pickup screw sheared off - how to retrieve it?

[mcnach]

The other week were screws made of butter... if you slip just once, the head becomes unusable.

I managed to get the screw that got stuck out without much trouble (just a pair of pliers that had good grip, and slowly unscrewing it).
I threw those screws away.

Now, same bass... new screws. They looked more sturdy.
This is for a Precision pickup. The original one had big ears, this one has small ears and so I drilled new holes for the new screws, a bit smaller than the diameter of the thread.
Three screws went in fine. The fourth, as soon as I had to apply a little strength to tighten it... it sheared off.

So now I have a nice chunk of screw embedded in the wood. Pretty much flush with the surrounding wood.
I need to get it out, but... how!?

I could only thing that there could be a way to drill out a cylinder of wood around the screw, and then I could put a dowel in of the same size, with some wood glue, and try again. But that seems scary and I'm not even sure what tool I could use that's small enough.

Any ideas?

[r16ktx]

Something like this?
Irwin-Industrial-Spiral-Extractor

Edited August 12, 2015 by r16ktx

[KiOgon]

Are you good with a drill? Maybe drill several small holes around the screw, just enough to make room for the pliers to get in & get a grip - then tidy up the area & glue a plug in - start again. Please remember there's not a lot of material thickness before you break through the back of the bass

[mcnach]

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1439370617' post='2842157']
Are you good with a drill? Maybe drill several small holes around the screw, just enough to make room for the pliers to get in & get a grip - then tidy up the area & glue a plug in - start again. Please remember there's not a lot of material thickness before you break through the back of the bass
[/quote]

That was my first idea... and also my fear: being careless and making a nice "ventilation hole" or "ventilation crack" if I'm too forceful.
I actually have a small, very sharp, chisel, that I thought of using. If I go slow I stand little chance of damaging the bass. But it will be difficult to tidy up afterwards.

Would it be feasible to make a paste out of wood glue and sawdust to tidy up an irregular hole?
Would it be strong enough to hold the pickup in place? There will be some force applied as the foam is compressed to keep the pickup from moving.

[mcnach]

[quote name='r16ktx' timestamp='1439369141' post='2842151']
Something like this?
Irwin-Industrial-Spiral-Extractor
[/quote]

It's a very narrow screw for this to work on, I'm afraid, but thanks!

[Norris]

Have you got a Dremmel? If so try cutting a slot in the top of the remaining screw so you can get a flat blade screwdriver on it. Failing that you could try drilling a hole in it and use a very small stud extractor

[bassmanady]

I had the same problem and used this type of pliers,the tip being small means you only have to clear a small area of wood around the screw to get some grip on it.
Ady

[KiOgon]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1439372252' post='2842174']
That was my first idea... and also my fear: being careless and making a nice "ventilation hole" or "ventilation crack" if I'm too forceful.
I actually have a small, very sharp, chisel, that I thought of using. If I go slow I stand little chance of damaging the bass. But it will be difficult to tidy up afterwards.

Would it be feasible to make a paste out of wood glue and sawdust to tidy up an irregular hole?
Would it be strong enough to hold the pickup in place? There will be some force applied as the foam is compressed to keep the pickup from moving.
[/quote]Yes you could do it with a chisel, just be aware of which way the grain is running & cut across grain first to prevent 'a run' Wood glue & sawdust or a drillable wood filler would be OK.

[Green Alsatian]

I had a similar issue with a bass a couple of years ago so I bought a hollow drill bit like this:

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/hollowscrewextractor516.aspx

I drilled deep enough to catch the section of screw that had embedded to avoid breaching the back and then wiggled the wood containing the screw out with needle-nose pliers. I then glued in some dowel and drilled the pilot hole.

[mcnach]

A few different a good ideas, thank you all! It's looking doable

[mcnach]

[quote name='Green Alsatian' timestamp='1439379502' post='2842266']
I had a similar issue with a bass a couple of years ago so I bought a hollow drill bit like this:

[url="http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/hollowscrewextractor516.aspx"]http://www.highlandw...tractor516.aspx[/url]

I drilled deep enough to catch the section of screw that had embedded to avoid breaching the back and then wiggled the wood containing the screw out with needle-nose pliers. I then glued in some dowel and drilled the pilot hole.
[/quote]


That's probably the neatest way to do it... if I'm careful... nice!

