This screw won't budge!

WD40 is a lousy penetrating oil. Get the lightest oil you have; Kroil is best.

SOP for seized threads:
-apply Kroil (or other light penetrating oil). Go away, come back tomorrow.
-apply Kroil, heat until the Kroil is just seething/bubbling/boiling out of the joint. I use a propane torch, a hairdryer won't cut it. You're boiling the Kroil into the joint.
-apply torque, with a properly-fit screwdriver.

Boiling water can be tried before using a torch.
It only needs to be dipped in water enough to submerge the screw.
Less moving parts will get wet if you dip the barrel end into the hot water.

electricfactory said:

What's the verdict on Liquid Wrench ?

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Give it a shot, no reason not to! While you're waiting for Kroil, soak that in Liquid Wrench, and spend some time grinding a sacrificial screwdriver bit to a close fit in that screw head. When you have a very well-fit driver bit, heat it just to fizzing the oil, and try it.

In my experience, if you get the oil all the way in there, and enough heat to boil it, it takes surprisingly little torque to unscrew provided it isn't mechanically galled yet.

I’ve been using pb blaster for years.

If you have access to one of those impact drivers, not cordless drill type but on that uses hammer blows to deliver an impact while turning the screw it might help.
Another technique used by mechanics, heating the screw then chilling quickly, thermal shock. I’d heat it with a soldering iron or other flame less heat source like an old screw driver heated red hot.

If your screw slot begins to strip while attempting to loosen, one tried and true old trip is to dip your screwdriver tip in valve lapping compound.

I have welded small nuts to broken studs in engines before. May not work here but the heat from welding instantly loosens the stud. May be a little small but shows heat does wonders.

Oh yeah you might want to order some small dropper bottles to apply the Kroil.

No wood or plastic around it use a heat gun or bake in the over for a bit. If it has Locktite on it that may weaken it enough to loosen it. You can also take a screw driver bit and grind it down to fit perfect side to side.

arcticap said:

Boiling water can be tried before using a torch.
It only needs to be dipped in water enough to submerge the screw.
Less moving parts will get wet if you dip the barrel end into the hot water.

Click to expand...

The boiling water method worked to help me remove a stuck & buggered clean out screw from a used gun.
And also to remove a difficult nipple.

Yes the electric soldering iron to the screw head may really help if you have a properly fitting screw driver standing by and tap the handle hard before turning. If it does not loosen use a good penetrant as mentioned before it totally cools off and wait a few hours with the screw facing down . You will have to keep a hot soldering iron tip on that screw heas a couple full minutes to get it hot.

I have a small hand impact driver that I use in situations like this. Barring that, Kroil works wonders.

Kroil is king.

I have had pretty good luck with PB blaster.

Heat is always good if there is nothing in the way that can't handle it. As a last resort, you can't beat a impact hammer. Well actually you HAVE to beat a impact hammer. I use my snap on impact hammer all the time at work when nothing else will break a stubborn nut,bolt,screw loose.

Howdy

Uberti uses very soft screws. Soft screws grab the threads in a threaded hole more easily than the threads of a hardened screw. I have lots of experience with Uberti screws. I can't tell you how many guys in CAS have had trouble backing Uberti screws out of various firearms.

If I recall correctly, that screw is in a tapped through hole in the frame.

If so, it is always best to apply a penetrating fluid to the threads themselves where they emerge from the hole. Applying penetrating fluid to the screw head is not as successful as the screw head blocks the fluid from reaching the threads. Applying the fluid to both the head and the rear of the screw may be best.

I agree, Kroil is a much better penetrating fluid than WD40, I have used it a bunch of times. Apply some Kroil, then wait for it to work its way in. I have had to make several applications some times, and I like to give the Kroil 24 hours to do its work before I try to back the screw out.

When applying heat, the theory at least is to apply the heat to the threaded hole, not the screw. As the metal expands the hole will enlarge ever so slightly in diameter and the threads may 'pull away' ever so slightly from the screw. In theory anyway. Or the threads may simply be rusted to the hole. In that case, applying heat to the screw may cause it to expand, then when it cools the hold of the rusted threads may have been released a bit.

Agree, sacrifice a screwdriver to get an exact fit in the slot in the screw head. The closer the fit, the less likely to bugger up the screw head. Also, a hollow ground screw driver is better than a standard hardware store screw driver. The wedge shape of a standard screwdriver tip tends to make it want to climb out of the slot. That is why hollow ground screw driver bits are best, the sides of the two faces are parallel.

Be sure to use lots of downward force on the screwdriver while you are trying to untorque the screw from the hole, to prevent the tip from climbing out of the slot. Even with a hollow ground tip. Perhaps support the frame in a vice with cloth or rubber to prevent it from being marred. Lean your whole body weight onto the screw driver to keep the tip from climbing out of the slot. Increase the torque gently until something gives way. It will be either the screw or the screw driver.

Afterwards, go to VTI Gunparts and see if they have hardened screws for your pistol.

Call them if you don't see something listed, they are terrific people and can usually help you out.

https://www.vtigunparts.com/store/s...rice=&searchfields=cname, cdescription, ccode

I use a solder iron to apply heat on small screws surrounded by wood. Same issue with old handplanes.

electricfactory said:

also gave it a tap to try and loosen

Click to expand...

You need to clamp the frame in/against something quite firm. Then while exerting an constant twisting torque on the screwdriver, repeatedly smack the screwdriver quite solidly -- while maintaining the twist.

Effectively an Impact scewdriver.

The impact keeps it in the slot, "unlocks" the upward tension on the threads to where they can move..., and it will come loose.


.

Small hand impact driver. A must for removing screws on Italian guns for the first time. Especially Uberti rifles, they have a gorilla assembling them. Any that give the slight resistance I just use the impact driver and no damage to the screws and no fussing.

I say despite all of the good suggestions maybe it will come loose maybe it won't. Good luck.