As a last resort, drill out the entire bolt, and only if it holds metal objects together. If all else fails, you can drill out the bolt with a drill. This will most likely destroy the threads. At this stage, the following solutions are possible:

• Replace the old screw with a slightly larger self-tapping screw.
• Use a nut and bolt. If desired, weld the nut to one of the metal objects to create a stationary, threaded fastener.
• If the bolt was large enough, install the HeliCoil threaded insert.

Often times, by placing a wide, flat rubber band between the bolt and the screwdriver, you can achieve good results if pressure and slow rotation are used. The rubber band fills in the space that the screwdriver cannot grasp.

• The Phillips screw can be removed with a hacksaw. After that, a screwdriver can be used to remove the bolt.
• Try this simple method: (explanation for Torx bolt)
  • (1) Hold and rotate the screwdriver with your dominant hand and guide the tip with your other hand.
  • (2) Without applying any pressure, turn the screwdriver counterclockwise, feeling tension in all possible positions.
  • (3) Continue twisting until you feel maximum grip (after one full turn).
  • (4) Stop and turn clockwise to get maximum effect clutch.
  • (5) Now do your best to push (concentrate more on this, because if you fail, the cap will be damaged even more) and rotate the screwdriver counterclockwise. If the bolt can be removed at all using a screwdriver, then this is your best chance.
• If the bolt or screw is securing, use a metal lubricant such as WD-40, PB Blaster, or other lubricating oil. It has great importance... It reduces the rotation required to remove the bolt and therefore makes removal much more efficient. Without oil, any removal is more difficult.
• You can try to unscrew the bolt by grabbing the cap with pliers.

Caveats

• Welding is very dangerous and should only be performed by specialists.
• If you are using a bolt extractor, it can get stuck in a frayed bolt and be difficult to remove. You can try using it again, and then at least you will remove the bolt.
• Make sure that the object you are removing the bolt from is secured well and that you have everything under control so that if it slips out, you will not be hurt. You may need to put in a little effort to do this.
• Metal shavings from the bolt can cause injury or mechanical damage.
• Electrical tools can be dangerous and should only be used under adult supervision. Follow instructions and wear safety glasses.

What do you need

• Screwdriver
• A device for removing torn off bolts, a device for removing pieces of torn off bolts or an extracting screw (from 35 to 700 rubles)
• Socket wrench
• Electric drill
• Drill for metal
• Protective glasses
• Work gloves
• Hammer
• Professional welder (optional)

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Photo 1... Removing an old countersunk screw from a sash with glass.

Of course the simplest and quick way getting rid of old screws is a crowbar, but this method is only good when old ones are being disassembled wooden windows or doors before being taken to a landfill or when appearance is not critical. And in order to unscrew an old screw with a minimum of damage for the tree into which it is screwed, and for glass, if the work is carried out with sash(as shown in the photo), the following actions often need to be taken:

1. Clean the splines from paint

The slot (from the German schlitz - cut) is a recess on the head (head) of the screw for a regular or Phillips screwdriver. In Soviet times, with all sorts of handles, locks and other latches on windows and doors, they did not stand on ceremony, and therefore they covered it with oil paint, without hesitation and not paying attention to what was on the fittings or screws protective covering or not. Well, the paint, obeying the laws of physics, accumulated in the slots and dried there, replacing the putty. It is almost impossible to unscrew a screw with 3-5 layers of paint on a countersunk head without cleaning the slot. However, it is not so difficult to clean the old oil paint from the slot. It's enough to have any sharp enough metal object made of durable metal. A sufficiently strong metal means not only tool steel, but also different kinds pobeditovye and corundum solders on all sorts of scribes, in extreme cases, you can use a thin nail, in any case, its strength is much greater than strength oil paint... Personally, I use a special wedge bit for these purposes, previously this was included in a set of screwdrivers. With such a nozzle, you can not only bend wood, but also clean the slots from paint. However, the disadvantage of such a nozzle is that it is not always at hand. This happened in the described case, when in the country it was necessary to unscrew a couple of old handles, so a nail was used to clean the slots.

You need to clean the splines very carefully, the more paint you remove from the splines, the more likely it is that the screw can be unscrewed. However, this is not yet a guarantee of success. I don’t know exactly why, whether because there was some mistake or flaw in the screw-making technology, or screws for domestic purposes were made only on equipment worn out in the arms race, or from low quality steel, or simply because I only come across such old screws, but the slots of the old shovel screws are not of high quality. And their main drawback is that the slots are not deep. And the shallower the depth of the slot, the easier it is to “rip off” or “lick off” these same slots when unscrewing. After all, when we try to unscrew the screw, we must overcome the frictional force between the screw shaft and the wood. This force arises during elastic deformations of wood and does not weaken for many years and even decades, and if the screw also rusts, then it is still necessary to additionally destroy the resulting scale. And this is not always easy to do. Even a simple nail driven into wood, which can be immediately pulled out with a crowbar without any problems, after many years, due to corrosion, can adhere to the wood so that it is almost impossible to pull it out, just cut it off or break it off.

