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Stripped iPhone 4 screws.

iBrickedMyPsp

iBrickedMyPsp

macrumors member
Original poster
May 7, 2012
52
0
Well. I'm sure i'm not the only one with this problem.

I wanted to change the back plate of my iPhone to a transparent one and i go to unscrew one of the pentalope screws with the right screw driver and it seems to be stripped.. Before i must have tightened it too tight.

I've tried this rubber band thing people were saying and it didnt work,

i tried superglue which didnt even stick to the metal at all,

i tried a little razor blade thing to try to turn it and no luck..

I saw this screwgrab thing that supposedly gives you like 10000% the friction on stripped screws and you can easily get it out but i dont even know if it'll work on these size screws.

I've heard of dremel tools but i have no idea what that is honestly lol.

any help will be appreciated
 
A dremel is a rotary tool that you can use to cut, sand, engrave, etc. All you need to do is change the tips of it. You should use a dremel as a last resort though.
 
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Ohh that's what I thought and yeah probably best as a last resort. The screw is like a complete circle and I can't get anything to work
 
hmm... you could try something like a small bit of JB Weld on the tip of a small screwdriver, pressed and held against the screw head for about an hour. Then left to dry overnight.

Might allow you to twist it out.

JB Weld is a adhesive compound, one of the strongest in the world.
 
It's at every auto parts store.

51Z7y4Td%2BfL._SL500_AA300_.jpg


It's amazing stuff. Don't know if it will work in this circumstance though but it's worth a shot.
 
cynics said:
It's at every auto parts store.

Image

It's amazing stuff. Don't know if it will work in this circumstance though but it's worth a shot.
Click to expand...

Alright i'll try to look again tomorrow, but say it doesn't work, would you think it would stick to the screw? then i'd totally be SOL lol.:apple:
 
If you try the j-b weld be sure the screw is fully clean. I would also use masking tape over the dock connector and screws too (with holes cut out for the screws). That should help keep any excess j-b weld from messing anything else up.

But I would think it has a good chance to work if you let it dry long enough.




Michael
 
Tinmania said:
If you try the j-b weld be sure the screw is fully clean. I would also use masking tape over the dock connector and screws too (with holes cut out for the screws). That should help keep any excess j-b weld from messing anything else up.

But I would think it has a good chance to work if you let it dry long enough.




Michael
Click to expand...

yeah thats good safety. probably saved me from the future damage i'd do to the 30pin crap connector...thanks
 
sulpfiction said:
And buying new screw would accomplish what?
Click to expand...

^i was about to say that this morning but didn't get a chance to lol. Well I went to lowes yesterday again and the guy pretty much said he only had stuff for bigger screws like oils ect. And he said I shouldn't put that in something small like this but obviously something's gonna get damaged I don't even care lol I just want this screw out.

I'll just try to see of that weld stuff is sold at this auto store
 
iBrickedMyPsp said:
^i was about to say that this morning but didn't get a chance to lol. Well I went to lowes yesterday again and the guy pretty much said he only had stuff for bigger screws like oils ect. And he said I shouldn't put that in something small like this but obviously something's gonna get damaged I don't even care lol I just want this screw out.

I'll just try to see of that weld stuff is sold at this auto store
Click to expand...

I would take the screwdriver that you were using, or buy another one, and I would cut the tip off so it was just a flat end. Then fit it inside the stripped hole and make sure it goes in. (if the screw is totally rounded off, it should). take a little JB weld, and dip the screwdriver tip in it (just a small amount). Then push it into the hole and set something up so it will be able to sit there without moving until it's dry. Once it dries turn it out very slowly and carefully. It should come out.

I think this method is about the best. What I'm not so sure about is the JB weld. It could turn into a big mess, really easily. And it might be overkill. I really think that crazy glue, done properly would work just as good The key is getting something that fits into the hole as much as possible. If you get something inside the hole with a dab of Crazy Glue, it should work too. And try not to get any glue on the outside of the screw where it theads into the band. It has to be a VERY small amount that just goes into the hole, and around whatever tool you use. After looking at the screw, it's not going to be easy to do...But it will work.
 
sulpfiction said:
I would take the screwdriver that you were using, or buy another one, and I would cut the tip off so it was just a flat end. Then fit it inside the stripped hole and make sure it goes in. (if the screw is totally rounded off, it should). take a little JB weld, and dip the screwdriver tip in it (just a small amount). Then push it into the hole and set something up so it will be able to sit there without moving until it's dry. Once it dries turn it out very slowly and carefully. It should come out.

