I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
'pre-stripped.' In other words, there's not much edge for a Torx
driver to grip them. They almost look like rounded allen-head screws.
I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them.

These are not the tamper-proof variety, so I don't need a hollow-point
Torx driver (if they even make them that small).

The first thing that occurred to me was to place a small Torx driver
in the holes and tap the end lightly with a mallet. That could do
more harm than good though, as this looks like very soft metal. It's
also a working disk drive case, so I don't want to damage the drive.

I could try a tiny screw extractor, but the risk is that it wouldn't
work and then the remainder of the screw would really jam things up.

Any other ideas?

Small drill bit or grinding bit in a Dremel (other small drills are
available) should allow you to take the head off. If it's a drive, chances
are that once you've taken the head off the screw, the actual shank will
unscrew without any trouble because there won't be any pressure on it any
more. It's not as if it will be rusted in place, or if it is, you're
probably wasting your time anyway.

HTH
Mike.

"_ZZ" wrote in message
...
I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
'pre-stripped.' In other words, there's not much edge for a Torx
driver to grip them. They almost look like rounded allen-head screws.
I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them.

These are not the tamper-proof variety, so I don't need a hollow-point
Torx driver (if they even make them that small).

The first thing that occurred to me was to place a small Torx driver
in the holes and tap the end lightly with a mallet. That could do
more harm than good though, as this looks like very soft metal. It's
also a working disk drive case, so I don't want to damage the drive.

I could try a tiny screw extractor, but the risk is that it wouldn't
work and then the remainder of the screw would really jam things up.

Any other ideas?

"_ZZ" wrote in message
...
I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
'pre-stripped.' In other words, there's not much edge for a Torx
driver to grip them. They almost look like rounded allen-head screws.
I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them.

These are not the tamper-proof variety, so I don't need a hollow-point
Torx driver (if they even make them that small).

The first thing that occurred to me was to place a small Torx driver
in the holes and tap the end lightly with a mallet. That could do
more harm than good though, as this looks like very soft metal. It's
also a working disk drive case, so I don't want to damage the drive.

I could try a tiny screw extractor, but the risk is that it wouldn't
work and then the remainder of the screw would really jam things up.

Any other ideas?

You mentioned its a working disk drive - why do you need to disassemble its
case? Such operations are strictly for the experts in a cleanroom
environment as even a tiny spec of dust getting in can ruin a HDD. If on the
other hand you're referring to screws which hold the drive in the PC
case/cage then a dremel with a cutting disk in it could be used to cut a
groove in the head to suit a flat blade screwdriver.

Paul

_ZZ wrote:
I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
'pre-stripped.'

I frequently use a soldering iron on the offending screw to loosen it
before attempting to turn it with a screw extractor

Get a life...


schreef in bericht
ups.com...
: _ZZ wrote:
: I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
: about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
: 'pre-stripped.'
:
: I frequently use a soldering iron on the offending screw to loosen it
: before attempting to turn it with a screw extractor
:

In article ,
_ZZ wrote:

I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
'pre-stripped.' In other words, there's not much edge for a Torx
driver to grip them. They almost look like rounded allen-head screws.
I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them.

These are not the tamper-proof variety, so I don't need a hollow-point
Torx driver (if they even make them that small).

The first thing that occurred to me was to place a small Torx driver
in the holes and tap the end lightly with a mallet. That could do
more harm than good though, as this looks like very soft metal. It's
also a working disk drive case, so I don't want to damage the drive.

I could try a tiny screw extractor, but the risk is that it wouldn't
work and then the remainder of the screw would really jam things up.

Any other ideas?


I've found that a fractional drop of Kroil let to soak overnite will
work wonders. Beware that it will likely creep inside the drive with
unknown but seldom beneficial results - I've only used it on dead drives.

--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/

Mike wrote:

Small drill bit or grinding bit in a Dremel (other small drills are
available) should allow you to take the head off.


_________________________________________________

I use a Dremel too, but not to take the head off. Use a thin cutting
wheel and grind a screwdriver slot in the head, then use a regular
screwdriver to remove it. Works great if done carefully.

