How to Loosen Stuck Screws by These Ways?

You can also use these tricks to loosen stuck screws

If a stuck screw cannot be loosened, brute force seldom helps. Because if you tighten the screw too tightly, in the worst case scenario, the screw head can be damaged or even tear off.

To prevent this and still loosen stuck screws, there are a few tricks you can use to make your work easier.

The reasons why screws get stuck are different: with metric screws, rust can attack screw and nut threads over time, making it difficult to loosen the screw connection again. With wood or sheet metal screws, the problem is usually not corrosion, but mechanical damage to the screw head, which prevents it from being easily unscrewed.

Penetrating oil ensures fresh lubrication

Creeping oil is a special synthetic oil that has been mixed with solvents, which significantly reduces the surface tension of the oil. Due to the capillary effect, the oil creeps into even the smallest gaps between screw and thread and lubricates. Penetrating oil is offered in spray cans and can simply be sprayed on, but depending on the size and length of the screw and the condition of the screw connection, it takes a long time until all thread turns are reached and lubricated.

Heat helps loosen screws

It is known from physics that bodies expand when it is hot and contracts when it is cold. It can therefore help, especially with rusty connections, to first heat them up with a hair dryer or, better still, with a hot air gun and then let them cool down. If penetrating oil is applied to the still warm (but no longer hot) connection, it can spread even more easily and work better.

Attention left-hand thread

Screw connections with left-hand threads are often found in automobiles, but also in the sanitary sector. So if a screw does not loosen even with these tricks, you should carefully try to loosen it in the opposite direction.

This way you can loosen the screw even if the screw heads are almost destroyed

Basically, you should always use the appropriate bit or screwdriver with slotted or Phillips screws to avoid damaging the screw head. As a rule, the screwdriver head or bit is harder than the material of the screw, so too much force is more likely to cause permanent damage.

If you want to loosen a badly damaged (Phillips) screw, you can significantly increase the traction by placing a rubber jar between the screw head and the tool. This allows you to exert significantly more pressure on the tool and thus also on the screw head and unscrew the screw slowly and with calm movements. This will reduce the cam-out effect and can often loosen badly damaged screw heads – after that, however, you should use a fresh screw.

Conclusion

There are various strategies to successfully tackle stuck screws and to loosen them even under difficult conditions. Patience and the right approach are important prerequisites for dealing with jammed screw connections.