• Take 30 seconds to register your free account to access deals, post topics, and view exclusive content!

    Register Today

    Join the largest Oakley Forum on the web!

Stripped T6 Screw Head

@dr.chop Hmm, okay. Since I still have a bit of the head left, I think my best bet is to get an extraction kit to take the screw out. Though, do you think another screw driver would be strong enough to create another pattern strong enough to use that to screw it out? I would think the straight blade screwdriver would create a dent in the screw and use that? With the way the screw is recessed on the Juliet orbitals, and most of the head gone it doesn't seem like I can fit anything along the side to pry the screw out with your method.
 
@dr.chop Hmm, okay. Since I still have a bit of the head left, I think my best bet is to get an extraction kit to take the screw out. Though, do you think another screw driver would be strong enough to create another pattern strong enough to use that to screw it out? I would think the straight blade screwdriver would create a dent in the screw and use that? With the way the screw is recessed on the Juliet orbitals, and most of the head gone it doesn't seem like I can fit anything along the side to pry the screw out with your method.
if you have started drilling, try to do the gentle pry method. it may be weak enough to pop right off. then you are golden, if a driver won't bite in the recess you made in the head.
 
Yeah if you've been drilling already you've pretty much killed any chance to use another driver to bite in and twist it out. Either the micro grabit or the gentle pry; if the head's already too far gone the pry will pop it off and then you'll have to use the pliers on the remaining post, if there's enough...
 
Lots of excellent advice here! I stripped the head to one of my Juliet ear stem screws about a year ago. I did the one up driver trick with a T7, applied VERY firm and even pressure and turned slowly. Took 10 min of slow even turns but I got the little bastard out. After that I bought a Wiha T6 and it has never slipped, not once. That Wiha has gotten out some ****ty, and I mean ****TY stripped screws from other pairs. I can not recommend it enough. Good luck, let us know how it turns out!
 
Ah finally! OPERATION SUCCESS!!

Alright, so yesterday I went out looking for an extractor bit as I was scared my previous drilling method might cause huge issues. After I picked the tool up and tried it, it did not work. The crater I created with the drilling made the circumference too large because I used a 3/32" bit. Even though I also followed the instructions of the extractor bit to use a 5/64" bit as prep for the extractor, it was not possible for me to drill a hole deep enough to where the extractor could grip on with its sides as it is meant to be done with the hole where the driver is supposed to go.

I also tried the prying method, and from my understanding of the concept, I am supposed to insert the flat-head on the side of the screw to pry it out slowly by stripping the screw. Since this was the screw on the orbital that lets me change the lenses of the Juliets, there did not seem to be any space for any movement as the screw is recessed into the frame. Also, since I already tried drilling out the screw, the soft material of the screw seemed to flatten and spread to the sides, leaving no space for anything to fit between the screw and the frame so I had to abandon that technique.

I then decided that since nothing else worked, the only thing left for me to do was to continue on with my original plan, trying to drill out the head of the screw and hope for the best that there would be enough of the screw, and for it to be strong enough for me to grab it with pliers and back it out.

After a ridiculous amount of patience and my arms about to fall off by trying to go super safe by drilling through with my bare hands, I decided to use a power drill on the lowest setting thinking it was safe as the crater looked solid enough for the drill bit to sit properly, going very slow and checking the progress after a few seconds. Eventually, I felt that satisfying pop of the frame springing apart, showing ample amount of the screw remaining that I can grip onto with pliers.

Still being very cautious as I did not want the same thing happening as the guy in the other thread who also broke this part of the screw trying to use pliers, I popped out the lens and got to work. Honestly, it was extremely nerve wracking while stretching the orbital apart to fit the pliers, knowing the screw is extremely fragile, and the crunching sound created by the pliers scraping against the frame. Luckily the frame is extremely strong and not even a single scratch appeared!

As I gripped on and turned, I could feel the pliers slipping, and stripping the screw further. Super scary! Then, my next turn I went super slow and felt the screw starting to turn. Haha, I thought I fully destroyed the screw until I examined it and noticed that it had actually loosened and was slowly backing out! The joy of removing that final part was real!

Now, what would be the best place to get a replacement screw? I heard Linegear produces a much higher quality screw and Revant also carries replacements. Which ones are the best? Would a regular hardware store possibly carry the same exact screw?

Haha, sorry for writing up a novel here! I just wanted to document my entire journey of what worked for me in detail so it might possibly help someone else with the same issue. Thank you all so much for all your help! I could not have done this without your suggestions and my beloved Juliets are back in perfect working order!
 