--
BT

"_ZZ" wrote in message
...
I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
'pre-stripped.' In other words, there's not much edge for a Torx
driver to grip them. They almost look like rounded allen-head screws.
I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them.

These are not the tamper-proof variety, so I don't need a hollow-point
Torx driver (if they even make them that small).

The first thing that occurred to me was to place a small Torx driver
in the holes and tap the end lightly with a mallet. That could do
more harm than good though, as this looks like very soft metal. It's
also a working disk drive case, so I don't want to damage the drive.

I could try a tiny screw extractor, but the risk is that it wouldn't
work and then the remainder of the screw would really jam things up.

Any other ideas?


Bolt splitter and a mallet. If that fails I usually get out the angle
grinder.

ss.

"Nick Hull" wrote in message
...
In article ,
_ZZ wrote:

I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
'pre-stripped.' In other words, there's not much edge for a Torx
driver to grip them. They almost look like rounded allen-head screws.
I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them.

These are not the tamper-proof variety, so I don't need a hollow-point
Torx driver (if they even make them that small).

The first thing that occurred to me was to place a small Torx driver
in the holes and tap the end lightly with a mallet. That could do
more harm than good though, as this looks like very soft metal. It's
also a working disk drive case, so I don't want to damage the drive.

I could try a tiny screw extractor, but the risk is that it wouldn't
work and then the remainder of the screw would really jam things up.

Any other ideas?


I've found that a fractional drop of Kroil let to soak overnite will
work wonders. Beware that it will likely creep inside the drive with
unknown but seldom beneficial results - I've only used it on dead drives.

--
Free men own guns, slaves don't

Slaves don`t need guns, `cos they`ve mostly been shot by the good old boys
with guns !!

www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/

_ZZ wrote:
I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
'pre-stripped.' In other words, there's not much edge for a Torx
driver to grip them. They almost look like rounded allen-head screws.
I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them.

These are not the tamper-proof variety, so I don't need a hollow-point
Torx driver (if they even make them that small).

The first thing that occurred to me was to place a small Torx driver
in the holes and tap the end lightly with a mallet. That could do
more harm than good though, as this looks like very soft metal. It's
also a working disk drive case, so I don't want to damage the drive.

I could try a tiny screw extractor, but the risk is that it wouldn't
work and then the remainder of the screw would really jam things up.

Any other ideas?



Use a small (3/32"?) left-handed drill bit and start drilling out the
screw *very* slowly with a variable speed drill. Once the drill bit
bites into the screw, it will back the screw out. I've done this will
several very small computer philips screws -- I don't know why torx
would be any different.

Best regards,
Bob

On Tue, 05 Jul 2005 02:57:00 -0400, _ZZ
wrote:

I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
'pre-stripped.' In other words, there's not much edge for a Torx
driver to grip them. They almost look like rounded allen-head screws.
I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them.

"Pre-stripped" as-in, their head used to be better but a
tool has stripped it some, or pre-stripped as-in, this is an
unusual screw head that is still in pristine condition?



These are not the tamper-proof variety, so I don't need a hollow-point
Torx driver (if they even make them that small).

The first thing that occurred to me was to place a small Torx driver
in the holes and tap the end lightly with a mallet. That could do
more harm than good though, as this looks like very soft metal. It's
also a working disk drive case, so I don't want to damage the drive.

You should not tap it with a mallet. Sudden shock to a
working (viable) drive is a bad idea ignoring the screws.




I could try a tiny screw extractor, but the risk is that it wouldn't
work and then the remainder of the screw would really jam things up.

Any other ideas?

Find the closest shaped bit you can that's a little
oversized. From your description it would be an allen bit.
Since that is not a complex shaped pattern you can probably
replicate it with minimal effort. Take a fine file and
reduce the bit just enough to fit with minimal-to-no force
to insert it.

_ZZ wrote:
I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
'pre-stripped.' In other words, there's not much edge for a Torx
driver to grip them. They almost look like rounded allen-head screws.
I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them.

