Thread: Help! 2 seized screws in Sollyfit plates, heads now stripped

I went to unscrew my Dynafits from my Sollyfits and discovered that the 2 rearmost screws on the toepiece are seized. I've had one seized screw before and resolved it by taking out all the others and spinning the entire binding, which usually dislodges the screws. But having 2 side-by-side stuck eliminates that possibility.

In order to loosen the blue loctite, I tried applying heat, both by hitting the heads of the screws with a soldering iron and using a hair dryer.

They're so stuck that I broke the fancy t-handle allen key I got from Jondrums. The plastic t-handle now spins on the shaft. Using regular cheapo allen keys, I have now managed to strip the heads.

I tried torx bits but I'm between sizes. The smaller one I have just spins and I can't get the larger one in.

What's next?

I could drill out the heads but then I risk having the screw's shaft stuck in the plate indefinitely, rending the plate useless.

I could also go pick up an easy out. But I've never used one before...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw_extractor

Extractor, or you could take a dremel tool and cut a slot in the head and try a standard screw driver.

Easy out has worked for me in the past.

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I've had that issue happen a few times, i drilled off the head os the screw then a vice grip to get the rest of the screw out. easy and fast.

Loctite has a new spray to freeze bolts and screws breaking the corrosion making them eaier to get out. I've never tried the Loctite version but I've had very good luck using a similar product designed for military and aircraft use.
If you stripped the head you may have to drill the head off as suggested.

I went to Home Depot this morning and they sold me a screw extractor that wasn't an Easy Out. It kind of looks like a binding drill bit but with the pitch counter-clockwise instead of clockwise. This: http://www.homedepot.ca/product/3-pi...tor-set/918598

It didn't do fuck all toward loosening the stuck screws, but it did drill down a bit into the head of the machine screw, giving a good start toward drilling out the heads of the screws. I ended up drilling them out then removed the rest with vice grips. Worked perfectly.

It looked like it was the head of the machine screw that was seized to the toe piece, not the threads. Once I drilled out the screw, a hammer was involved to tap the head off the toe piece.

Anyway, there's a lot of residual loctite on both screws and plates after many swaps where loctite was added each time. I'm not sure it's necessary to do so.

The other thing I'd say is to make sure that you get the fancy t-handle allen key that Jondrums sells. It seems to work a lot better toward not stripping the heads. With the little ones included with the plates as well as some others I had at home, it only took one try on a stuck screw to strip the heads. With the high-quality one, the handle stripped out before the screw head did.

The 3mm allen key that came with my plates was very poor also. Seemed marginally too small for the screws and will strip the heads easily. I even tried a 1/8 hex bit in case Jondrums just got it wrong, but that's definitely too big. A good 3mm bit or driver is necessary. I think it was Jondrums himself who gave a tip for unscrewing Loctited bolts: start with an aggressive jerk to break the Loctite, less chance of stripping than if you pry it slowly.

Glad it worked out for you.

I'll say it now: I've NEVER had a screw extractor or easy out work for me the way it's supposed to. About half the time I get it to work like D(C) and the other half I just have to drill and tap (obviously not an option in this case).

I've never had an extractor/easyout fail. Works every time. The key is to prep the screw head properly.

Hmm...guess I'm doing something wrong. Can you explain how to "prep the screw head properly," or should I just do a google search next time I need to use one?

Basically create a very clean cone on the head that extends in depth beyond the head just into the shaft of the screw. Then when you use the back out, use a sufficient pressure until it bites properly. If this isn't done well, the head will tend to shear off the shaft of the screw, or just crumble apart. Start with a smaller extractor/easyout, then something goes wrong you can still bump up a size.

Fuck easyouts. A hammer and chisel is all you ever need to get a stuck bolt / screw out.

