Screw advice

[Ian Price]

Evening all. Got a bit of a dilemma and not sure the best way to sort it. One of the screw heads on the pickguard for my strat is shredded and none of my screwdrivers can ge any purchase on what little is left. Is there a simple way of sorting this?

[shobet]

I thought this thread was going to be about something else...

If you've stripped it I suspect you'll have to drill it out if you can't use a screwdriver.

[Afghan Dave]

If that's the way you feel about it, I won't bother to give you any.  :(   :lol:

[Twinfan]

There's bound to be a tool to do the job - maybe ask Wez or one of the luthiers???

[WezV]

search for screw extractors

or if you can at least get it a little out grab it with some pliers and turn slowly

[Oli]

Maybe get some superglue, and fill the top of the head, then put a screwdriver in there while it sets-- the superglue might get enough purchase to allow you to turn the screw?

[ToneMonkey]

There's a couple of options, but I wouldn't really fancy doing any next to the scratchplate.

You can drill out the head and then lift the scratchplate over the stubb.  Maybe you'll be able to grab the stub with pliers or maybe you'll have to cut a small slot in it.

You can solder a small bolt to the top of it but I really wouldn't fancy this method.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Maybe get some superglue, and fill the top of the head, then put a screwdriver in there while it sets-- the superglue might get enough purchase to allow you to turn the screw?

I'd use chemical metal rather than superglue and push a screwdriver head into it before it sets so that it makes a nice screw head to get it out
We have screw extractors for such a job too - like a drill with a reverse spirol  that grip against the screw and bite harder into it whilst being turned anti-clockwise that inturn removes the screw from its fixing