These are not the tamper-proof variety, so I don't need a hollow-point
Torx driver (if they even make them that small).

The first thing that occurred to me was to place a small Torx driver
in the holes and tap the end lightly with a mallet. That could do
more harm than good though, as this looks like very soft metal. It's
also a working disk drive case, so I don't want to damage the drive.

I could try a tiny screw extractor, but the risk is that it wouldn't
work and then the remainder of the screw would really jam things up.

Any other ideas?

I would use an easyout. I would also tape up the drive so everything
was covered before beginning as you will be creating small bits of metal
that could destroy the drive it any at all got inside.

I would suggest the tape idea for any method you come up with.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

I would use the thin cut-off wheel on a
moto-tool to cut a slot across
the head. Then use a flat screwdriver.
If the screw is a flat head, you
may have the use a small "easy out." as
others have suggested.

Joseph Meehan wrote:
_ZZ wrote:

I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
'pre-stripped.' In other words, there's not much edge for a Torx
driver to grip them. They almost look like rounded allen-head screws.
I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them.

These are not the tamper-proof variety, so I don't need a hollow-point
Torx driver (if they even make them that small).

The first thing that occurred to me was to place a small Torx driver
in the holes and tap the end lightly with a mallet. That could do
more harm than good though, as this looks like very soft metal. It's
also a working disk drive case, so I don't want to damage the drive.

I could try a tiny screw extractor, but the risk is that it wouldn't
work and then the remainder of the screw would really jam things up.

Any other ideas?

"_ZZ" wrote:
I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
'pre-stripped.' In other words, there's not much edge for a Torx
driver to grip them. They almost look like rounded allen-head screws.
I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them.

These are not the tamper-proof variety, so I don't need a hollow-point
Torx driver (if they even make them that small).

The first thing that occurred to me was to place a small Torx driver
in the holes and tap the end lightly with a mallet. That could do
more harm than good though, as this looks like very soft metal. It's
also a working disk drive case, so I don't want to damage the drive.

I could try a tiny screw extractor, but the risk is that it wouldn't
work and then the remainder of the screw would really jam things up.

Clamp a small pair of vise grips on the outside of the fastner to get the
screw started, then continue with whatever method (vise grips, fingers,
torx, et cetera) you prefer from then on out. If that doesn't work, slit
the screw and use a flat screwdriver.

Jon

On Tue, 05 Jul 2005 17:04:51 GMT, kony wrote:

On Tue, 05 Jul 2005 02:57:00 -0400, _ZZ
wrote:

I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
'pre-stripped.' In other words, there's not much edge for a Torx
driver to grip them. They almost look like rounded allen-head screws.
I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them.

"Pre-stripped" as-in, their head used to be better but a
tool has stripped it some, or pre-stripped as-in, this is an
unusual screw head that is still in pristine condition?

Thanks to all for some great ideas that never occurred to me.

I should have explained a bit better: By 'Drive Case' I meant that
this is an external USB 2.0 case. I'm not dismantling the actual
drive--it's intact, inside this case.

The original objective was to buy the external USB2 case with a larger
drive, then swap the drive in the laptop with the drive in the case.
Imagine my surprise. 'Pre-stripped' means that the original Torx (if
that's even what they are) have barely any edge...very rounded, almost
like an allen indent, but even rounder. They obviously didn't want
people messing with their drive case. I've seen tons of cases like
this, and this is the only one that uses such a bizarre screw.

Also, the screws are slightly indented. Metal from the enclosure
forms a shoulder around it. But the idea of sawing a flat-blade slot
may work. I may be able to get a small blade in there.

Then I should probably find replacement screws. They'll probably be
some odd Martian thread.

On Tue, 5 Jul 2005 11:38:42 -0700, "Jon Danniken"
wrote:

"_ZZ" wrote:

I could try a tiny screw extractor, but the risk is that it wouldn't
work and then the remainder of the screw would really jam things up.

Clamp a small pair of vise grips on the outside of the fastner to get the
screw started, then continue with whatever method (vise grips, fingers,
torx, et cetera) you prefer from then on out. If that doesn't work, slit
the screw and use a flat screwdriver.

