#6 putty
#7 toothpaste
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Thermite
Chisel
Sledge hammer
Any will get the screw out.
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My favorite method?
“Hey! Kid down the street! Five bucks to get this screw out, this beer isn’t gonna drink itself!”
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Simply weld the screwdriver to the screw head for easy removal.
It’s not rocket surgery, people.
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Come on, be realistic.
JB Weld it!
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There must be a cliché regarding blaming the tool, but I do recall from my hardware store days the still funny, to me, saying that the problem is “the nut behind the wheel.”
It’s not the clutch one needs to learn how to use it is the variable speed trigger, and if your drill doesn’t have a sensitive one then go get one that does.
And, oh, it’s “slotted” or “standard” when you see a screw with a slot, not “flathead.” That refers to the shape of the head and is the kind that can be countersunk, and bolts are called out by the size of the shaft, not the size of the wrench that fits the head of the bolt. There’s more if you want 'em.
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Have always wondered why they don’t merge the standards a bit.
Flat head all the way across the screw, but with a bit of the cross-head in the middle to stop the screwdriver sliding off…
Edit: apparently it’s a thing
“Combination drives”
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When that time machine is finally droned in, the first thing on the agenda is to off Phillips and Thompson. Then this will never have been a problem. Square drive anyone?
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“SpeedOut, the new season: Coming soon to CBS Action”
(That is remarkably dramatic.)
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Screw extracted!
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You need to learn to operate the torque limiter on your drill.
I saw this done once: convert the screw from phillips to flathead using an angle grinder.
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You’re likely using the wrong bit.
Cross head screws have many different drive types, widths and depths. Using the wrong bit is a surefire guarantee that you will strip the head. Using the right bit for the right screw type should make over torquing it much more difficult.
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If it’s in metal or if it’s a machine screw, first use penetrating oil and let it sit. Then do your drilling with a reverse flute metal drill bit. If that doesn’t do it (and it usually does), then use the easyout. The reverse flute drills are expensive, but so are Helicoils.
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I am feeling non snarky ATM.
Penetrating oil, then using a weak soldering iron to heat up the area around the screw (so it expands, letting the oil flow faster) works like a champ. I used to have to remove stripped set screws like this all the time.
(80% of the time they weren’t actually stripped, just aggressively loctited or super glued, which the heat would break)
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Yupyup. Thread locker requires a torch, but a small torch or iron often helps just to move things around a bit.
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As an aside, if you ever feel masochistic, grab an saxophone. Level a tone hole, adjust the spring resistance, replace a single pad, level it with shellac and a torch (but don’t burn the lacquer!), And adjust action so it seals perfectly with a touch of about two grams.
Okay, back to snark.
Loose seal!!!
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I’ve cut a slot in a round head screw with a hacksaw. If you have enough clearance, it’s actually one of the easier methods.
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weld the screwdriver to the screw head
I’ve actually done that before (welded a cheap steel bar to the screw head, not an actual screwdriver) Didn’t work out very well, but neither was any other method.
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