Stuck (staked in?) sideplate screws

[micromontenegro]

I'm having a very hard time trying to get those two screws out. I ground two tips that fit the screws very well (at least the lower one), and tried every trick I know:

-Penetrating oil.

-Tapping them with a bronze punch.

-Freezing the gun.

-Soaking for two days in more penetrating oil.

And nothing is working so far. I am weary of applying heat or destroying the screw heads... any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

 

[oldgunsmith]

This may take more than 2 hands. Have an assistant hold the gun still on the platform of a drill press. With the drill press OFF, put the screwdriver bit in the screw slot and hold downward pressure with the press on the handle while slowly and carefully turning the driver by hand. If you do this right, the bit can't slip up out of the slot while turning. Have removed many that looked a lot worse than your photo. Even works on slots that are badly worn and rounded.

 

[draidt]

A 50-50 mixture of Automatic Trans Fluid and Acetone has proven to be the best at loosing up stuck screws/bolts. Worth a shot but be patient and try a couple of treatments.


Machinist’s Workshop Magazine recently did a test to determine which brand of penetrating oil worked best on rusty bolt / nut combinations. They scientifically rusted the threads on a group of nut/bolt combinations then measured the torque it took to remove the nuts after they had been soaked with various penetrants.
Here are the results….
No Penetrant 516 poundsWD-40 238 poundsPB Blaster 214 poundsLiquid Wrench 127 poundsKano Kroil 106 pounds ATF / Acetone 53 pounds

 

[micromontenegro]

Thanks a lot! Will try both the ATF/acetone mix and the drill press trick... which sounds like pure genius!

 

[oldgunsmith]

Any genius has to come from understanding and feel for what you're doing. I learned the technique from Art Mashburn.

 

[Sport45]

No Penetrant 516 poundsWD-40 238 poundsPB Blaster 214 poundsLiquid Wrench 127 poundsKano Kroil 106 pounds ATF / Acetone 53 pounds

Interesting. I always grab the Ed's Red for stuck bolts and nuts when working on old cars and trucks. It works very good for that. Mine is 25% acetone, 25% ATF, and 50% mineral spirits.

 

[g.willikers]

If you don't have access to a drill press, an impact screw driver works, too.
http://www.harborfreight.com/impact-screwdriver-set-with-case-37530.html