Broken Screw

[Loren Hedahl]

When installing brass hinges on a custom medicine cabinet door of ash, I did all the right things, i.e., rout a recess for the hinge leaf, drill screw holes to the right size and depth, then install using steel screws initially so I wouldn't bugger up the soft brass screws.

Only problem, one of the steel screws broke about 1/4 down in the hole. I could "fake it" by cutting a brass screw short and epoxy it in for the "looks", but I really hate doing less than by best.

What I want to do is to remove the steel screw stub, drill and dowel the hole and start over.

How should one go about removing the steel screw stub?

[Dan Lee]

I have these

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2354&filter=extractor

and these

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=2&p=32272&cat=3,41306,41329&ap=1

Course I've never broken a screw so I just have them in case:D;)

PS To fill the little hole I take a small piece of wood and sharpen it with a pencil sharpener and glue it in.

[Doug Shepard]

If you use the Rockler tube saw type, drill a hole the same diameter through some scrap then clamp it down over your broken screw hole as a guide. The tube saw are hard to stop skating around until you get a kerf started but otherwise work pretty good.

[Dick Bringhurst]

Doug's advice is a must. Trust me (and Doug). Dick B.

[Chris Kennedy]

Doug's advice is a must. Trust me (and Doug). Dick B.

Trust Doug, Dick and me on this one.

Chris

[Doug Shepard]

...
What I want to do is to remove the steel screw stub, drill and dowel the hole and start over.
...


Forgot to mention that while yu're at it, get a plug cutter the same diameter as the tube saw. You'll get better screw holding in a face grain plug than going into dowel end grain.

[george wilson]

Steel screws,usually blued,were standard for brass hinges in the 18th.C.,because they did not make brass screws out of cold rolled brass until later. Cast brass would break.

To clean your steel screws of cadmium,put several in a cup,and pour in enough muriatic acid to cover them. Several seconds of fizzing,and the screws are non plated. Blue them with a torch. that also kills the acid,and stops future rusting from any remaining traces of acid. Some others use different stuff,like vinegar (IIRC) to de plate screws.

The tube drill is the best way to get the screw out.

[Garth Keel]

I have used the extractors from Lee Valley and had no problems getting the screw out. Just follow the directions.

[Loren Hedahl]

Thanks guys, I will be getting a set of screw extractors from Lee Valley or Rockler on my next order!

Luckily, I had drilled the holes quite a bit deeper than necessary. So I was able to punch the screw end down far enough into the hole with a nail set to clear the new brass screw with the tip slightly blunted with a mill file.

Whew!!!!

Again, thanks for the advice.