If all else fails, drill the heads off them.
Cheers
Bruce
Cheers
Bruce
Stuck screws in scope rings....any ideas?
- Thread starter spannulman
- Start date
The Phosphoric acid as found in in cola drinks is very effective on aluminium. I use it as a "brightener" in the forge.
If it is a bit of oxidisation of the Aluminium ring base threads binding the screw, then the judicious use of heat to expand the base might help...a soldering iron against the threaded part will be more effective than heating the screw. Heating the screw might expand it enough to crush the oxide...but expanding the "nut" with heat is more directly liable to help.
If heat alone won't help, you could try to heat the bases and then cool by applying penetrating oil or cola around the screw so it is sucked into the threads...
Good luck.
Alan
Last edited:
Lochens
Well-Known Member
If you have already damaged the Allen hole then the screw isn't fit to use again anyway.
Why heat or freeze and put the scope at risk.
Drill the head off with a cobalt drill and you will be able to remove the rest of the thread from the ring base when you take the top half off, then simply replace the screw.
Safe and efficient
Why heat or freeze and put the scope at risk.
Drill the head off with a cobalt drill and you will be able to remove the rest of the thread from the ring base when you take the top half off, then simply replace the screw.
Safe and efficient
Agreed, but the OP was looking for solutions which didn't involve drilling...
Alan
The cola / phosphoric acid as penetrant is even less risky...so worth trying first.
Alan
baguio
Well-Known Member
Get an easy out kit. Screw & Bolt Extractor Set Cheap and works.
spannulman
Well-Known Member
Not so fast. I can be obsessive so I walked away last evening and looked at it in the cold light of day and then did the sensible thing.
I Rang the owner of the range where I am zeroing both rifles next week and explained the problem. He told me to drop some penetrating oil onto the screws and leave it until i visit the range midweek. He will use his well fitting ( not cheap ebay) tools and, if that doesn’t work, drill them out. Much better than me taking the drill to it so I have oiled the rings and will forget about it until i go to see him.
if it was on something less delicate than a scope I care about I’d have a go myself but this time I’m going to let an expert help me and get it right first time. I think the right tool and some oil will do the trick. Fingers crossed.
i do appreciate all the advice here and was confident people would respond, thank you.
baguio
Well-Known Member
Madness. There's absolutely no need to put a drill anywhere near your rifle when there are tools designed for the very issue that you have.
jimo
Well-Known Member
But don’t you have to drill a hole to thread the stud extractor into ??
Woodsmoke
Well-Known Member
If it's a torx or Allen head the tip of an extractor should be able to bite
Rusty Gate
Well-Known Member
Soldering irin to heat up then drip parafin or diesel onto the threads as its cooling. Add a drip every hour or two. Next day drip morning afternoon then try & crack it later that day
baguio
Well-Known Member
No, not when you have hex head screws you don't. They're basically self tapping screws with a left hand thread and you already have a hole to put them in. No drilling at all. Just provide downward pressure as you screw it in and it will get so tight that your stuck screw will start to come out. Used them a few times on chewed up hex heads and would never consider putting a drill anywhere near my rifles. Why would you? No penetrant required either because they will not be very tight at all. It's simply that the head of the screw has been damaged by using cheap Allen keys.
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