Sometimes if you have an old unnecessary screwdriver, you can sharpen it and use it as a chisel to deepen the slots.

2. Press the screwdriver as hard as possible at the very beginning of unscrewing

As already mentioned, the main task is to overcome the frictional force and the adhesive force of rust, i.e. rip the screw off the ground. If you managed to turn the screw at least a quarter of a turn, then consider that the job is done, then everything will only get easier. With each revolution, the contact area of ​​the screw with the wood will decrease and, therefore, the friction force will decrease. Sometimes in the process of unscrewing the slots are completely licked off, but if the screw is unscrewed at least half a centimeter, then you can continue to work with pliers.

3. Drill out the screw head

If the screw was hammered, and not twisted into the wood and at the same time bent, or rather, its axis changed its shape and became not straight, then to unscrew such a screw you need sufficient play, which can only be obtained if the screw to be unscrewed is the last one. And also if you tore off the slots on the screw head, but could not turn it even a quarter of a turn, then in these cases the best option- drilling the screw head. To do this, you need to have a drill and drill for metal with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the countersunk screw head. When you ripped off the splines, you can drill out the head without preliminary punching, and if the screw does not stupidly unscrew, but the splines are in place, then it is better to screw it first. However, in the course of drilling, the drill itself will fall into the pot. After the head is drilled out, you can remove the fittings and the rest of the screw, either unscrew it with pliers or hammer in deeper with a hammer.

There are probably other ways to remove old rusty screws, but I don't know them yet.

The use of screws for fastening any products is convenient and reliable. But it often happens that you urgently need to unscrew the screw, but there is no suitable screwdriver at hand. Of course, using a screwdriver is the easiest and safest method, but if necessary, you can do without it. How to unscrew a screw without a screwdriver? Today you will find out about it!

Let's start off with, a screw is a cylindrical rod with a special head, on which a helical groove is applied... Screws are produced in a variety of normative documents, including GOST 1144-80, GOST 1145-80, etc.

At the same time, there are two main types of hardware - these are:

• classic screws;
• self-tapping(also known as self-tapping screws).

For designation in this case, the diameter and length of the screw are used (for example, a product with a diameter of 5 mm and a length of 3.5 cm will be designated as 5x35 mm). In addition, hardware can be classified according to the shape of the slot and the characteristics of the head itself:

• with a flat (countersunk) head;
• with the same, but reduced type;
• with a press washer;
• with a hemispherical head.

All these varieties are made with a cross-head, with a straight (flat) and with a Torx slot (the latter is also known as a "sprocket"), as well as with an internal hex and other less popular options. There are also self-tapping screws with a hex and octagonal head (roofing), which are also made with different slots.

On a note! By the type of thread, the screws are also divided into several varieties, which is due, first of all, to the materials to be joined and the specific purpose (for metal, wood, for drywall or small household appliances).

Ways to unscrew a screw without a screwdriver

Consider the most effective ways depending on the specific type of slot. Let's start with a cruciform.

Option number 1. Cross recess

To begin with, note that some screws may have one groove on the head longer than the other. If so, then you should only work with a longer indentation to simplify the task. We also add that the edges of these grooves can grind off, and therefore you should work carefully, otherwise you can ruin the product.

One of the most simple ways Is the use of a coin. The method often only works with small screws. The coin must be inserted into the groove and then turned counterclockwise.

You can try to unscrew a loosely tightened screw with your fingernail. The actions are the same as in the previous method.

Take a knife, place it in the recess (long, if they different lengths) and scroll. Be careful, because if the screw is tightly tightened, and the knife you are using is of poor quality, then it (the knife) can be bent without achieving the desired result.

Step 5. Use an old CD. Place the edge in the groove and twist. The CD itself may be damaged as a result of such manipulations, and therefore make sure in advance that it is no longer needed. The method will definitely not help if the screw is tightly tightened.

Step 6. You can cut a long groove on the head with a hacksaw, but this method is effective only when the hardware is not completely twisted, that is, if the head protrudes slightly above the surface. Hold the saw at right angles to the head and cut slowly and carefully. Further, when the groove is ready, the screw can be unscrewed with a flat screwdriver or improvised means (for example, a credit card).

Step 7. Use a suitable sized flathead screwdriver without a Phillips head. Tellingly, this can only work with large / medium diameter screws. Be careful not to rip off the edges of the slot!

