Stripped hex screws

Hi all,

Assembled a flat pack garden furniture set yesterday but 1 piece is faulty so a replacement piece is on the way. When I went to disassemble it however the hex key screwdriver I was using couldn't get any grip on the screws, they appear to be stripped and now I can't get them back out.

What is the best way to solve this, as I will have to use the screws again when the replacement piece arrives? Google search was suggesting a rubber band in the screwhead.

Thanks in advance.

Andrea B.

downtheroad wrote: »

Hi all,

Assembled a flat pack garden furniture set yesterday but 1 piece is faulty so a replacement piece is on the way. When I went to disassemble it however the hex key screwdriver I was using couldn't get any grip on the screws, they appear to be stripped and now I can't get them back out.

What is the best way to solve this, as I will have to use the screws again when the replacement piece arrives? Google search was suggesting a rubber band in the screwhead.

Thanks in advance.

Are you sure you are using correct hex keys, that is metric or imperial?
Aside, if stripped, you could cut slots in heads with hacksaw to make them suitable for flat screwdriver.

coastwatch

Could you get a pliers or vise grips on the heads?
Sounds like you'll need to get new screws anyway.

CJhaughey

Firstly a good set of hex head wrenches should be a starting point the soft metal on the supplied ones is rubbish and rounds off easily.
Torx head wrenches can sometimes work and a larger size can be tapped in if necessary.
Valve grinding paste on the tip of the wrench will often give enough friction for the fastener to turn.

Thanks all. Have attached an image of the screw, hopefully it helps. Hard to get a grip on it with a pliers to screw it back out and the screwdriver Head with the correct size head I'm using is rotating with no grip at all. Definitely cheap screws. Will buy better ones to reassemble once I get the originals out.

ShedTower

A dremel type tool would cut a slot in the head which would allow for easy removal with a screwdriver. Aldi have one in Sunday.

How rounded is it? Find a bit that almost fits and tap it in, as suggested below.

CJhaughey

That screw is fine, they are usually harder than the soft allen wrench material.
Is the hex wrench silver in colour? If it is throw it out and buy a set of decent metric hex wrenches.

Alun

What he said ^^^ I've loads of kit with hex head screws, quite expensive woodturning stuff mainly like tools and chucks, and even the hex keys supplied with them are rubbish. I've measured some of them with a micrometer and the difference between what they're supposed to be and what they actually are can be huge.

Thanks all. I should have said the screw in my picture is an unused one still in the bag. The worn/stripped ones are in the table waiting for the solution. Some good suggestions here and hopefully I'll get them out. Cheers

GrumpyMe

Try
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeULcDESsUY

chillyspoon

Don't worry too much if you have to destroy them to get them out. That type is usually referred to as a Connector Bolt and they are readily available.

You can get far too many for your needs very cheaply: https://www.screwfix.ie/search?search=connector+bolts

Or a company like Hafele will be able to give you smaller quantities of higher quality ones: https://www.hafele.ie/en/products/tools-consumables/screws/09595a788fe496160648e9aa205b9763/

You'll need to confirm the size of course, it's hard to tell from your photo but I _think_ it's M5 or M6 you've got there. You can tell the right one by measuring the width of the bolt and comparing with the chart here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_metric_screw_thread#:~:text=The%20%22M%22%20designation%20for%20metric,outer%20diameter%20of%206%20millimetres).

jeepcj

Get a Torx bit socket that's slightly bigger and pound it in with a hammer. Google the procedure