never heard the valve grinding paste idea, but my dad used to stab the concrete floor (and not gently) of our old shop with the screwdriver tip to pick up grit that he claimed help it grip. Real tough on screwdrivers, but he was pretty tough on all his tools.