The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Okay, admittedly this has nothing to to do with phonographs, et al... but I know from past threads what I diverse bunch you are in terms of interests and experience, so I defer to you for advice.

Christmas before last my husband thoughtfully had remote start installed in my vehicle, which came with two remotes. Being the procrastinator that I am, when the battery died in the first remote, I just started using the second one.

Fast forward to a couple of days back... the battery finally died in the second remote. After I purchased replacement batteries and changed out one, I realized that one of the oh-so-tiny Phillips head screws in the other remote was stripped out.

Outside of drilling/Dremeling the screw out, does anyone have any removal suggestions I might try? The screw is a goner and needs replacing any way one looks at it, but I'd rather not risk damaging the remote by drilling if someone has a more brilliant approach.(BTW, I've already tried the PB Blaster route.)

TIA!

Retrograde wrote:⅛ inch screw extractor, perhaps?

The screw is a 000, might a ⅛ extractor be too large?

I did locate online another manufacturer makes a "micro" extractor set... just not certain if I want to spring the 25 bucks (plus shipping) to add it to my collection of "stuff!" Thanks for the suggestion.

Get a small drill bit that has a flat head on the shank side-clean it and the screw head with lacquer thinner, carefull don't eat up the plastic. Put a drop of any type of superglue and join the 2 together. Grab drill bit with plyers and unscrew. Has worked many times for me including removing screws from reproducers
Abe

need4art wrote:Get a small drill bit that has a flat head on the shank side-clean it and the screw head with lacquer thinner, carefull don't eat up the plastic. Put a drop of any type of superglue and join the 2 together. Grab drill bit with plyers and unscrew. Has worked many times for me including removing screws from reproducers
Abe

That's a great idea! I'll give that a go.

Thanks, Abe!

Excuse me if I am wrong here but I thought Tinkerbell has a magic wand. Wouldn't that and a little pixie dust do the trick?

Brad wrote:Excuse me if I am wrong here but I thought Tinkerbell has a magic wand. Wouldn't that and a little pixie dust do the trick?

Unfortunately, the manufacture of pixie dust and Magic Wands was outsourced to another country. Sadly, they no longer hold the magic they once did...

Tinkerbell wrote:

Retrograde wrote:⅛ inch screw extractor, perhaps?

The screw is a 000, might a ⅛ extractor be too large?

Triple-0 is mighty tiny indeed. The smallest I've ever tried to handle was 00-90. Are you sure it's 000? In any case, a ⅛" extractor seems too large to me.

Henry wrote:

Tinkerbell wrote:

Retrograde wrote:⅛ inch screw extractor, perhaps?

The screw is a 000, might a ⅛ extractor be too large?

Triple-0 is mighty tiny indeed. The smallest I've ever tried to handle was 00-90. Are you sure it's 000? In any case, a ⅛" extractor seems too large to me.

I'm certainly no genius in this area, (especially when it gets into this micro arena), but the only micro screwdriver I have small enough to fit into the remaining screws is a 000... so that is why I deduced it was a 000.

Is this thinking flawed? I could really benefit from a better education where these things are concerned.

Without seeing it, I can't tell, and since it's stuck down in there, I'd have to remove it to see it, and round and round we go..... Wish I could offer you MORE helpful suggestions like that one!

Have you tried Abe's trick with the superglue yet? Let us know if that works. BTW, I'd suggest using isopropyl alcohol instead of lacquer thinner. The alcohol will not damage common plastics, whereas the thinner will surely soften and distort most plastics on contact. Also, be real careful not to superglue anything that you want to separate later; IOW, use a very small amount of superglue placed very carefully on the surfaces to be joined. Better safe than....