Sheared screw - any alternatives to the drill/plug method?

[JVG]

It finally happened - a string tree screw sheared off below the wood surface level. I’m always very careful to avoid this exact thing, and I’m thinking it was just a dud screw. Very annoying.

Being on the face of the headstock, I’m investigating alternatives to the standard screw removal method of drilling around it, removing, then dowelling. I’m concerned that this will end up being unsightly, as the dowel will probably not be covered from view by the string tree.

I saw a suggestion of hammering a very small flat head screw driver into the embedded screw, to create a groove to unscrew it. Would this actually work?

Alternatively, could I get a drill bit for metal, and simply drill into the embedded screw to essentially destroy it, without ending up with a massive hole?

Ideas gratefully accepted, bearing in mind i do my guitar stuff at home and don’t have access to a full workshop of tools - i just have the basics.

Thanks in advance.

[andy_tchp]

You won’t get purchase with a flat head screwdriver.

I’d probably just attempt to carefully drill it out at low speed and applying low pressure.

[JVG]

You won’t get purchase with a flat head screwdriver.

I’d probably just attempt to carefully drill it out at low speed and applying low pressure.

Yeah, i was also dubious about the screwdriver idea. Thanks for confirming.

When you say ‘drill it out’ do you mean drill straight into the screw, or around it (as per the ‘standard’ method i see mentioned most often)?

It’s frustrating - I’ve managed to avoid this for so long!

[andy_tchp]

I'd try going straight into the remnants (again low speed with a half decent drill bit) and hope for the best.

Otherwise there's a 3/16" extractor designed for this at StewMac featuring fairly extortionate pricing
Guitar screw rescue kit

I've heard of people making their own out of brass tubing by cutting 'teeth' into them but have never tried this myself but would probably give it a go with some 3mm brass tubing at a hobby shop or similar.

[Old300]

I'm a long-time occasional lurker here but recently had a similar issue.

You might check out tltools.com. They have a product called UnScrew-Ums that I've used for sheared pickguard screws and Kluson screws on the back of the headstock. It's still a drill method but they have smaller sizes available than the StewMac offering.

You could then recess the dowel (I used epoxy) slightly and then cap the filled (smaller) hole with maple wood filler. The base of the string tree might conceal the repair reasonably well.

[seenoevil II]

Sneak attack from behind. Ugly plugged hole now on the back of the headstock.

Another janky idea: fill the existing hole with something reasonably strong,wood dust and CA or epoxy. Then drill a new hole that's only the width of the first hole away. Move the tree forward or backward slightly.

[JVG]

Thanks all for the helpful ideas.

Those “unscrew-ems” look interesting, and different from the usual extraction tools. If i can get it sent to Australia for a reasonable price i will give it a go. Thanks for the heads-up, Old300

Otherwise I’ll just drill into the little bastard with high quality bit, as initially suggested by Andy.

Failing that, my last resort will be to leave the screw entombed, cover the top of the hole and drill a new one adjacent, as seenoevil suggests.

[GilmourD]

I'd try going straight into the remnants (again low speed with a half decent drill bit) and hope for the best.

Otherwise there's a 3/16" extractor designed for this at StewMac featuring fairly extortionate pricing
Guitar screw rescue kit

I've heard of people making their own out of brass tubing by cutting 'teeth' into them but have never tried this myself but would probably give it a go with some 3mm brass tubing at a hobby shop or similar.

There's some things that StewMac sells that are their own inventions. And then there's some stuff that's just them selling another product with their name stamped on it.

I wonder which that is...

[JVG]

Update:

The unscrew-ums people want US $35 postage to send a tiny piece of metal to Australia.

So unless someone in the US wants to act as a middle man for me, I’ll have to say screw ‘em!

[MattK]

Re the kit, those are all readily available bits - the plug cutter is the expensive one. SM are upcharging for the convenience of packaging the correctly matched sizes and templates to make it as easy as possible.

[LVC]

I've heard of people making their own out of brass tubing by cutting 'teeth' into them but have never tried this myself but would probably give it a go with some 3mm brass tubing at a hobby shop or similar.

I did that to extract a broken strap button screw from the horn of my Squier Starcaster. I used a small piece cut from a stainless steel drinking straw.

The process was long and tedious — can't remember how many times I had to file new teeth into the end of the tube as the hard laminated maple kept dulling them -― but it was totally worth it. The result was a very clean hole barely larger than the broken screw, which was very easy to plug, and, after the new straplock button was screwed into the plug, completely invisible.

I used this video as a rough guide

[andy_tchp]

Update:

The unscrew-ums people want US $35 postage to send a tiny piece of metal to Australia.

So unless someone in the US wants to act as a middle man for me, I’ll have to say screw ‘em!

To be fair this is likely not their fault. USPS now charge outrageous rates for even the smallest of items to be sent here.

[andy_tchp]

Re the kit, those are all readily available bits - the plug cutter is the expensive one. SM are upcharging for the convenience of packaging the correctly matched sizes and templates to make it as easy as possible.

But they're charging $52USD (plus I assume another $40 shipping) for the extractor on it's own?

[MattK]

Never change, StewMac (I presume they use the same service as Angela Instruments).

[alexpigment]

It’s probably because they don’t want to play the postal lottery and have Aramex (formerly Fastway) be the final mile carrier. That company is absolutely terrible and you don’t really know if they’ll be the one until it gets to Australia (you just have to hope Australia Post gets it). My business has lost a lot of money and business because of Aramex.