<font color='black' size='2' face='arial'> <div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> <div id=AOLMsgPart_1_3048bf07-4218-40d9-9365-8536dfe04539><FONT color=black size=2 face=arial><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></FONT><br> <div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 3px"><PRE><TT>Follow these steps. 1. Soak the screw several times with WD 40 or Blast-it or penetrating oil. Overnight with a wad of soaked cotton taped over the screw, if possible. 2. It is worth a try to heat the head with a big soldering iron if you have one to get the penetrating oil to boil and penetrate better after it has soaked overnight. 3. Take a small pin punch or nail set and place it in the screw slot on the edge of the screw and angle it as much as you can in the direction of rotation. Tap it gently to break down the rust that is holding the screw head to the bar, or in the threads. A little patience is important here. Tap gently to not distort the screw head too much. This almost always works. You have both sides of the screw slot to use. You can alternate. I will be surprised if this does not work. It has always worked for me. I work on a lot of machines other than pianos too and have a lot of experience with broken bolts. Good luck Doug Gregg</PRE></TT></BLOCKQUOTE></div> <div>Doug</div> <div> </div> <div>Thank you for this advice. I did your method, and it worked. This morning, before I left the house, I squirted some protek at the base of the screw. Then this afternoon, I drilled more of a slot, and then some, (see photo), and then started hitting the slot with a bag ass screw driver and a hammer. It was frustrating at first, because it just didn't want to move. Then all of a sudden it broke free, and in less than a minute it was out. </div> <div> </div> <div>Joe, if you're listening, you promised to send me a replacement. The screw is oval head, 2 1/2" long,with a 1/4 shank at the throat and a 7/`16" head. I'll be more than happy to reimburse you for "shipping and handling"</div> <div> </div> <div>Wim<br> <br> <br> </div> <div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">-----Original Message-----<br> From: Douglas Gregg <classicdoc@gmail.com><br> To: tnrwim <tnrwim@aol.com><br> Sent: Mon, Oct 3, 2011 9:13 am<br> Subject: Screw removal.<br> <br> <div style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fff; MARGIN: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Sans-Serif; COLOR: #000; FONT-SIZE: 12px" id=AOLMsgPart_0_3878c62d-484e-42aa-a5e9-54b78e0c7c92><PRE style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt"><TT>Hi, I have been where you are several times. First, a hammer driven impact screw driver for about $12-15 is really worth it for next time. I have rarely had any luck with easy-out/Grab-it devices. They are too hard and break off too easily. They also tend to expand the screw and that just makes it worse. If the Grab-it is broken off in the center of the screw, you will likely not get the Grab it out. It is too hard to drill out and it is firmly wedged now. Follow these steps. 1. Soak the screw several times with WD 40 or Blast-it or penetrating oil. Overnight with a wad of soaked cotton taped over the screw, if possible. 2. It is worth a try to heat the head with a big soldering iron if you have one to get the penetrating oil to boil and penetrate better after it has soaked overnight. 3. Take a small pin punch or nail set and place it in the screw slot on the edge of the screw and angle it as much as you can in the direction of rotation. Tap it gently to break down the rust that is holding the screw head to the bar, or in the threads. A little patience is important here. Tap gently to not distort the screw head too much. This almost always works. You have both sides of the screw slot to use. You can alternate. I will be surprised if this does not work. It has always worked for me. I work on a lot of machines other than pianos too and have a lot of experience with broken bolts. Good luck Doug Gregg Classic Piano Doc Southold, NY </TT></PRE></div> </div> </FONT></div> </div> </font>