Stripped strap button SCREW in warwick

[BassManPatsFan]

hi guys
I just bought a new warwick corvette std. 4 string bass a couple of weeks ago and i love it to death, but ive run into a small problem today. So i was taking out the factory strap locks to put in normal buttons (I dont like the warwick locks) and i noticed that the screw head for the button on the top horn was slightly stripped. I got the one at the bottom of the bass in fine, so I figured what the heck ill try to get the stripped screw out. So i managed to get it partially out and then it got pretty much completely stripped so now the screw wont move and the button is loose. normally i would be able to get a stripped screw out of a hole, but this one seems to be in there good. So my question is, does anyone have any reccomandations for getting the stripped screw all the way out of the hole? thanks in advance.
-Alex

 

[John Deppel]

Is there enough of the screw out to grip with a set of pliers? That's what I normally use, just keep turning the screw with the pliers and you should be able to get it out, the screw will be unusable (tends to mess up the threads), but it seems to already be that way, since it's stripped.

 

[Lyle Caldwell]

The button may be preventing him from grabbing the screw.

I'd take it to a good carpenter- they will have the tool that will pull out a stripped screw, and the knowledge of how to do it without hurting the bass.

 

[BassManPatsFan]

thanks guys.
The button is in the way so i can't grab it with a pair of pliers although i did think of that. I think i'll try to take it to a carpenter tonight or tomorrow. Could you tell me how they go about taking a stripped screw out? I'm sorta curious and also don't want kit to take all night because i have a jazz class at school tomorrow and i need this bass. (the squiers broken)
thanks again

 

[The Golden Boy]

I assume the screw is a Phillips head, can't you use a larger Phillips screwdriver along with a lot of pressure? (some peoples' ideas of "completely stripped" vary considerably)

 

[nashvillebill]

Just a couple of hours ago I had to remove a buggered screw from my motorcycle. The Phillips head part, like yours, had reamed out. I took a Dremel and ground the head off. Once the head's off, you can take the button off and use pliers (Vise-grips are ideal) to unscrew the screw itself.

 

[LajoieT]

Could you tell me how they go about taking a stripped screw out?

They will generally use a Screw Extractor:
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Basically it's kinda like a drill bit with a real aggressve thread but in reverse. So it drills in in the direction that will "un-screw" the screw. When the bit edges bite into the metal of the screw it will turn the screw with it (because the threads are too aggressive to drill into anything that is not held firm). Sometimes it requires drilling a specific sized hole down the center of the stripped screw (that's where the "Experienced Carpenter" comes into play. It is NOT easy to do especially on smaller screws) which then gives the extractor a clearer shot at gripping the screw with enough "meat" to fight against the thread grip. Since your hole is stripped instead of the screw head, this solution might not solve your problem. It may be a simple matter of bonding something to the existing screw head and using that to hold onto it while pulling out and turning.

 

[Philthy]

I bought this set from Craftsman at Sears:

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Yeah, it was a little pricey @ $40 but it's a good thing to have around the house because it has various sizes. I recently needed the smallest size to remove a tuning peg mounting screw that was stripped.