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How can I remove these stuck screws????
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I just got this 1936 Featherweight and need to replace the rubber feet. Ive managed to remove all the dried up rubber from around the screws, but the screws won't budge!!!:( any ideas??? |
My husband uses a good penetrating oil to loosen stuck screws. I'm not a sewing machine mechanic so don't know if this is what you should be doing. I'd think about using a Kroil product as recommended by this website http://www.mckennalinn.com/cleaning-...-machines.html
I've gotten good deals on Aero Kroil from this website. http://www.kanolabs.com/msn/ |
Spray with WD-40 and let it sit for a few hours or overnight. Repeat if necessary.
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...and find a screw driver fitting the groove in the screw optimally, it makes a big difference when you need a bit of force to loosen it.
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I had the same issue during refurbishment of my White FR ; I had tried everything mentioned on this board; what worked best, simplest, least messy, and least smelly was a few weeks of repeated applications of Kroil Oil and Mean Green spray.
I had to sit the toughest stuck parts in a shallow bath or Kroil Oil which creeps into the smallest of air pockets to moisten the dried grime that is the cause of the issue; then I sprayed with Mean Green and scrubbed with an old tooth brush and paper towels to dissolve away the loosened grime to reveal shining metal and released screws. I had also torqued the screws between each bath with a leather scrap wrapped around the head and secured with locking pliers. And for areas that I couldn't logistically place in a bath bowl I had to wet a paper towel in the bath and wrap the stuck area with the soaked paper towel. You can get the Mean Green spray at WalMart; and I got my Kroil Oil from Kano Labs. Also the technical term in the correct screw drivers mentioned by Mickey2 is "hollow point tips", visually the tips are tapered. I don't know the science behind why these things all work but in my laymen experience, they do. Self patience and diligence are helpful too. Best of luck with it. |
You can also use the heat from a hair dryer to soften the hardened oily gunk. Lightly tap the parts after you've heated it up and you should free up the screw that way.
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I removed the old hardened rubber feet all the way to the metal, then I got the largest screw driver that would still fit in the slot head and I kept the screw driver at an angle and then hammered the end of the screw driver with quite a bit of force so don't miss. I broke all of the screws free this way. If all else failed I was going to have hubby drill them out!!.;)
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getting drastic now. Sometimes you can dig the old rubber out and grab the screws with vice grips and turn.
I've also been known cut another slot with a hobby tool. Of course, you'll want to replace the poor abused screws. |
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