Remove Stripped Screws, Headless Nails, and Busted Fasteners

It's true, sometimes removal is more time-consuming (and more of a pain) than any other part of the job. As the years have gone by I've become more resourceful when removing stuck or broken fasteners. The result is that I'm getting more efficient at dismantlingand I'm suffering fewer skinned knuckles. By the way, a deft touch succeeds over brute force any day.

One of the best and most unusual removal tools I've found in recent years is the CoBolt from Knipex (model 71 41 200). It's a hybrid of a bolt cutter and offset diagonal cutting pliers. I use it to dig out nails, lift staples, and snip through screws, bolts, and small chain links. Forged from chrome vanadium tool steel, it can bite firmly into a hardened-steel roll pin, allowing you to lever out the offending object. The CoBolt deals with a stuck Woodruff key the same way, which is to say, effortlessly. At 8½ inches it slides into your back pocket or pouch. The German-made tool is expensive (about $50) but worth every penny.

On a related note, you can save time by deciding before you begin a project whether to salvage the object you plan to fix. Sometimes it's much simpler and fasterand even cheaperto cut something free and replace it than it is to coax out a fastener or pry something apart, all with the intention of reassemblage. I'm conscious of saving money and loathe to send things to the landfill unnecessarily, but I'm also fairly decisive about when to fiddle with a fixor leave something at the curb.

Cut

· Chop off nails and screws with CoBolt or high-leverage linesman pliers rated for bolt/screw cutting.

· Cut through nail- and bolt-embedded lumber with a bimetal blade in a recip saw, or a nail-cutting demolition blade in a circular saw.

Extract

· Use penetrant to soften rust.

· Drill a broken fastener with a left-hand drill bit. Fastener should ride up bit; if not, use a screw extractor. Use cobalt bits on hardened-steel screws and bolts.

· To extract, tap an extractor sized to match the drill bit into the hole. Twist counterclockwise.

Pry

· Pound cat's paw under a nailhead; pry and lift.

· Grip staples and small nailheads with CoBolt or Channellock 449 high-leverage cutting pliers; pry up and remove. For extra leverage, rock the tool back on a center punch.

Roy Berendsohn has worked for more than 25 years at Popular Mechanics, where he has written on carpentry, masonry, painting, plumbing, electrical, woodworking, blacksmithing, welding, lawn care, chainsaw use, and outdoor power equipment. When he's not working on his own house, he volunteers with Sovereign Grace Church doing home repair for families in rural, suburban and urban locations throughout central and southern New Jersey.

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