Jon

You know, that would have been my first try, but the screws are
indented (*******s! g).

I have a Dremel tool, but now I'm wishing I had bought the vari-speed.
The full-speed one is great for cutting circuit boards, etc. but a bit
scarey in this application. I also don't like the thought of a blade
flying apart at such a rotational speed. I saw that with a sanding
disk once...Impressive enough.

Is there a light-weight, low-powered tool that does this kind of thing
well? Probably a small, versatile battery-powered drill of some kind.
Between a battery-powered screwdriver and a plugin Dremel.

_ZZ wrote:

snip

Thanks to all for some great ideas that never occurred to me.

I should have explained a bit better: By 'Drive Case' I meant that
this is an external USB 2.0 case. I'm not dismantling the actual
drive--it's intact, inside this case.

The original objective was to buy the external USB2 case with a larger
drive, then swap the drive in the laptop with the drive in the case.
Imagine my surprise. 'Pre-stripped' means that the original Torx (if
that's even what they are) have barely any edge...very rounded, almost
like an allen indent, but even rounder. They obviously didn't want
people messing with their drive case. I've seen tons of cases like
this, and this is the only one that uses such a bizarre screw.

Also, the screws are slightly indented. Metal from the enclosure
forms a shoulder around it. But the idea of sawing a flat-blade slot
may work. I may be able to get a small blade in there.

Then I should probably find replacement screws. They'll probably be
some odd Martian thread.

They may *not* be Torx screws. Google "safety screws" for more info
on head/driver designs.

Notan

Notan wrote:

snip

They may *not* be Torx screws. Google "safety screws" for more info
on head/driver designs.

You might also want to check Sears or your local hardware store. They've
got "damaged screw removers," that, if small enough, might do the trick.

Notan

You know, that would have been my first try, but the screws are
indented (*******s! g).

I have a Dremel tool, but now I'm wishing I had bought the vari-speed.
The full-speed one is great for cutting circuit boards, etc. but a bit
scarey in this application. I also don't like the thought of a blade
flying apart at such a rotational speed. I saw that with a sanding
disk once...Impressive enough.

Is there a light-weight, low-powered tool that does this kind of thing
well? Probably a small, versatile battery-powered drill of some kind.
Between a battery-powered screwdriver and a plugin Dremel.


You might try a "worn down" cutoff
wheel. When worn, the diameter can
be as small as 3/8". Not knowing the
exact geometry of the drive, it's hard
to know if this would work. You still
have to physically get the tool in the
area. BTW, use safety glasses ... these
wheels can fly when they break up
and they WILL break.

Bill Turner wrote:
I use a Dremel too, but not to take the head off. Use a thin cutting
wheel and grind a screwdriver slot in the head, then use a regular
screwdriver to remove it. Works great if done carefully.


Back in the days when I used to help do aircraft annual inspections, we often
used this technique for inspection port screw heads that were stripped. It
works great most of the time.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

On Wed, 06 Jul 2005 03:26:46 GMT, "Mortimer Schnerd, RN"
wrote:

Bill Turner wrote:
I use a Dremel too, but not to take the head off. Use a thin cutting
wheel and grind a screwdriver slot in the head, then use a regular
screwdriver to remove it. Works great if done carefully.


Back in the days when I used to help do aircraft annual inspections, we often
used this technique for inspection port screw heads that were stripped. It
works great most of the time.


It is good for many situations but I believe OP already
described this as one of the more typical plastic enclosure
methods where the screws are well-recessed, it would require
cutting a fair distance through the casing around the screw,
maybe even enough to make the casing structurally unsound
due to cutting the slots.

Bill Turner wrote:
I use a Dremel too, but not to take the head off. Use a thin cutting
wheel and grind a screwdriver slot in the head, then use a regular
screwdriver to remove it. Works great if done carefully.


Back in the days when I used to help do aircraft annual inspections, we often
used this technique for inspection port screw heads that were stripped. It
works great most of the time.


