Fastener removal

Did you ever want to remove a rounded-off nut or bolt?  Remove a slotted screw that has a badly worn slot?  Or, remove a Phillips head screw that is rounded out?

This is how it is done, and it probably works 90% of the time or more.  All of my mechanics had a container of valve grinding compound among their tools. It used to come in a two-sided metal tin.  I recently bought this one, and it came in a two-sided plastic container.  One side has the coarse grind and the other fine grinding compound.  The stuff is cheap from your local automotive parts place or Amazon Prime.

I put my watch into the photo to show a perspective.

A magnetic door catch fell apart; to fix it, I needed to remove two Philips head screws.  They were old and had been abused, so I dipped just the tip of my screwdriver into the fine side, which worked perfectly to remove the screws.

If you are busting a hex head bolt or nut loose, be sure to use a 6-point socket, never a 12-point.  This tip was added by Mike Cecchini.

I hope that you will find this to be useful.

Updated 30 March 2023