Quest M3 screws seized - Page 2

Discuss roast levels and profiles for espresso, equipment for roasting coffee.
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UltramaticOrange
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#11: Post by UltramaticOrange »

Looking at that screw head, I think I'd be using vice grips and a single tear down my cheek (when the faceplate inevitably get scratched).

The last resort of last resorts is to drill out the screw and re-tap the hole at the next size up.
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Randy G.
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#12: Post by Randy G. »

I looked at some of the pics of M3's. I assume that you are talking about the center portion of the fron front that is held by Phillips screws? If the heat did not work then I would recommend drilling out just the head of the screw until it comes off. Use QUALITY drill bits! Titanium Nitride is suggested. Start with a small size and work up from there. Just drill to the depth of the head and maybe an additional 1mm. One the heads are removed you gain two things. With the front off you have better access to the threads where they enter the body and you can use penetrating oil to loosen them. You will also have a bit of the screws' shafts exposed that can be manipulated with tools without worry of scratching the face.

Now, once to the point that the front is off, proceed as follows:

Use a quality penetrating oil. Dribble some on, the using a small metal tool or tiny hammer, LIGHTLY and repeatedly tap on the screws' exposed shaft fifty to one hundred times each. The vibrations will help the penetrating oil seep in as well as to break up whatever is causing the screws to be struck. Then reapply the penetrating oil and wait. Repeat that a few times over a period of a few hours. After two or three tapping sessions, Use a pair of suitable pliers to grab each screw and attempt to turn it gently in both directions. Once they break loose continue applying penetrating oil and plier-wiggling until the screw shafts can be removed.

Why not just grab with vice grips and try to turn the heads? Because if a screw breaks off inside the plate there is greater chance of damage from attempting to drill it out. At least with my method above there is a chance of avoiding that. At least to say, why take a chance of the screw breaking off inside the roaster when you can control the destruction and have a fair chance of saving the threaded hole?
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erics
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#13: Post by erics »

Considering where you are located (South Korea?), I would contact the manufacturer, questm3roaster@gmail.com, and see if you can ship the roaster back to them.

You are trying to turn the allen head screws counterclockwise? If you attempt to drill them out, use a drill bit with a left hand twist and have the drill rotating counter-clockwise.
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Randy G.
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#14: Post by Randy G. »

Eric, when he stated he would use pliers and was worrying about scratching the machine I assumed he meant the center cover on the front of the machine which, in the photos I saw, appeared to be Phillips, but the call on the left-had twist drill bits is a good one. Additionally, you and I have experience in such matters. Hard to say about whether the OP is comfortable in taking on such tasks. Maybe sending it in for service is the best call.
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erics
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#15: Post by erics »

Randy -

Below is a pic of the latest M3 roaster. Machines produced prior to May 2013 are a mirror image (horizontal) of this.

Skål,

Eric S.
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SAS
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#16: Post by SAS »

Try an Easy Out. Sets of these are inexpensive and have an opposite twist that grabs the inside of the stripped hex hole.

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troposcuba
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#17: Post by troposcuba »

SAS wrote:Try an Easy Out. Sets of these are inexpensive and have an opposite twist that grabs the inside of the stripped hex hole.

<image>
I do this stuff on airplanes for a living... use the easy out and the penetrating oil, grab the square end of the easy out with a pair of vice grips, and be sure that the easy out is slightly larger tip diameter than the hole in the screw. don't be afraid to drill into the screw a little. then what someone else mentioned earlier about the hammer tapping... yes, that helps... even more if you are tapping the easy out into the screw as you try to turn it out. stop if the easy out is not biting in and if it slips at all... all you will do is remove metal from the screw. you might have to continue to drill a little deeper into the screw to get enough bite from the easy out. Oh, and above all, don't break off the easy out in the screw. you are all done if that happens. they are harder than any drill bit you will get, so there is no drilling the broken piece of easy out if you snap it off. You can feel them flex and twist a bit, but common sense should tell you when you are being too heavy handed... hopefully. Good luck.
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Munich (original poster)
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#18: Post by Munich (original poster) »

I did not know that screw extractors are called "easy out". I went down this road already. My first set:

The results were neither "easy" nor "out".

I then shelled out a considerably larger chunk of money which bought me this:



Those bits nicely cut into the screw-head but also failed to accomplish anything beyond that.

I did not use oil yet but will do that too as the heads slowly disappear and I don't have too many attempts left.

Thank you again for all that generously given expert advice.

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yakster
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#19: Post by yakster »

I tried the easy-outs on a group head screw of my La Peppina when I first picked it up and had disappointing results. It may have worked had I used penetrating oil, the tapping, and some more patience, I ended up drilling out the screw and re-tapping the hole with the same thread size, which for some reason worked fine, even though I mistakenly initially tapped it with SAE threads before realizing that the replacement screws were metric.
-Chris

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JK
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#20: Post by JK »

Munich wrote:I did not know that screw extractors are called "easy out". I went down this road already. My first set:

The results were neither "easy" nor "out".
Sounds like a man of experience :)

Anything smaller than a 1/4" I would not recommend a easy out..

For drilling the screw out a must is the drill need a good start in the center of the screw so a dremel to grind screw head flat is a good thing....
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