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Watch: How to extract a snapped screw from your guitar using a simple homemade tool
Snapping screws is a fairly common occurrence, here’s a simple way to extract them while doing minimal damage to your guitar.
So, you’ve accidentally snapped a screw in your guitar and are clueless on how you might ever get it out. Fret not, in this step-by-step video, Huw Price shows you a way to extract a broken screw while doing minimal damage to your precious instrument.
Extracting the screw involves a three part process that starts with creating a simple homemade tool.
“To make your own screw extractor you need a length of hollow metal tubing”,
Huw explains. “The basic idea is to fabricate a drill bit with a hole running through the centre so you can drill a hole around the broken screw and simply lift it out.”
“There will be a fairly wide hole left in the wood, but that can be plugged, levelled and re-drilled.”
And in case you’re wondering, snapping screws isn’t uncommon. “It’s an easy mistake to make,” Huw says. “Some of us may have experienced screw heads snapping off when trying to force a screw into wood when a pilot hole is too narrow.”
A final bit of advice from Huw, applicable when screwing parts onto guitars: “If you ever find yourself having to exert a lot of energy to drive a screw in, it’s best to remove the screw and drill the pilot hole a bit wider.”