Sometimes a small screwdriver you don't mind smashing on / with is best. Just hammer it into the stuck screw as to form a groove in the stuck bolt, then put the chisel / screwdriver on an angle and hit it to unscrew the bolt.

ouch - sorry that happened. I think you're right - adding more loctite each time could add up to a lot of crud in there. A lot of people have found that old loctite still works to keep the screw in place.

applying a jerking motion to the allen handle usually works better than firm constant pressure to "break" the loctite.

I'm working on some solutions that should be ready this fall. That's all I can say at the moment.

Originally Posted by jondrums

ouch - sorry that happened. I think you're right - adding more loctite each time could add up to a lot of crud in there. A lot of people have found that old loctite still works to keep the screw in place.

applying a jerking motion to the allen handle usually works better than firm constant pressure to "break" the loctite.

I'm working on some solutions that should be ready this fall. That's all I can say at the moment.

Is there a good way to remove old loctite and start fresh? q-tips and acetone or something? Mine are pretty gummed up.

Are these steel bolts in an aluminum plate? If so, they will eventually fuse if there's nothing (loctite or grease should do) in between them. If you're in that situation, try some acid (even mild; lemon juice, cola) to break the bond.

I realize the plate is anodized, which should help, but repeat threading can wear through even hard anodizing.

The heat required to defeat threadlockers is 250-300 degrees, so a soldering iron or hair dryer is not enough heat as the heat is being soaked out of the bolt/screw into the plate.

Screw extractors/easy outs work best in larger bolts, you need to be able to drill as close to the center as possible and straight. A drill press or milling machine work best. The more modern method is a reverse direction drill/extractor or power extractor, these counter sink the head (with a carbide drill) a bit then grab and unscrew the bolt/screw. Google Drill-out and take a look. Expensive but they work the first time.

Does a penetrating liquid like PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench work on Loctite?

Can't hurt to try... they work well on rusty bolts.

Just my $.02 having dealt with all sorts of seized screws is that 95% of the time they were simply put in too tight. As men we usually assume that we should tighten every screw as tight as we can. Tighter doesn't always mean better. Snug with locktite = your not gonna drop screws unless the holes you drilled were WAY too big.

If something takes such a tiny/flimsy tool such as 3mm hex that usually means that you shouldn't crank the shit out of it until your tool breaks/bends. If the plates needed THAT MUCH torque it would be designed with much larger screws.

After all this, I'd like to reinforce how important it is to have a decent hex wrench. I did another swap on my gunked up plates and encountered another stubborn bolt. Using the cheap hex wrench, the head was threatening to strip.

I attached some vice grips to the shaft of my broken high-quality hex wrench and the bolt came out no problem.

I imagine that had I MacGyvered my good hex wrench rather than using the cheap ones in the situation listed in the original post, I could have avoided stripping the heads.

So basically, make sure you have one of these if you're using inserts or swap plates: http://bindingfreedom.com/Deluxe-Allen-Wrench-4002.htm

Glad you were able to extract them.

My solution is a dremel with a cutting head to put slot in top of screw then a 1/2 inch craftsman impact screwdriver. Money. Works every time. Sometimes using the impact screwdriver will override the stripped head so you don't even need to dremel a slot. I just pulled some boat seats screws out of my floor that were so stripped and fiberglassed in that the marina gave up trying to take them out a few years ago to gain access to a side panel. The dremel/impact combo turned them right out.

18-8 stainless steel countersunk head screw? Easy. Drill them out. Grade 8? Not so easy.

Not that it would help now cuz it sounds like the screw is pretty fucked but I've always had luck using PB Blaster and a 3/8 ratchet with a posi drive bit. Gives you the leverage you don't get with using screwdriver by hand. Tapping with an ice pick and using some heat can help as well. Have also found if you get a few of the screws loose, you can spin the binding on the ski, clockwise, counter, clockwise, etc, breaking some of the loctite/epoxy

Good luck.

Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian

...As men we usually assume that we should tighten every screw as tight as we can. Tighter doesn't always mean better...

Are we still talking about ski equipment?