Tips on unscrewing a stuck screw?

[Wenyce]

I'm having trouble unscrewing a stuck screw, I bought a screw extractor set and was able to get one out but this second is stubborn, the head even broke off. It's stuck in a stud and on the other side of the stood is more Sheetrock. The bit of the screw u see without a head is at the point of where im signaling with my finger nail on the one next to it. So basically about 70% of the screw is in the stud. Any suggestions?

 

[nclemmons]

Have you tried vise grips?  Looks like there is enough to grab. 

neil

 

[Vindingo]

hammer - hit it down a couple times, hit it up a couple times... it will snap off.  Looks like you're gonna have to spackle anyways. 

No need to waste your time actually getting the screw out of the wood, unless you don't want it in there for some reason. 

 

[tjbnwi]

hammer - hit it down a couple times, hit it up a couple times... it will snap off.  Looks like you're gonna have to spackle anyways.   

No need to waste your time actually getting the screw out of the wood, unless you don't want it in there for some reason.   

Agreed, or Dremmel with a cut off wheel.

Tom

 

[RKA]

I would plunge a small multi tool blade in at a 45 degree angle and cut it.  That should minimize the collateral damage.  Patch, sand and paint.  It's not worth the time to extract the screw, but if that's what you prefer, vice grips should do it.  

 

[Rocky]

If there is enough of the screw sticking you could use your drill with a chuck and tighten the chuck on the tip and screw it out.

 

[duburban]

vice grips are without a doubt the right answer only perhaps challenged by the breaking it off with a hammer method.

 

[Stone Message]

I made a short video about this a while ago.

It is dead easy...



Peter

 

[Michael_MA]

I'm having trouble unscrewing a stuck screw, I bought a screw extractor set and was able to get one out but this second is stubborn, the head even broke off. It's stuck in a stud and on the other side of the stood is more Sheetrock. The bit of the screw u see without a head is at the point of where im signaling with my finger nail on the one next to it. So basically about 70% of the screw is in the stud. Any suggestions?

In a similar situation, i used my dremel to cut a slot into the screw big enaugh to use a screwdriver to remove the screw,
Hth, Mike

 

[mastercabman]

hammer - hit it down a couple times, hit it up a couple times... it will snap off.  Looks like you're gonna have to spackle anyways.   

No need to waste your time actually getting the screw out of the wood, unless you don't want it in there for some reason.   

+1
it will break off clean!

 

[upscale]

I'm having trouble unscrewing a stuck screw, I bought a screw extractor set and was able to get one out but this second is stubborn, the head even broke off. It's stuck in a stud and on the other side of the stood is more Sheetrock.

If you want the screw out and not interested in just breaking it off, I can offer three suggestions. One is the vise grips or Dremel which most have mentioned here. The second is cutting a slot in the screw with the Dremel and trying a bladed screwdriver.

Should those methods fail and you just *have to have* the screw out, then a surefire method is a hole saw just larger than the screw. Break off what you've hole sawed and fill it in with your preferred filler.  

 

[fidelfs]

If there is enough of the screw sticking you could use your drill with a chuck and tighten the chuck on the tip and screw it out.

+1 easiest way and fastest.

 

[TelcoRandy]

Peter Parfitt's solution is the most difficult yet inventive that I've ever seen. That's way above my head, I wouldn't even know where to obtain brass tubing.

Even though this is not an appropriate solution for this particular problem (vice grips or cutting a slot into the screw head would be easiest), left handed drill bits often work great (even without using an extractor). Just last week a coworker of mine wanted to extract a stripped phillips panhead stainless steel 12-24 screw from a mounting position in a rack so he could mount a new router. I took him to Fastenal to buy a Norseman left handed drill extractor set and we just used one of the larger left handed drill bits to take it out. After cutting into it for a minute on slow speed it gripped and pulled it right out. Vice grips wouldn't have worked because it was nearly flush to the surface he could extract it from. Grinding a slot in it would've worked but we don't have Dremels.

Granted left handed drills are probably difficult to use successfully with smaller screws or ones that aren't broken flat because even with a center punch a dull or non 135 degree split point bit would wander easily.

*Edit* You could also try to see if you can grip it with a drill chuck since it's sticking out of the wall and just run your drill in reverse (as Michael Garrett suggested).

 

[Wenyce]

Thanks everyone, I ended up hammering up and down a could times, then vise grip and rotated it out. Great ideas all around, ima have to remember the chuck idea for the future.

 

[Slappy]

Thanks everyone, I ended up hammering up and down a could times, then vise grip and rotated it out. Great ideas all around, ima have to remember the chuck idea for the future.

the chuck idea has it's cautions as IF the chuck can't grip the screw well & then spins it's on it's self & not turning the screw then you risk scoring the inside surfaces of the chuck as it spins & then in the future the chucks ability to hold a round drill bit is diminished as you have damaged the inside surface ,been there done that & really wished I hadn't done it .
the vise grip method for me from now on .