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Vent: A single stripped screw on a 737's flap track cost us a 14 hour shift yesterday.
The whole crew got held up because some genius used an impact driver on a critical fastener, and now I'm curious if anyone has a go-to method for extracting a stripped 3/8-24 bolt head buried in a tight spot without damaging the surrounding structure.
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the_holly5mo ago
A machinist buddy swears by left-handed drill bits for that exact problem. They can sometimes catch and back the screw out before you even need an extractor. Just go slow and use plenty of cutting oil to keep things cool.
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troy_butler75mo ago
Drill a pilot hole first deeper than you think you need, then try the left handed bit. I've had too many extractors snap off in the hole at the worst moment. That torx trick works sometimes but only if you're not dealing with a bolt that's already rusted tight.
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kim.hannah5mo ago
Grab a center punch and make a solid dimple right in the middle of that bolt head. Then start with a small left-hand drill bit, like the_holly said, but I've had better luck using a screw extractor that fits the pilot hole. Go slow, keep the drill straight, and use a ton of oil so you don't work-harden the metal. If it's really stuck, sometimes you can tap a torx bit into the hole you drilled and get enough bite to turn it out with a ratchet.
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