It is good for many situations but I believe OP already
described this as one of the more typical plastic enclosure
methods where the screws are well-recessed, it would require
cutting a fair distance through the casing around the screw,
maybe even enough to make the casing structurally unsound
due to cutting the slots.

Line the depression with paper, with the screw-head
poking through. Then mix up a wad of 2-part epoxy,
and stuff it in the hole.

On Wed, 06 Jul 2005 11:05:13 -0400, Goedjn
wrote:



Bill Turner wrote:
I use a Dremel too, but not to take the head off. Use a thin cutting
wheel and grind a screwdriver slot in the head, then use a regular
screwdriver to remove it. Works great if done carefully.


Back in the days when I used to help do aircraft annual inspections, we often
used this technique for inspection port screw heads that were stripped. It
works great most of the time.


It is good for many situations but I believe OP already
described this as one of the more typical plastic enclosure
methods where the screws are well-recessed, it would require
cutting a fair distance through the casing around the screw,
maybe even enough to make the casing structurally unsound
due to cutting the slots.

Line the depression with paper, with the screw-head
poking through. Then mix up a wad of 2-part epoxy,
and stuff it in the hole.

This epoxy idea may work, but it seems you left out a few
details as a hole filled with epoxy isn't much easier to get
out than one with an odd head pattern. I have used epoxy
before though, sometimes with success and other times it
just tore up the epoxy. This was using JDWeld, do you have
a better suggestion for a stronger epoxy? I'd also thought
about saving some aluminum filings the next time I did any
metalwork (non-computer related, just fine almost dustlike
Al) then mixing that into the epoxy to fortify it.

I still like my idea of filing down a bit because if you
ever come across that pattern & size again you'd already
have the bit.

I was able to remove the torx screws on my E2 with a very small (1/16")
regular slotted screwdriver.

GC


"_ZZ" wrote in message
...
I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
'pre-stripped.' In other words, there's not much edge for a Torx
driver to grip them. They almost look like rounded allen-head screws.
I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them.

These are not the tamper-proof variety, so I don't need a hollow-point
Torx driver (if they even make them that small).

The first thing that occurred to me was to place a small Torx driver
in the holes and tap the end lightly with a mallet. That could do
more harm than good though, as this looks like very soft metal. It's
also a working disk drive case, so I don't want to damage the drive.

I could try a tiny screw extractor, but the risk is that it wouldn't
work and then the remainder of the screw would really jam things up.

Any other ideas?

"Chips" wrote in message
. ..
I was able to remove the torx screws on my E2 with a very small (1/16")
regular slotted screwdriver.

GC


"_ZZ" wrote in message
...
I'm trying to deal with small Torx screws on a drive case. They're
about T8, maybe T7. Tough to tell cause the screws are
'pre-stripped.' In other words, there's not much edge for a Torx
driver to grip them. They almost look like rounded allen-head screws.
I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them.

These are not the tamper-proof variety, so I don't need a hollow-point
Torx driver (if they even make them that small).

The first thing that occurred to me was to place a small Torx driver
in the holes and tap the end lightly with a mallet. That could do
more harm than good though, as this looks like very soft metal. It's
also a working disk drive case, so I don't want to damage the drive.

I could try a tiny screw extractor, but the risk is that it wouldn't
work and then the remainder of the screw would really jam things up.

Any other ideas?

Heating the screw with a soldering iron will help to free it, if you can
devise a method of turning it.
bw..OJ

On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 12:41:52 GMT, "old jon"
wrote:

Heating the screw with a soldering iron will help to free it, if you can
devise a method of turning it.

No. Heating the screw will make it expand, which will make it harder
to extract.

Sears has screw extractors. Get the kind for screws that cannot be
drilled - the one that fits over the head of the screw and has
left-handed protrusions inside which grip the screw.

Go easy or you will snap the screw off. You should soak the threads in
anti-seize liquid like WD-40 overnight to help ease the unscrewing.

On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 13:20:55 GMT, (Bob) wrote:

On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 12:41:52 GMT, "old jon"
wrote:

Heating the screw with a soldering iron will help to free it, if you can
devise a method of turning it.