Ah finally! OPERATION SUCCESS!!

Alright, so yesterday I went out looking for an extractor bit as I was scared my previous drilling method might cause huge issues. After I picked the tool up and tried it, it did not work. The crater I created with the drilling made the circumference too large because I used a 3/32" bit. Even though I also followed the instructions of the extractor bit to use a 5/64" bit as prep for the extractor, it was not possible for me to drill a hole deep enough to where the extractor could grip on with its sides as it is meant to be done with the hole where the driver is supposed to go.

I also tried the prying method, and from my understanding of the concept, I am supposed to insert the flat-head on the side of the screw to pry it out slowly by stripping the screw. Since this was the screw on the orbital that lets me change the lenses of the Juliets, there did not seem to be any space for any movement as the screw is recessed into the frame. Also, since I already tried drilling out the screw, the soft material of the screw seemed to flatten and spread to the sides, leaving no space for anything to fit between the screw and the frame so I had to abandon that technique.

I then decided that since nothing else worked, the only thing left for me to do was to continue on with my original plan, trying to drill out the head of the screw and hope for the best that there would be enough of the screw, and for it to be strong enough for me to grab it with pliers and back it out.

After a ridiculous amount of patience and my arms about to fall off by trying to go super safe by drilling through with my bare hands, I decided to use a power drill on the lowest setting thinking it was safe as the crater looked solid enough for the drill bit to sit properly, going very slow and checking the progress after a few seconds. Eventually, I felt that satisfying pop of the frame springing apart, showing ample amount of the screw remaining that I can grip onto with pliers.

Still being very cautious as I did not want the same thing happening as the guy in the other thread who also broke this part of the screw trying to use pliers, I popped out the lens and got to work. Honestly, it was extremely nerve wracking while stretching the orbital apart to fit the pliers, knowing the screw is extremely fragile, and the crunching sound created by the pliers scraping against the frame. Luckily the frame is extremely strong and not even a single scratch appeared!

As I gripped on and turned, I could feel the pliers slipping, and stripping the screw further. Super scary! Then, my next turn I went super slow and felt the screw starting to turn. Haha, I thought I fully destroyed the screw until I examined it and noticed that it had actually loosened and was slowly backing out! The joy of removing that final part was real!

Now, what would be the best place to get a replacement screw? I heard Linegear produces a much higher quality screw and Revant also carries replacements. Which ones are the best? Would a regular hardware store possibly carry the same exact screw?

Haha, sorry for writing up a novel here! I just wanted to document my entire journey of what worked for me in detail so it might possibly help someone else with the same issue. Thank you all so much for all your help! I could not have done this without your suggestions and my beloved Juliets are back in perfect working order!
Glad your patience paid off in the end. Contact @InfiniteHero for top quality T6 replacement screws at a great price.
 
Ah finally! OPERATION SUCCESS!!
Good job! Glad you didn't end up with a predicament where I'm at: a frame I recently received had a broken screw with insufficient grip for pliers to get out. Now I have to juggle between chemical treatment and ruin the first gen coating or drill out + retap the broken screw.
 
Ah finally! OPERATION SUCCESS!!

Alright, so yesterday I went out looking for an extractor bit as I was scared my previous drilling method might cause huge issues. After I picked the tool up and tried it, it did not work. The crater I created with the drilling made the circumference too large because I used a 3/32" bit. Even though I also followed the instructions of the extractor bit to use a 5/64" bit as prep for the extractor, it was not possible for me to drill a hole deep enough to where the extractor could grip on with its sides as it is meant to be done with the hole where the driver is supposed to go.

I also tried the prying method, and from my understanding of the concept, I am supposed to insert the flat-head on the side of the screw to pry it out slowly by stripping the screw. Since this was the screw on the orbital that lets me change the lenses of the Juliets, there did not seem to be any space for any movement as the screw is recessed into the frame. Also, since I already tried drilling out the screw, the soft material of the screw seemed to flatten and spread to the sides, leaving no space for anything to fit between the screw and the frame so I had to abandon that technique.

I then decided that since nothing else worked, the only thing left for me to do was to continue on with my original plan, trying to drill out the head of the screw and hope for the best that there would be enough of the screw, and for it to be strong enough for me to grab it with pliers and back it out.

After a ridiculous amount of patience and my arms about to fall off by trying to go super safe by drilling through with my bare hands, I decided to use a power drill on the lowest setting thinking it was safe as the crater looked solid enough for the drill bit to sit properly, going very slow and checking the progress after a few seconds. Eventually, I felt that satisfying pop of the frame springing apart, showing ample amount of the screw remaining that I can grip onto with pliers.

