Trouble getting button head cap screws out

[Innovate1]

Have some small screws holding the glass in a wood stove door. Takes a 1/8" allen wrench. But am stripping out the sockets trying to get them loose. They have been in 20 years. They don't look eaten away by flame or rusted. I tapped on the bolts with a small punch in the socket. Put some penetrating oil on but it probably didn't get down to the threads as there is a washer under the head. Any ideas? I could try heating the door but can't get too extreme with the glass there and the door finish. I could grind off the heads but the screws are hardened so drilling out the threaded portion wouldn't work.

 

[alfadan]

I have had luck grinding the heads off and in this case, once you get the glass out, put some -good- quality visegrips -tight- on the screw and work them left and right carefully to work it out.

Dont forget a dab of antiseize on reassembly.

 

[RoninB4]

^ The above post should work.

-Just as an FYI, socket headed fasteners are only case hardened, not through hardened. The core is still soft under the case. Carefully grinding off the head should allow removal of the glass.

 

[Innovate1]

I have had luck grinding the heads off and in this case, once you get the glass out, put some -good- quality visegrips -tight- on the screw and work them left and right carefully to work it out.

Dont forget a dab of antiseize on reassembly.

There won't be enough to grab if I grind the head off completely. They are just though a thin spring clip. What I called a washer before is just the thin clip but it keeps any applied penetrating oil away from the threads same as a washer would. I might be able to grind 2 sides of the head away and have enough to get a wrench or vice grip on.

 

[Innovate1]

^ The above post should work.

-Just as an FYI, socket headed fasteners are only case hardened, not through hardened. The core is still soft under the case. Carefully grinding off the head should allow removal of the glass.

It would allow removal of the glass but I would still have to remove the remains of the screw. If it is case hardened I could drill out the center but seems like it would be a real pain getting the remains of the threads out.

 

[JuncleJohn]

I would try a hand impact tool. The type you hit with a hammer. The shock of the hit along with the twisting motion has worked for me many times.

John

 

[larry_g]

My attack on socket head screws is to use a left handed drill bit that is sized for the tapping hole of the fastener in question. The socket head will center the drill bit in the fastener. If the head drills off then you still have a center divot in the fastener. If your lucky the left handed bit will grab the fastener and turn it out. If you have to drill out the whole fastener then you have a tap sized hole left and you can pick the remaining material from the fastener out of the hole, clean it up with a tap and be on your merry way.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Innovate1]

I would try a hand impact tool. The type you hit with a hammer. The shock of the hit along with the twisting motion has worked for me many times.

John

I do have one of those and was considering giving it a try. I also saw a suggestion to drive in a tight fitting torx bit. Might try that if there is one that is a good fit.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I usually center punch them in a rotation manner at the outer rim, but not sure of the glass in your situation.

 

[Hank11]

A Dremel tool with a cut off wheel will let you cut a slot across the head of the screw. Then use a regular screwdriver. I think the vibration and the heat generated sometimes helps to make it come loose.

 

[4xdog]

A Dremel tool with a cut off wheel will let you cut a slot across the head of the screw. Then use a regular screwdriver. I think the vibration and the heat generated sometimes helps to make it come loose.

This, possibly in combination with an impact driver, has worked for me several times. I learned it from my father probably close to sixty years ago. It ain’t a new approach…

 

[RoninB4]

It would allow removal of the glass but I would still have to remove the remains of the screw.

-A far easier task with the glass out, less risk of shattering the glass than any of the hammer driven solutions mentioned. The head often presents the problem of rounding the socket, an 1/8" hex in an already shallow button head is no surprise either. Once the head is removed the "lock" is often gone and the remainder of the threaded portion can be easily removed unless it's corroded/oxidized in place, a wood stove door will do that with the heat cycling. If the fasteners are indeed corroded then you may very well have to face removing the threaded portion anyway. That's not a real big deal either IMO.

If it is case hardened I could drill out the center but seems like it would be a real pain getting the remains of the threads out.

-Maybe but maybe not. Extended soaking in a something like PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench could loosen the corrosion enough for easy removal, many here have done this. With the glass out there's several options. If chemicals don't work you could always heat the fasteners to red hot, this will anneal (soften) them. The heat alone may break the corrosion loose enough for removal. If this is too much of a "pain" then do as you wish to and as you are capable of.

-If this is just a simple repaint of the door why not mask off the glass and repaint? This will avoid the difficulty of the fasteners. Good luck.

 

[esben57]

hammering anywhere near glass is not a good idea. Had two oven door glass shatter when cold and no one near.

larry_g​

This method is the way to tackle it. Drill out if you don't have LH bits. And take your time.

 

[Cheep]

You might try a Torx bit in the center of those, this sometimes works for boogered up allen screws.

 

[gizardlizard]

Grip Edge hex extractors. You can buy them individually. At work, all the molding machines I work on are assembled with SHCS and we deal with stripped out heads daily. 3mm and up. Love Grip Edge

 

[NUTTSGT]

If it takes an 1/8", I would think I might try welding a 1/4" or 5/16" nut over the button head.

 

[pancho400cid]

Button heads are bad about stripping out. I've worked on an unusual generator that had dozens of them.

We had fair luck cutting a slot in the heads with a Dremel and removing them with a flat blade screwdriver. Messy, tedious and requires access obviously, but it did work.

 

[Innovate1]

Here's a couple pics. The spring will lessen the impact on the glass, especially if the door is on a solid surface so I think I am ok with some tapping on the head as long as I don't go too crazy. The door has a shiny gold finish so heating the door and/or repainting isn't an option.

 

[jayemm]

To avoid impact on the glass you might try this style of screw extractor that doesn't always need to get hammered in. Lowes carries a similar style Craftsman .

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-Screw-Extractor-Set-3-Piece-A96302/326387584?MERCH=REC-_-rv_typeahead_rr-_-326387584-_-0-_-n/a-_-n/a-_-n/a-_-n/a-_-n/a

 

[KnurledNut]

I would heat the screwhead red hot with a mini torch and try screw extractor pliers first.

 

[BurtEggley]

I have always had luck with tightening vise grips down on a head like that. The danger is in glass breaks or shatters without much advance notice that its limit is being approached. There is always using a hardened drill in the center of each button to drill the heads off, but if it touches the glass - sayonara.

 

[Innovate1]

I have always had luck with tightening vise grips down on a head like that. The danger is in glass breaks or shatters without much advance notice that its limit is being approached. There is always using a hardened drill in the center of each button to drill the heads off, but if it touches the glass - sayonara.

There is virtually no sides to grab. It's a button head that tapers to almost nothing at the outside edge.

 

[Hank11]

Put Kroil on the screws twice, three times a day for a couple of days. Slot with Dremel (as I already suggested).
Any beating on that is going to break the glass.

 

[nadogail]

I would heat the screwhead red hot with a mini torch and try screw extractor pliers first.

Heat, Vibration and Kroil will be your friends

 

[NUTTSGT]

Ugh.... that is a "fancy" door, good luck.

 

[Stuart in MN]

It may be the problem here, but use a pick or needle or some other sharp object to clean out the socket, to make sure there isn't any dirt or debris preventing the Allen key from fully seating. And make sure the Allen key is a good quality one that doesn't have any wear on the tip.