No. Heating the screw will make it expand, which will make it harder
to extract.

Sears has screw extractors. Get the kind for screws that cannot be
drilled - the one that fits over the head of the screw and has
left-handed protrusions inside which grip the screw.

Go easy or you will snap the screw off. You should soak the threads in
anti-seize liquid like WD-40 overnight to help ease the unscrewing.



SInce the heads on these screws are probably protruding
above the casing, a high-tolernace pair of needle-nose
pliers might be used to turn them. Other alternatives
include using a high acid silver solder plus a clean torx
bit, soldering the torx bit into the screw head (Or at least
making an impression of the screw head even if they dont'
mechanically join.

I have to wonder what gain there is in getting these screws
out though, if the drive is scrap anyway and they can't RMA
it, then maybe using a drill press to drill the head off is
enough.

On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 18:40:15 GMT, kony wrote:

SInce the heads on these screws are probably protruding
above the casing, a high-tolernace pair of needle-nose
pliers might be used to turn them.

A small pair of vice grips can also be used.

Other alternatives
include using a high acid silver solder plus a clean torx
bit, soldering the torx bit into the screw head (Or at least
making an impression of the screw head even if they dont'
mechanically join.

I would be afraid of burning something.

He might try JB Weld overnight epoxy. That stuf is strong enough to
repair an engine block

I have to wonder what gain there is in getting these screws
out though, if the drive is scrap anyway and they can't RMA
it, then maybe using a drill press to drill the head off is
enough.

They aren't going to RMA a drive that has obviously been tampered
with.

On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 19:03:00 GMT, (Bob) wrote:

On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 18:40:15 GMT, kony wrote:

SInce the heads on these screws are probably protruding
above the casing, a high-tolernace pair of needle-nose
pliers might be used to turn them.

A small pair of vice grips can also be used.

Perhaps, but all the vice grips I've seen had so much play
in them it might be hard to grip the screws- drive screws
usually dont' stick up much.



Other alternatives
include using a high acid silver solder plus a clean torx
bit, soldering the torx bit into the screw head (Or at least
making an impression of the screw head even if they dont'
mechanically join.

I would be afraid of burning something.

Naw, the entire drive shell is a pretty massive 'sink... all
you have to do is get the bit above the melting point of the
solder and that can even be done before it's inserted into
the screwhead.



He might try JB Weld overnight epoxy. That stuf is strong enough to
repair an engine block

Yes that might work, providing at least one of the surfaces
is roughened up some with some sandpaper. Even JDWeld
doesn't do too well in high-torque situations on smooth
surfaces.



I have to wonder what gain there is in getting these screws
out though, if the drive is scrap anyway and they can't RMA
it, then maybe using a drill press to drill the head off is
enough.

They aren't going to RMA a drive that has obviously been tampered
with.


.... but it has already, the screw head is already stripped.

On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 23:43:23 GMT, kony wrote:

I would be afraid of burning something.

Naw, the entire drive shell is a pretty massive 'sink... all
you have to do is get the bit above the melting point of the
solder and that can even be done before it's inserted into
the screwhead.

You still have to heat the screw at least to the melting point of the
silver solder for it to stick.

On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 18:26:39 -0700, Roy Lewallen
wrote:

If the screw head protrudes, you can cut a slot in it with a Dremel tool
cut-off wheel and use a conventional screwdriver on it. This of course
won't work if the cutoff wheel is too thick for the tiny screw, but the
lightest-duty cutoff wheel is pretty thin. I've used this method many
times for larger screws - works great.

If the screw is too small you can use an extractor like the one at
Sears. It fits over the head and has left-handed protrusions inside to
grip the head.

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 07:08:30 GMT, (Bob) wrote:

On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 18:26:39 -0700, Roy Lewallen
wrote:

If the screw head protrudes, you can cut a slot in it with a Dremel tool
cut-off wheel and use a conventional screwdriver on it. This of course
won't work if the cutoff wheel is too thick for the tiny screw, but the
lightest-duty cutoff wheel is pretty thin. I've used this method many
times for larger screws - works great.