Step 8. Another option is to use a toothbrush. Melt one end of it with a lighter, then immediately insert it into the groove on the screw head. After waiting a little for the molten plastic to solidify, turn the brush counterclockwise. Of course, it won't help if the screw is tightened too much.

Option number 2. Flat slot

As noted earlier, there is only one indentation on the head of such a screw. In the absence of a flat screwdriver, the product can be unscrewed using improvised means. Let's see how you can do this.

Use a credit card - insert it into the groove and try to twist. Use only an unnecessary card, because it may well be damaged during unscrewing.

You can also take the "eyelet" from a can (soda, beer). Insert the broken off "eyelet" into the groove on the head of the hardware, scroll.

Use a regular coin - insert it into the groove and still try to twist.

Step 5. If the screw is not tight enough, you can try to unscrew it with your fingernail. The method is not always effective for obvious reasons.

Step 6. Try to unscrew the screw with a knife, inserting the blade of the latter into the groove. This will run the risk of bending the knife.

Step 7. The last way- using pliers. Suitable if the screw is not fully tightened. It is advisable to use pointed pliers for this, not ordinary pliers.

Option number 3. Unscrew the Torx screw

These are screws with a six-pointed star recess on the head. Such screws, by the way, are protected - with a rod in the center of the star. In any case, proceed with caution, because the edges of such a slot can easily be damaged.

Try using a flathead screwdriver. Insert its sting into a pair of opposite beams, gently scroll counterclockwise. And if the screw is protected, then insert the screwdriver between the rod and any of the beams, and scroll in the opposite direction.

To unscrew a protected Torx screw, try using a screwdriver for an unprotected one, but in this case, the rod on the head will have to be removed (this can be done, for example, with a center punch and a hammer).

One more possible variant- drill a hole on the tip of a conventional screwdriver for the star rod.

Finally, you can use the same toothbrush by melting one end of it with a lighter (proceed in the same way as described in one of the previous methods).

Option number 4. Unscrew the small screw

Let's make a reservation right away that small screws are especially difficult to unscrew without having the appropriate tools at hand. Typically, these screws are found in various electronic devices. Ideally, tools intended for repairing glasses should be used for unscrewing (there will be no difficulties with finding them, and they are not very expensive). If such equipment is not available, use one of the methods described below.

Table No1. How to unscrew small screw.

Steps, photo	Description of actions
	Use a knife - place the sharp end of it in the slot and try to twist. It is advisable to insert the tip at a slight angle to increase the contact area.
	Use a nail file. Proceed by analogy with the previous method.
	If you have small, pointed scissors on hand, you can use them. But we will immediately note that such scissors are not the best way for loosening screws.
	Use tweezers. Insert its sharp end into the groove and try to turn.

On a note! Another good option is to use a regular nail, the square point of which is ideal for a cross recess. For example, for screws mobile phone an 80mm nail will do.

Torn off screw

It is not uncommon for screws with a flat / hemispherical head (or rather, slots) to break off, and there may be several reasons for this:

• using an old, low-quality or unsuitable tool;
• improper screwing in (with a hammer, for example);
• insufficient effort when unscrewing / twisting and, as a result, the screwdriver jumps out of the slot;
• Screw "acidification" (corrosion);
• incorrect use of hardware (without drilling, when it is necessary, or for an unsuitable material).

Method number 1. Twisting

Carefully inspect the screwdriver with which you unscrew the screw, and, if necessary, change to a more suitable one. It is important that the tip fits snugly into the groove and is not damaged. If replacing the screwdriver does not help, you can use other methods. If necessary, for example, unscrew the screw from wooden product, then hit the head and then tap the instrument with each force. You can also use pliers if possible, as we mentioned above. Or you can use a rubber band to seal.

On a note! To make the self-tapping screw start scrolling, use a few drops of lubricating or brake fluid, kerosene. You can also heat the screw so that it expands - this is how the material surrounding it deforms, and the product can be unscrewed.

If all else fails, drastic measures can be taken.

Video - The best ways to remove a broken screw

Method number 2. Sawing

You can try to unscrew any type of screw with a flat screwdriver. Using a grinder or a hacksaw for metal, make a straight slot in the screw head. But remember that the slot must be at least ½ of the head height, otherwise you risk destroying it. This method can be used in combination with others.

Method number 3. Extractors

Another good way to remove the screw. Select the drill so that its diameter is less than that of the threaded part of the hardware, make a recess in the head, cut the left thread there and unscrew the screw using conical extractors. This is suitable for all types of heads, but in the case of self-tapping screws, you will have to choose a different method - they are produced hardened.

What conclusions can be drawn? If you need to unscrew a screw with torn off edges, then the easiest way to do this is by welding (or gluing, if the force is not too large) a nut or some kind of stop to the rest of the hardware, heating and cutting.

Video - How to unscrew a licked screw