Dremel or Similar Tool for Stripped T5 Torx Screw

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sk3tch

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Hey guys,

Not the perfect spot for this post as it relates to a laptop - but I can get every screw but one off of the bottom of my laptop (2022 Razer Blade 14, FWIW). I don't think it's stripped, stripped but it's bad enough it won't turn like the other 11 screws. I've read since it's recessed into the bottom of the case that you need to "score" the screw with a super small Dremel tool so you can use a flat head to get it off...

Do you guys know of a Dremel to get that has that level of precision? We're talking a really microscopic screw...

Thanks!
 
I have all the laptop and phone kits - there's not even a flathead that fits this screw. We are talking a T5 Torx.

What Dremel would I use to "score" it? Are there any models that can go that small?? Thanks all for the replies so far.
 
sk3tch said:
I have all the laptop and phone kits - there's not even a flathead that fits this screw. We are talking a T5 Torx.

What Dremel would I use to "score" it? Are there any models that can go that small?? Thanks all for the replies so far.
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Ignore the Dremel option. The screw is recessed and you're going to cause plastic damage. Go online and buy a reputable screwdriver repair set. I have flatheads that are nearly a point.
 
sk3tch said:
I have all the laptop and phone kits - there's not even a flathead that fits this screw. We are talking a T5 Torx.

What Dremel would I use to "score" it? Are there any models that can go that small?? Thanks all for the replies so far.
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That trick only works for larger screws you cannot easily score it. If you dont have a flathead small enough make one small enough
 
Jamming a flathead as suggested is probably the easiest. Use a crappy expendable one and grind it down a little if needed.
A small screw extractor works well on these when they're really rounded out and if not totally siezed you should be able to use one without having to drill.
Sometimes a little material like thin cardboard or rubber band over the screw or a lil masking tape over the driver to give your T5 some extra 'bite' can work.
 
For a stripped t10 screw awhile back on a tivo, I used a left-handed drill bit to take it out with (using a drill, of course!).
 
cdabc123 said:
That trick only works for larger screws you cannot easily score it. If you dont have a flathead small enough make one small enough
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I’m not a super handy guy - what type of tool would I need to hack a flathead smaller? My father in law probably has something - like a sander?
 
I'm not sure how recessed the screw is. Pictures would help.

I've had luck with using a rotary tool to make a slot for a flat blade screw driver. There are different kinds of cutting discs for the rotary tools. One I like to use in situations like this is the "sandstone" kind. It's basically abrasive dust glued together to make a very thin cutting disc. The larger, fiberglass reinforced discs last longer, but they can be a lot thicker, and that's not what you want.
 
duronboy said:
I'm not sure how recessed the screw is. Pictures would help.

I've had luck with using a rotary tool to make a slot for a flat blade screw driver. There are different kinds of cutting discs for the rotary tools. One I like to use in situations like this is the "sandstone" kind. It's basically abrasive dust glued together to make a very thin cutting disc. The larger, fiberglass reinforced discs last longer, but they can be a lot thicker, and that's not what you want.
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It’s absolutely flush - it’s a RAZER CNC unibody design so even the Vampliers I picked up (admittedly not to solve this issue but to have on hand) can’t help at all. I may just “live” with the 1TB SSD (versus upgrade to the 2TB) since I usually sell my laptops and upgrade to new gen after 6-8 months. I don’t want to cause damage beyond the screw.
 
Yeah I don't know if I would mess with it, given the situation. It's not completely broken, so it's not an emergency.

Speaking of CNC, a risk-free(mostly) but potentially involved nuclear option could be to take the laptop to a CNC shop and have them mill a slot in the screw. Not sure what the cost would be, but for something that simple I can't imagine it would be much. It's quite possible that the screw would remain re-usable.
 
duronboy said:
Yeah I don't know if I would mess with it, given the situation. It's not completely broken, so it's not an emergency.

Speaking of CNC, a risk-free(mostly) but potentially involved nuclear option could be to take the laptop to a CNC shop and have them mill a slot in the screw. Not sure what the cost would be, but for something that simple I can't imagine it would be much. It's quite possible that the screw would remain re-usable.
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A capable shop could absolutely extract the screw.

A individual with a screw driver and rock could successfuly extract the screw without damage
 
I wonder if threadlocker isn't part of the equation, here. I recently encountered that while disassembling a video card. The screws were really putting my #00 Wiha to the test.

I didn't think of it until afterwards, but I could have used a soldering iron with a dab of thermal paste to heat up the screws a tad to loosen the threadlocker.

If you see a colored haze on the rest of the screws, often blue, then you might be dealing with threadlocker.
 
duronboy said:
If you see a colored haze on the rest of the screws, often blue, then you might be dealing with threadlocker.
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Yup. I believe it's Loctite blue. The rest unscrewed with ease but had the blue film / filings come out as part of it.
 
Guys! Had a local CNC shop all set to help and was removing all the screws so it would be easy in and out - got that last pesky one!!!

Thank you!! I love you all.

C455CC20-DD44-4B00-B33F-4275656DCD2E.jpeg
 
I guess you could buy a new screw, or set of screws, or mount the stripped screw in a piece of wood or something and dremel a slot into it, safely.

I probably have 5lb of random PC screws, I wonder how common the ones in that laptop are.
 
duronboy said:
I guess you could buy a new screw, or set of screws, or mount the stripped screw in a piece of wood or something and dremel a slot into it, safely.

I probably have 5lb of random PC screws, I wonder how common the ones in that laptop are.
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I wish it was a common screw. It's a black Torx T5 and even the "replacement" ones I bought on Amazon aren't a perfect match. I have read Razer sends you to a site to buy them but that site doesn't seem to have them anymore. Ah well.

Now that I'm rocking 2TB, I'm good. It's the best price to storage to performance ratio right now and you can't even upgrade the memory or anything else on this thing (outside of the WiFi card and I'm good with Qualcomm). :)

EDIT: probably goes without saying but I got the "stripped" screw off and back on without issue - so we are "whole" until I sell this thing in 2023. Heh.
 
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You put the stripped one back in... Well, the next guy's in for a treat! :ROFLMAO: At least the threadlocker's been defeated.
 
duronboy said:
You put the stripped one back in... Well, the next guy's in for a treat! :ROFLMAO: At least the threadlocker's been defeated.
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I still say a simple flathead would sort this out easily. Any reputable screwdriver kit (hell, even shitty ones) should have a screwdriver bit of useful size for this application.
 
auntjemima said:
I still say a simple flathead would sort this out easily. Any reputable screwdriver kit (hell, even shitty ones) should have a screwdriver bit of useful size for this application.
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It's absolutely tiny - a super small "star formation". I have two iFixIt kits and none of those flat heads would work.
 
sk3tch said:
It's absolutely tiny - a super small "star formation". I have two iFixIt kits and none of those flat heads would work.
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Ok, so I KNOW the size. Hell, I have a set all the way down to T2. The kit ALSO has flatheads that can remove them.

My kit was about $12 at a local parts store.
 
sk3tch said:
Gotcha. I guess in the whole collection I have there isn't one. Maybe there is but my attempts have not been succesful. The level of "stripped" is not lost cause level so that helps. :)
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It's all good. It's done and reinstalled as it is, so crisis averted? Lol
 
I repaired a few iphones back in the day. I just ordered the special magic screwdriver and I think some of the replacement screens had an extra driver in the box, too. I still have a bag of misc. mini screwdrivers from back then.
 
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