Craftsman Drill-Out Screw-Out

[kxxr]

Sears calls this set number 52157 the Drill-Out Micro Power Extractors and the Screw-Out Damaged Screw Removers. I really needed the smallest one and my Sears didn't have the set in stock and they don't sell them individually as open stock. I lucked out and the pawn shop came to the rescue and I got the whole set, brand new for $20. I think that is about half what Sears sells them for. Not sure about that. I may even show pictures of the salvage job if I don't botch it. I'm waiting for replacement parts before I tackle the job. Here's the set.

[Ken W.]

I have this set and they work well when they work.They are made by a company not far from me in Lancaster,NY.

[OilyRascal]

Useless IMO.  The "bolt out" version is a different story all together.

[kxxr]

Oily,This is USELESS.

This is HOPE :)

[OilyRascal]

Well, I hope it works better for you than has been my experience.  The most success I've had was after drilling a very small "pilot hole" for the extractor to bite within.  Maybe I just don't hold my tongue right.

I sincerely hope it does the trick for you.

[rusty]

Sadly, I suspect you are going to discover that the cap screws are harder than the drill-out bits by a factor of about three. I would perhaps pin more hope on a 1/16 cobalt drill bit .....

[kxxr]

Well, I hope it works better for you than has been my experience.  The most success I've had was after drilling a very small "pilot hole" for the extractor to bite within.  Maybe I just don't hold my tongue right.

I sincerely hope it does the trick for you.

I hope so too. The 4 smaller bits are double ended. One end for drilling the hole, and the other to turn counter clockwise and remove the broken screw. I am waiting for replacement parts before I give it a go. And yes, you absolutely must hold your mouth and tongue just right.

[john k]

I have had success with these a couple of times.   Also with regular E-Z-outs.   But it has been about 2 or 3 successes out of ten attempts.  Have a MAC reverse drill bit set with extractors too.   Have heard them called miracle tools, because if it works you feel like you witnessed a miracle!

[HeelSpur]

I've followed directions to a T with those damn things, never could get em to work.

[international3414]

i was going to suggest,blow it out with a torch,didn't realize your working on a ge-tar....i would probably grind a flat spot with a dremal or mini die-grinder,,then just drill it..then go larger,,,then a easy-out...no pounding?...i think it will go easy...good luck

[Lostmind]

There is a good chance that screw has Loctite or something similar on it.
A trick is to use a soldering gun to heat the screw and try turn it out when hot.
A left hand drill bit might do it.

[kxxr]

In case anyone wonders how this turned out ... I could not get the 'drill out' tool to work. The first problem was getting the hole centered in the broken bolt. I might have had better luck if I had ground it flat first, as international3414 suggested. The drilling end of the tool didn't drill into the bolt very well. The bolt metal is very hard, as someone else had mentioned. Using another bit, I was able to drill a hole, but the drill out end of the bit just did not seem to grab well enough to turn the broken bolt out.
I was able to replace the entire 'nut', as it's called, and the problem was solved, but I had wanted to save the original part as the color is slightly darker on the new part. Now that I have the nut off of the guitar, I still think I will be able to turn the broken bolt out of it. It will just take a different approach. I think the drill out tool might have worked had I been able to get the hole centered in the first place. With an off center hole, the drill out tool just couldn't apply pressure evenly.
I'm happy to report that I did end up with a perfectly repaired guitar and there were no injuries :)

[Nolatoolguy]

Good to hear you got the guitar working.

I have used drill outs from harbor freight to snap on. None of them seem to work every time. Sometimes you get lucky, but not always. Even the expensive snap on didn't always work for me.

However my buddy spent almost $350 on a big Snap on brand set. He swears by them. My guess is it all depends on the screws or bolts your trying it on.

[rusty]

Sometimes this works, sometimes not.

Take the nut+bolt and put it in the freezer for an hour or two.
Then take it out and clamp the nut in a vise.
The vise will warm up and expand the nut faster than the bolt inside, maing it a little easier to spin out when you grab it ....

[kxxr]

Sometimes this works, sometimes not.

Take the nut+bolt and put it in the freezer for an hour or two.
Then take it out and clamp the nut in a vise.
The vise will warm up and expand the nut faster than the bolt inside, maing it a little easier to spin out when you grab it ....

I will keep this in mind when I go back at it. I have put the whole thing aside now that the guitar is repaired, but I do want that original part back on there. Thanks for the tip.