Help Extracting a sheared ball end hex driver

AntCaps

AntCaps

Joined
May 6, 2009
Messages
924
Hey guys,
So tonight I decided I needed to take my strider pt apart to clean and lube it. I took it apart no problem but when I started to reassemble it I sheared the end off my Wiha ball end hex driver.
Now it's stuck in on of the body screws and iv been completely u successful at removing it.
Can anyone offer any advice on how to remove it?
Thanks in advance.
Anthony
 
Hi Anthony, any progress getting it out yet? If not I need some details. What have you done so far? Did you overtighten it or what happened to cause it to break? Is any of it sticking out of the surface?

D729
 
No luck as of yet if tried pliers aswell as using a razor to try and catch the tiny bit sticking up.
It's almost flush with the top of the screw.
Tomorrow I might try compressed air or maybe even the shop vac, but after that I have no idea what to try.
I don't think I over tightened it I think it's just such a tiny size that it didn't take much and I probably shouldn't have bought ball end for this application.
 
Try tapping it at different angles with a center punch. But before you do that, get some oil down in there. Try to get it between the broken piece of tool and the inside of the screw head.
So much for those tools being the best ever... I got laughed at a little bit for recommending a Husky set a while back. Never had one break off in a screw. Good luck.
 
I guess you figured out that you really didn't need to take your knife apart to clean it.
 
If had the knife for over 2 years without taking it apart and never had this happen with any other. Sometimes blowing air in there doesn't remove all the gunk.
 
Anthony, also try putting the knife in the freezer to shrink the materials. I'm hoping that with the expansion/contraction rate differentials the gentle tapping on the ball and screw may allow more wiggle room. That screw can be replaced to if you damage it to. Keep us posted.

D729
 
Tried the freezer with no luck.
Any more ideas? I'm plum out and it's driving me crazy, I don't want to drill it out out of fear I might damage the scale and I do t know where to get a replacement screw.
 
Ok Anthony here we go. I'm wondering if the remaining portion of the hex ball has any of its six sides in an accessible position? My thoughts are that you can make a punch (maybe out of your broken tool) with a small flat nose so you can tap the flats in a crisscross pattern. Either it will eventually dislodge or it will start to back out the screw. Obviously it needs to be done in a counter clockwise rotation. Don't try to save the screw it probably needs to be replaced already. You can get it from the knifes maker. Make the knife secure so it won't move and tap easily, precisely. Freeze it first.
Let us know. We have more thoughts.
 
Can you take some pictures for us? I would like to get a visual..
 


None of the flats are exposed because it's a ball end the shank of the tool thins out right before the tip so you can accsess the fasteners from different angles.

I know the picture sucks if I get the chance I'll take a picture in the daylight tomorrow but it's supposed to be rainy all day.
 
Have you tried impact?
Get a strip of wood roughly the size of the knife, drill a small hole in it where the screw is, put it against the side of the knife and strap it on with tape, then hit the knife against a table of something to try and get the inertia to pull the stub out.

Another idea- try prying with a couple of sharp needles, one on each side of the stub. Someone broke a key off in my door lock one time and I pried it out with a needle.
 
The screw is larger than I thought which is good. New plan, are you able to make a punch with a sharp point. If you can put it on the side of the ball where it's touching the side of the screw and tap it to see if you can move the ball over to the center or to the other side we need to get some movement in it. If so then we can try to wiggle it out or punch tap it counter clock wise.
 
The way I see it you have 2 options if everything else has failed that others have mentioned above...

option 1: take all of the rest of the screws out of the frame, remove the blade etc. (basically disassemble it as far as possible other than the one stuck screw) and then you can turn the entire g10 half of the knife while using pressure to try and back it out that way.

option 2: use a dremmel and cut a slot in the screw head so you can get it out w/ a flat head screwdriver

You also may try a rare earth magnet on that one side and then hitting the other side w/ a light hammer to jar it loose. just my .02 hope it helps
 
razor-edge-knives said:
The way I see it you have 2 options if everything else has failed that others have mentioned above...

option 1: take all of the rest of the screws out of the frame, remove the blade etc. (basically disassemble it as far as possible other than the one stuck screw) and then you can turn the entire g10 half of the knife while using pressure to try and back it out that way.

option 2: use a dremmel and cut a slot in the screw head so you can get it out w/ a flat head screwdriver

You also may try a rare earth magnet on that one side and then hitting the other side w/ a light hammer to jar it loose. just my .02 hope it helps
Click to expand...
Agree 100% after seeing the screw. I'd probably just cut a line across it and use a flathead.
 
Take this suggestion for what it's worth. You *might* be able to super glue the handle of the wrench back on to the broken off part. For me, the key point would be if there is enough sticking up or not. If it's nearly flush then glue is probably a bad idea, as you might get the stuck piece glued in place. The good news is, super glue is soluble in acetone (nail polish remover), so if you do get it in the wrong place, you can dissolve it with acetone.

Brian.
 
Drill press, soft jaws vice, screw extractor, hit reverse and back that bolt all the way out.

Dispose of and get a new bolt.

Don't ever use ball end hexes again.
 
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