I think this method is about the best. What I'm not so sure about is the JB weld. It could turn into a big mess, really easily. And it might be overkill. I really think that crazy glue, done properly would work just as good The key is getting something that fits into the hole as much as possible. If you get something inside the hole with a dab of Crazy Glue, it should work too. And try not to get any glue on the outside of the screw where it theads into the band. It has to be a VERY small amount that just goes into the hole, and around whatever tool you use. After looking at the screw, it's not going to be easy to do...But it will work.
Click to expand...

Alright thanks. It did come across my mind to cut the tip off. I can afford to do this once though I only have 2 pentalope screwdrivers. I tried crazy glue but I'm not sure if I did that right, it never stuck to the metal brezel piece or screw
 
sulpfiction said:
I would take the screwdriver that you were using, or buy another one, and I would cut the tip off so it was just a flat end. Then fit it inside the stripped hole and make sure it goes in. (if the screw is totally rounded off, it should). take a little JB weld, and dip the screwdriver tip in it (just a small amount). Then push it into the hole and set something up so it will be able to sit there without moving until it's dry. Once it dries turn it out very slowly and carefully. It should come out.

I think this method is about the best. What I'm not so sure about is the JB weld. It could turn into a big mess, really easily. And it might be overkill. I really think that crazy glue, done properly would work just as good The key is getting something that fits into the hole as much as possible. If you get something inside the hole with a dab of Crazy Glue, it should work too. And try not to get any glue on the outside of the screw where it theads into the band. It has to be a VERY small amount that just goes into the hole, and around whatever tool you use. After looking at the screw, it's not going to be easy to do...But it will work.
Click to expand...
I would not use cyanoacrylate (super glue). It doesn't do well in metal to metal situations like this. Also, it's low viscosity and quick cure time could mean he accidentally glues the screw to the threads so that the only option is to drill it out. He also already tried it without success (hopefully it didn't do any harm).

A little JB to me is better, with the surrounding area masked for protection. It does very well in metal to metal situations.



Michael
 
Tinmania said:
I would not use cyanoacrylate (super glue). It doesn't do well in metal to metal situations like this. Also, it's low viscosity and quick cure time could mean he accidentally glues the screw to the threads so that the only option is to drill it out. He also already tried it without success (hopefully it didn't do any harm).

A little JB to me is better, with the surrounding area masked for protection. It does very well in metal to metal situations.



Michael
Click to expand...

Totally agree with you 100%. I use an activator with cyanoacrylate glues and I think I could personally get it out that way, fairly quickly, and with no mess. But I am also very careful, and have the right tools. I don't have too much experience with JB Weld, but I was thinking that it would be tough to have it set up properly in such a small, tiny hole. The key is going to be getting the tool positioned inside properly.
 
sulpfiction said:
Totally agree with you 100%. I use an activator with cyanoacrylate glues and I think I could personally get it out that way, fairly quickly, and with no mess. But I am also very careful, and have the right tools. I don't have too much experience with JB Weld, but I was thinking that it would be tough to have it set up properly in such a small, tiny hole. The key is going to be getting the tool positioned inside properly.
Click to expand...
Yea I often use an accelerant with cyanoacrylate too. Just don't get it and the glue on your hands at the same time. Snap. Crackle. Pop. Ouch. lol

What I do when working on an iPhone is think about people that have to work on watches day in and day out. For some reason that makes the normally teeny tiny iPhone screws seem huge. :D




Michael
 
I bought the J B weld and i see on the back it says 4-6 hours dry so i guess i should do this tonight.

What do you do? take the two tubes and mix them together then put it on the end of the driver and hold it on the screw hole ?
 
iBrickedMyPsp said:
I bought the J B weld and i see on the back it says 4-6 hours dry so i guess i should do this tonight.

What do you do? take the two tubes and mix them together then put it on the end of the driver and hold it on the screw hole ?
Click to expand...
Yes mix together equal amounts till the color is uniform. Have the iPhone masked, and the screwdriver prepared beforehand.

Also have whatever method you come up with to hold the screwdriver in place ready to go. If it were me I would probably use a drill press--off!--with the screwdriver as the "bit." Then I would have the iPhone secured vertically, upside down, and get the alignment down perfectly. This would allow me to gently lower the screwdriver to the screw, and lock it in place. You might not be able to use a drill press but you get the idea.

Use only a small--very small--amount of jb-weld. It tends to run down from gravity but I don't think that will happen with the very small amount needed for this job.

If it were me I would be doing this using high magnification.

Oh yea, keep in mind that after the j-b weld is dry you still can't move screwdriver--it will have tremendous leverage at its bottom and even light force will break the connection. If it were me I would try to turn the screwdriver while still secured (e.g., if in the drill press I would simply turn the screwdriver while it is still attached).




Michael
 
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