If the screw is too small you can use an extractor like the one at
Sears. It fits over the head and has left-handed protrusions inside to
grip the head.


The thread is old enough now that I've not retained the
first parts, don't remember if this is an external casing
holding the drive or a drive itself. If an external casing
the screws probably are recessed... and if memory serves
correctly, my Craftsman extractors are all larger than the
typical plastic recessions for smaller screws. It'd
probably work though if minor cosmetic damage was
acceptible.

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 07:07:23 GMT, (Bob) wrote:

On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 23:43:23 GMT, kony wrote:

I would be afraid of burning something.

Naw, the entire drive shell is a pretty massive 'sink... all
you have to do is get the bit above the melting point of the
solder and that can even be done before it's inserted into
the screwhead.

You still have to heat the screw at least to the melting point of the
silver solder for it to stick.


Yes, but if the case is metal that shouldn't matter.
Heating and contraction (after cooling) might even help to
free it if it's stuck in a dissimilar metal case. It may
not be necessary to heat the screw though, I wasn't only
considering trying to solder the bit to the screw, but also
that if the bit with molten solder is inserted in the screw
head, the solder will still cool to the shape of the screw
head even if it doesn't adhere to it... and it was one of
the reasons I suggested silver solder (or something else
other than tin/lead) as it is tougher than std tin/lead.

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 11:34:22 GMT, kony wrote:

Yes, but if the case is metal that shouldn't matter.
Heating and contraction (after cooling) might even help to
free it if it's stuck in a dissimilar metal case. It may
not be necessary to heat the screw though,

That's how I usually free up screws - heat the thing the screw is in.

if the bit with molten solder is inserted in the screw
head, the solder will still cool to the shape of the screw
head even if it doesn't adhere to it... and it was one of
the reasons I suggested silver solder (or something else
other than tin/lead) as it is tougher than std tin/lead.

I have never tried that. It may just work. If so, then you do not need
to heat the screw - just melt a drop of silver solder above the screw
and let it fall into the head of the screw.

kony wrote:

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 07:07:23 GMT, (Bob) wrote:

On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 23:43:23 GMT, kony wrote:

I would be afraid of burning something.

Naw, the entire drive shell is a pretty massive 'sink... all
you have to do is get the bit above the melting point of the
solder and that can even be done before it's inserted into
the screwhead.

You still have to heat the screw at least to the melting point of the
silver solder for it to stick.


Yes, but if the case is metal that shouldn't matter.

snip

Am I missing something?

While the case might be metal, there's a good chance that some of
the internal components aren't... Heat those up and your drive is
dead in the water!

Notan

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 08:20:07 -0600, Notan
wrote:


Naw, the entire drive shell is a pretty massive 'sink... all
you have to do is get the bit above the melting point of the
solder and that can even be done before it's inserted into
the screwhead.

You still have to heat the screw at least to the melting point of the
silver solder for it to stick.


Yes, but if the case is metal that shouldn't matter.

snip

Am I missing something?

Yes, you're missing that heat density high enough to melt
solder on a bit will not heat up and entire drive enough to
damage it. Ever noticed that things can be soldered and the
rest of the board isn't trash afterwards? Same situation,
except that it's an order of magnitude harder to heat up a
giant hunk of metal enough to do damage.


While the case might be metal, there's a good chance that some of
the internal components aren't... Heat those up and your drive is
dead in the water!

If someone has never soldered anything large in their entire
life, this certainly isn't the best project to start out
with... but generally speaking, it's rather trivial to heat
up a piece and not have it heat up a giant block of metal
connected by a mere millimeter or two of loose contact, very
much at all in the time it takes to melt a little solder.

kony wrote:

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 08:20:07 -0600, Notan
wrote:

Naw, the entire drive shell is a pretty massive 'sink... all
you have to do is get the bit above the melting point of the
solder and that can even be done before it's inserted into
the screwhead.

You still have to heat the screw at least to the melting point of the
silver solder for it to stick.


Yes, but if the case is metal that shouldn't matter.

snip

Am I missing something?

