Posted August 18, 200817 yr Ok so I have a window that has these two odd screws in them, and I need to remove them so that the window will open. I don't want to destroy anything, so I need a way to actually unscrew them. Here is a picture of what the head looks like: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/sneakyarab/screw.jpg the little bolt thing in the middle comes all the way out to the rim, preventing an allen wrench or anything like that... I would try needle nose pliers but I dont have any around here. any suggestions?
August 18, 200817 yr Hmmm...looks like a job for a torx wrench. The head of a torx wrench is a six-pointed star with a hole in the middle, and they make them in different sizes. Looking at the picture the notches you'd put the wrench into appear to be stripped, so it may be difficult. Just a thought
August 18, 200817 yr Author ok, if I cant find a home remedy I will go out and get a set of torx wrenches, any other suggestions?
August 18, 200817 yr Make sure you get the torx with the hole in the middle. Not all of them come with that.
August 18, 200817 yr Looks more like an Allen that has been rounded off.... I believe they are called "tamper proof". When I worked for NAPA they had a good, cheap selection.
August 18, 200817 yr Author alright well I guess I will try to get some... you think homedepot has em? Their site didnt list em but I dont trust big stores' sites anymore
August 18, 200817 yr it looks like it use to be a star but u destroyed it with a Allen wrench, u can drill it out and just replace the bolt/screw or just somehow get a grip on it with vicescrips
August 19, 200817 yr The other solution is to drill a hole, without boring through the screw and to put an extractor with one at it turns left to unscrew the screw torx... I had this kind of tool in aviation to unscrew the screws of which the head broken? The tool is a stem/pin which has 4 wings that one inserts it in the borehole of a few mm (5 or 7 mm), one puts the high ring at it and then, with a wrench, one unscrews the broken screw. Egidio.
August 19, 200817 yr Hmmm...looks like a job for a torx wrench. The head of a torx wrench is a six-pointed star with a hole in the middle, and they make them in different sizes. Looking at the picture the notches you'd put the wrench into appear to be stripped, so it may be difficult. Just a thought A safety torx wrench, will simply round that nut out, they were designed to fit into the star shape the same as the head is shaped, rather than a regular allen bolt,. they also measure differently. Get a cheap set of allen keys, take a fine drill and find someone with a bench drill, drill a small hole in the short end of hte required size of allen key..
August 20, 200817 yr It looks like a security head, but looks fairly stripped out. (Almost looked like a pop rivet at first glance). If it is definitely a screw, a simple screw extractor bit will work. They are fairly cheap, and an essential bit to have around, as they will "cut" into an extract practically anything with a stripped out head - phillips, Torx, SS heads, you name it. However, with a security head like that, you'll need to first drill out the post. If you have enough head flat to get a grip, then just get a set of security bits. They don't cost that much for a decent set, and you'd be surprised how often you'll find a use for them.
August 28, 200817 yr Author Ok, now Im reporting back in. So I was curious about whether the torx wrenches would work. I went to an auto parts store, the most ghetto one I have ever been in btw... they didnt have a scanner to scan prices on things, they had about 50 huge books that were about 3-4" thick which I suppose had the prices of all their stuff. Anyways, they were very nice, got a set of torx wrench heads(the tamper resistant kind with the holes) and a screwdriver to fit them onto. I took them back and VIOLA! They worked like a dream. Good firm grip on the screws, even the one that was a little stripped. Yanked em right on outta there. So, I take the blocking piece out of the window frame. I open the window with some effort, and it immediately springs back shut. Oh joy. I tamper with the window in various ways, none of which help anything. the window springs shut immediately. So in the end I just put the darn things back on. The window still doesnt work right and I dont feel like fooling with it tonight. If anyone knows whats up with the window, holla at me. BTW, Shotty was proved fallible! My world = upside down now.
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