The Tool that Almost Made Me Cry

I was getting ready for an airworthiness inspection this past weekend. As I was removing the inspection plates, one screw on the last plate stripped and would not budge. I spent 30 minutes attempting to remove the screw only to strip it beyond hope. I mentioned my problem to the mechanic in the hangar next to mine and he gave me the tool in the picture. Set either electric screwdriver or drill to spin slow speed and counter clockwise. Load the tool with the drill bit side out. Stick the tool into the wallowed out screw head and drill for two or three seconds. Flip the tool in the drill with the spiraled side out. Keep motor in counter clockwise position and this sucker grabs the screw and spins it out effortlessly! The inspection plate screw removal took two minutes tops! Here I am at the end of my project and I found a tool I can't live without! Tears welled up and (violin music please) it was an amazing moment!

This one came from Ace hardware and was less than $10. I just purchased one on Amazon for $5. Worth every penny. Just wish I would have known about it since the tail kit!

If there is access, sometimes it's easier to simply give up on the screw, drill the head off and replace the nutplate.

Another reason to have a tub of Boelube or similar handy when putting screws into nutplates. It gives you a better chance of getting them out some years later.

Stainless are the worst culprits - I think cheese would be harder sometimes

Left Hand Drill Bits work great, as well.
John

Stainless=BAD

mike newall said:

Stainless are the worst culprits

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You got that right. I used to use SS screws on my cowling, but I learned my lesson the hard way. The way I used go get the stuck screws out was to use a Dremel to grind a slot in the head, then use a straight blade screwdriver. This always damaged the cowling, but on my cowling I can putty it up. This tool looks great!

az_gila said:

If there is access, sometimes it's easier to simply give up on the screw, drill the head off and replace the nutplate.

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Not something I do lightly. Though I've done it.

I've used the Craftsman version of this with great success for years. Before that, I used Navy issue "easy-outs" with varying degrees of success.

But, this tool is superior because its an all-in-one type that leaves no guess work. Here's the link on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Speed-Out-Ex...l+Bits+Broken+Damaged+Bolt+Remover+Set+(4PCS)

I messed up a lot of screws for nutplates until I read this in Vans manual.

rgodsy said:

I messed up a lot of screws for nutplates until I read this in Vans manual.

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Only on the outboard edges of the seat pan! Although often argued, running a tap through the nut plate may reduce it's self locking capability.

I was trying to add this.

I would also as a general rule make screw inspection a part of your flight testing. Any that loosen due to vibration should be dealt with accordingly. At least that's my thinking on using a tap. I would be interested in seeing what the experienced community has to say about this. Seems like some Loctite can go a long way to prevent a screw from loosing and still make it so you can remove sometime later. I don't see a lot of consistency in how much force is required to install or remove a nutplate screw. The tolerance seems horrible. Some screws go in nice and easy and some don't and the cross point is easily messed up. Ensuring the threads are correct via a tap and then using other accepted means of vibration mitigation seems a lot more consistent.

Running a tap all the way through a nutplate destroys the thread deformation that provides the locking ability of the nutplate.

Having said that... if you really can't stand how tight a new nutplate is, generously lube the threads with something (doesn't particularly matter what, as long as it's not abrasive) and run a sacrificial screw/bolt through it a few times before installing it. This will burnish the threads and open the deformed portion a bit, making it a little easier to remove & install the fastener once it's installed in the aircraft.

If you're using stainless or titanium fasteners on your aircraft, I highly recommend you use a thread lube of some kind (antiseize, Boelube, ACF-50, etc.), and drive them slowly, to prevent galling. Driving Ti or SS fasteners into/out of nutplates at max-blast with a power screwdriver creates a tremendous amount of heat in the fastener, which leads to galling of threads and problems at removal time. I run into this fairly often on the S-92s I maintain at my job; all the cowling & access panel fasteners are Ti.

A trick some may find helpful is to use a dab of valve grinding compound on the tip of your Phillips screwdriver. It helps prevent the screwdriver from camming out of the screw head and stripping it out. A little goes a long way; that tube should last you a very long time.

Wow thanks for the great advice! I've not touched any of my exterior nutplates so will try this for those. I've just run the tap through the ones in the floor panels so will use thread locker when I put the panels down for the final time. Vibration levels in helicopters is a lot higher than RVs so appreciate the tried and true advice on nutplates.

If using a tap to "loosen" up a nutplate, just go slow until you feel it start to get tight. Not all the way through. You don't want to/need to cut out all the "binding" properties. Once a standard screw goes through it too will loosen it up. I think some are made a little tighter than others, so you're just "adjusting" it to be as intended.

Bevan

These work well !

Seat pans are the worst but this tool is the best. You can drill out the heads of 5 or 50 as fast as you can go ....maybe 2-3 seconds each at the most to make the hole. Then reverse the bit and it takes maybe 2-3 seconds each to back them out. It's almost as amazing to do as it is to watch the guy demo'ing them at car shows.

It's a must have in the tool box if you go through lots of pan head Phillips screws like we do in RVs.

I don't know if the quality varies by brand but mine is a 10+ and I would bet the ones at ACE Hardware are just as good.