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1439372252' post='2842174']Would it be feasible to make a paste out of wood glue and sawdust to tidy up an irregular hole?
Would it be strong enough to hold the pickup in place? There will be some force applied as the foam is compressed to keep the pickup from moving.
[/quote]

Very much so, I was told by a luthier that such a thing is a referred method, especially if you have sawdust off the exact same wood area you're filling. I think it was EvoStik wood glue in the green bottle that claims to be harder than the wood it sticks. The trick is to make it as thick a mix as you can & the bits as fine as possible. In the past I've achieved this by using a hacksaw and/or a file to make the dust.
Alternatively you could plug most of the hole with an epoxy glue, that woudl take the new screw and put a veneer of the wood-glue filler on top of it.

[Beer of the Bass]

I've heard of people making a single-use screw extractor by notching the end of a piece of thin metal tubing (the hobby shop sort) with a hacksaw blade, using it in a hand drill and taking out just enough wood around the screw to get a grip on the end.

[mcnach]

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1439380006' post='2842275']
Very much so, I was told by a luthier that such a thing is a referred method, especially if you have sawdust off the exact same wood area you're filling. I think it was EvoStik wood glue in the green bottle that claims to be harder than the wood it sticks. The trick is to make it as thick a mix as you can & the bits as fine as possible. In the past I've achieved this by using a hacksaw and/or a file to make the dust.
Alternatively you could plug most of the hole with an epoxy glue, that woudl take the new screw and put a veneer of the wood-glue filler on top of it.
[/quote]

Good to know!
No need for a veneer, the hole is inside the pickup cavity and it would not be visible.

Options, options...

The one about cutting a chunk around it and inserting a dowel seems neat, but this one (cutting away wood carefully ro remove screw, then fill) looks less prone to accidents by someone like me who has a history of getting a little carried away with drills

[bigjohn]

I've done it before on a headstock with a string tree that sheared the screw flat.

I used a very small drill bit around the screw, just enough to get some needle nose pliers in and grip the screw. I then drilled the mess out and filled it with hardwood dowling.

It's easy enough, you just have to be patient.

[mcnach]

[quote name='bigjohn' timestamp='1439381793' post='2842299']
I've done it before on a headstock with a string tree that sheared the screw flat.

I used a very small drill bit around the screw, just enough to get some needle nose pliers in and grip the screw. I then drilled the mess out and filled it with hardwood dowling.

It's easy enough, [b]you just have to be patient.[/b]
[/quote]

hmmm, we may have a problem then. Do they sell patience on ebay?

[Kiwi]

I tried the notch idea but the screw was too soft (which is why it broke in the first place). I was advised to apply a soldering iron to heat up the screw sufficiently to char the wood around it. It worked and after drilling out and replacing with a dowel I managed to achieve a neat finish. But I won't be doing THAT again. Too risky to break through the body with deep screws.

[4-string-thing]

Bit of small metal tubing, just big enough to go over the screw.... cut a V in the end and use it in a hand drill or cordless drill on a slow speed. Cut the V so that there is one side of it straight and one at an angle. If you do it right, the straight edge cuts a hole around the screw and do it so it goes anti clockwise which helps loosen the screw. Its a bit like the hollow drill bit, but works in reverse.

Edited August 12, 2015 by 4-string-thing

[tonyquipment]

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1439373970' post='2842198']
Have you got a Dremmel? If so try cutting a slot in the top of the remaining screw so you can get a flat blade screwdriver on it. Failing that you could try drilling a hole in it and use a very small stud extractor
[/quote]

That would be my attempt to get the shank out

[Bassassin]

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1439380085' post='2842277']
I've heard of people making a single-use screw extractor by notching the end of a piece of thin metal tubing (the hobby shop sort) with a hacksaw blade, using it in a hand drill and taking out just enough wood around the screw to get a grip on the end.
[/quote]

I've done this and it works. I used a bit of an old extending telescopic aerial that was lying around, I cut a suitable length & used a small, sharp file to make some serrations on the cutting end. Had to be very slow & careful, and it worked a treat in the end.

Jon.

[mcnach]

excited, hopeful and nervous all at once!

thank you for so many ideas!