Still being very cautious as I did not want the same thing happening as the guy in the other thread who also broke this part of the screw trying to use pliers, I popped out the lens and got to work. Honestly, it was extremely nerve wracking while stretching the orbital apart to fit the pliers, knowing the screw is extremely fragile, and the crunching sound created by the pliers scraping against the frame. Luckily the frame is extremely strong and not even a single scratch appeared!

As I gripped on and turned, I could feel the pliers slipping, and stripping the screw further. Super scary! Then, my next turn I went super slow and felt the screw starting to turn. Haha, I thought I fully destroyed the screw until I examined it and noticed that it had actually loosened and was slowly backing out! The joy of removing that final part was real!

Now, what would be the best place to get a replacement screw? I heard Linegear produces a much higher quality screw and Revant also carries replacements. Which ones are the best? Would a regular hardware store possibly carry the same exact screw?

Haha, sorry for writing up a novel here! I just wanted to document my entire journey of what worked for me in detail so it might possibly help someone else with the same issue. Thank you all so much for all your help! I could not have done this without your suggestions and my beloved Juliets are back in perfect working order!
Glad to hear you got it out. However you misread the pry method lol. You were to place the side of the blade between the 2 sections of the orbital. Basically, where the rubber gasket sits and pry them apart...Not in the hole where the screw is/was. You would definitely tear it up lol. Either way, you got it and that's the important part...patience paid off
 
Ah finally! OPERATION SUCCESS!!

Alright, so yesterday I went out looking for an extractor bit as I was scared my previous drilling method might cause huge issues. After I picked the tool up and tried it, it did not work. The crater I created with the drilling made the circumference too large because I used a 3/32" bit. Even though I also followed the instructions of the extractor bit to use a 5/64" bit as prep for the extractor, it was not possible for me to drill a hole deep enough to where the extractor could grip on with its sides as it is meant to be done with the hole where the driver is supposed to go.

I also tried the prying method, and from my understanding of the concept, I am supposed to insert the flat-head on the side of the screw to pry it out slowly by stripping the screw. Since this was the screw on the orbital that lets me change the lenses of the Juliets, there did not seem to be any space for any movement as the screw is recessed into the frame. Also, since I already tried drilling out the screw, the soft material of the screw seemed to flatten and spread to the sides, leaving no space for anything to fit between the screw and the frame so I had to abandon that technique.

I then decided that since nothing else worked, the only thing left for me to do was to continue on with my original plan, trying to drill out the head of the screw and hope for the best that there would be enough of the screw, and for it to be strong enough for me to grab it with pliers and back it out.

After a ridiculous amount of patience and my arms about to fall off by trying to go super safe by drilling through with my bare hands, I decided to use a power drill on the lowest setting thinking it was safe as the crater looked solid enough for the drill bit to sit properly, going very slow and checking the progress after a few seconds. Eventually, I felt that satisfying pop of the frame springing apart, showing ample amount of the screw remaining that I can grip onto with pliers.

Still being very cautious as I did not want the same thing happening as the guy in the other thread who also broke this part of the screw trying to use pliers, I popped out the lens and got to work. Honestly, it was extremely nerve wracking while stretching the orbital apart to fit the pliers, knowing the screw is extremely fragile, and the crunching sound created by the pliers scraping against the frame. Luckily the frame is extremely strong and not even a single scratch appeared!

As I gripped on and turned, I could feel the pliers slipping, and stripping the screw further. Super scary! Then, my next turn I went super slow and felt the screw starting to turn. Haha, I thought I fully destroyed the screw until I examined it and noticed that it had actually loosened and was slowly backing out! The joy of removing that final part was real!

Now, what would be the best place to get a replacement screw? I heard Linegear produces a much higher quality screw and Revant also carries replacements. Which ones are the best? Would a regular hardware store possibly carry the same exact screw?

Haha, sorry for writing up a novel here! I just wanted to document my entire journey of what worked for me in detail so it might possibly help someone else with the same issue. Thank you all so much for all your help! I could not have done this without your suggestions and my beloved Juliets are back in perfect working order!
That's wonderful news!!! I've only used Linegear screws as replacements for my frames and they are excellent. I always try to keep some spares lying around for new frames I pick up. Glad to hear this had a happy ending!
 
Yeah I've used LG replacement screws and they've been good; haven't tried aftermarkets from other sources so can't compare.
 
Back
Top