Yes, you're missing that heat density high enough to melt
solder on a bit will not heat up and entire drive enough to
damage it. Ever noticed that things can be soldered and the
rest of the board isn't trash afterwards? Same situation,
except that it's an order of magnitude harder to heat up a
giant hunk of metal enough to do damage.


While the case might be metal, there's a good chance that some of
the internal components aren't... Heat those up and your drive is
dead in the water!

If someone has never soldered anything large in their entire
life, this certainly isn't the best project to start out
with... but generally speaking, it's rather trivial to heat
up a piece and not have it heat up a giant block of metal
connected by a mere millimeter or two of loose contact, very
much at all in the time it takes to melt a little solder.

I used to design, and build, printed circuit boards, so I'm more
than casually familiar with soldering techniques! g

What I'm not familiar with is the design of *this* particular hard
drive enclosure. Are sheet metal or machine screws used? Are they
driven into plastic or some type of threaded metal?

See where I'm going?

Notan

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 16:47:22 -0600, Notan wrote:

See where I'm going?

I think the moral of this endless saga is to RMA the bloody drive and
not try to take it apart.

Another lesson to be learned is that hard metal screws seize on
aluminum so you must lubricate before trying to unscrew. That's what
they make WD-40 for.

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 16:47:22 -0600, Notan
wrote:


Yes, you're missing that heat density high enough to melt
solder on a bit will not heat up and entire drive enough to
damage it. Ever noticed that things can be soldered and the
rest of the board isn't trash afterwards? Same situation,
except that it's an order of magnitude harder to heat up a
giant hunk of metal enough to do damage.


While the case might be metal, there's a good chance that some of
the internal components aren't... Heat those up and your drive is
dead in the water!

If someone has never soldered anything large in their entire
life, this certainly isn't the best project to start out
with... but generally speaking, it's rather trivial to heat
up a piece and not have it heat up a giant block of metal
connected by a mere millimeter or two of loose contact, very
much at all in the time it takes to melt a little solder.

I used to design, and build, printed circuit boards, so I'm more
than casually familiar with soldering techniques! g

What I'm not familiar with is the design of *this* particular hard
drive enclosure. Are sheet metal or machine screws used? Are they
driven into plastic or some type of threaded metal?

See where I'm going?

yes but I have no idea, I"d already deleted the rest of the
thread and too lazy to go hunt it down again. In any case,
it should not damage a drive as those are encased in metal,
it'd be a problem if the screw was in a plastic casing
though I'd be surprised if the screw was very hard to get
out of a plastic casing so I suppose I'd assumed metal.

kony wrote:

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 16:47:22 -0600, Notan
wrote:

Yes, you're missing that heat density high enough to melt
solder on a bit will not heat up and entire drive enough to
damage it. Ever noticed that things can be soldered and the
rest of the board isn't trash afterwards? Same situation,
except that it's an order of magnitude harder to heat up a
giant hunk of metal enough to do damage.


While the case might be metal, there's a good chance that some of
the internal components aren't... Heat those up and your drive is
dead in the water!

If someone has never soldered anything large in their entire
life, this certainly isn't the best project to start out
with... but generally speaking, it's rather trivial to heat
up a piece and not have it heat up a giant block of metal
connected by a mere millimeter or two of loose contact, very
much at all in the time it takes to melt a little solder.

I used to design, and build, printed circuit boards, so I'm more
than casually familiar with soldering techniques! g

What I'm not familiar with is the design of *this* particular hard
drive enclosure. Are sheet metal or machine screws used? Are they
driven into plastic or some type of threaded metal?

See where I'm going?

yes but I have no idea, I"d already deleted the rest of the
thread and too lazy to go hunt it down again. In any case,
it should not damage a drive as those are encased in metal,
it'd be a problem if the screw was in a plastic casing
though I'd be surprised if the screw was very hard to get
out of a plastic casing so I suppose I'd assumed metal.

Personally, I like the idea of epoxying something to the head
of the screw, rather than using heat.

Whatever you decide, be sure to let us know what you came up
with... None of us are ever too old to learn something new.

Good Luck!

Notan