Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread: Stipped 4-40 Button Head - Best way to deal with it?

  1. #1

    Default Stipped 4-40 Button Head - Best way to deal with it?

    So I'm working the cram-fu of my first build. I'm pressing down on the Box 13 to the hilt body in my left hand and turning the allen wrench in my right hand. The wires are fighting me, but I'm so close to the finish line. My attention is on the force being applied to keep the box on the hilt body. Now I have stripped screws before just being too aggressive, but I swear that I was casually turning the 4-40 button head with hardly any effort, going fairly quickly...

    ...all of a sudden, I hit the end of the road and STRIP.

    So, the saber is fully assembled. It works except for the RICE port. At this point, I don't really care. For now, I have a functional saber! However, when the time comes that it needs servicing, I will need to disassemble it, and the first thing that I must do is take off the Box 13 from the main hilt body. If I take it apart any other way, there's no guarantee that I can reassemble it without dealing with the stripped 4-40 button head anyway.

    Right now, my plan for dealing with it are the very last steps: Replace the 4-40 button head with a new one, and be more careful. Before that, what's my best bet? Just try really hard to get the allen wrench to stick? (I worry about the allen wrench's structural integrity, as it's fairly small and flimsy at that size.) Something else? Is there some life hack for this situation?

  2. #2

    Default

    I know those screws have really small heads on them, but you might try cutting a slot with your dremel or a hack saw and turning it into a flat-head screw. I haven't tried that, but google seemed to produce that result a lot. I'm not sure if there are extractors that small, but you might try looking for one as well. Or try jamming the next size allen key or a small flat-head screw driver in the hole and see if you can get any grip.

  3. #3

    Default

    I have used a thin cutoff wheel with a dremmel to make the screw slotted. It works, but you have to be careful not to slip with the cutoff wheel and mark your saber.

  4. #4

    Default

    Thanks for the replies! My lazy streak will probably keep me from messing with this for a while. However when the time comes, I'll try the dremmel trick to make a flathead screw driver slot.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •