Help! How to remove the tight screws

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KKV270
Senior Member
Posts: 347
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2013 1:11 pm
Location: Nairobi- Kenya

Help! How to remove the tight screws

Post by KKV270 »

Hi.
I'm working on my camper (and beetle next on que).
I'm stuck- getting those tightly held door and handle screws loose has proved to be a potential "stopper" on my projects. I sprayed WD but it doesn't seem to help. Any tips please? Is there a tool for this?
Thanks
h~moto
Senior Member
Posts: 189
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 8:58 pm
Location: Fairfax, Virginia

Post by h~moto »

WD-40 is not that good as a penetrating fluid. Most any other brand should work better. Not sure which screws you are working on but you might want to try a vise grip on the screwdriver for better leverage. A good trick to break loose a screw is to first try to turn it in the direction that tightens it.
KKV270
Senior Member
Posts: 347
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2013 1:11 pm
Location: Nairobi- Kenya

Post by KKV270 »

Thanks h~moto
I wonder what other products would better WD40!! I guess that's all I know as available around me.
darzoom
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Posts: 468
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2011 10:32 am
Location: Atlanta

Post by darzoom »

Try a 50/50 mix of acetone and Dexron/Mercon Automatic Transmission Fluid. Mix one part acetone and one part ATF in a re-fillable spray bottle and go to town. The idea is to thin the ATF with the acetone so it will penetrate and seep into and between surfaces. The acetone will evaporate, leaving the oil to do its job. Because the acetone evaporates so quickly, it's a good idea to mix this in small batches.

Also:

Wintergreen Oil (available at drug store)
Gun Oil
Liquid Wrench
Kano Kroil

A 50:50 mixture of automatic transmission fluid and acetone generally outperforms all of the store-bought penetrating oils.

Good Luck!
KKV270
Senior Member
Posts: 347
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2013 1:11 pm
Location: Nairobi- Kenya

Post by KKV270 »

darzoom wrote:Try a 50/50 mix of acetone and Dexron/Mercon Automatic Transmission Fluid. Mix one part acetone and one part ATF in a re-fillable spray bottle and go to town. The idea is to thin the ATF with the acetone so it will penetrate and seep into and between surfaces. The acetone will evaporate, leaving the oil to do its job. Because the acetone evaporates so quickly, it's a good idea to mix this in small batches.

Also:

Wintergreen Oil (available at drug store)
Gun Oil
Liquid Wrench
Kano Kroil

A 50:50 mixture of automatic transmission fluid and acetone generally

outperforms all of the store-bought penetrating oils.


Good Luck!
Amazing at the wealth of knowledge and tips that help get by...thanks for this info. I sure will put this to use.
So far, the philips socket and impact driver have come in handy...yet again, I know some penetrating fluid will work best in other areas where the impact driver will probably dent metal (e.g. My canopy of the camping gear at the roof)
Thanks.
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