Help needed taking out hex screws

[walpurgis]

Good tools and the right tools are essential.

As for 'Snap On', I bought a largish and fairly costly hex driver head and it was more a case of 'Snap Off'. Bloody useless thing!

[Stratmangler]

Good tools and the right tools are essential.

As for 'Snap On', I bought a largish and fairly costly hex driver head and it was more a case of 'Snap Off'. Bloody useless thing!

They have a completely open replacement scheme.
You break it, they'll replace it.
Doesn't matter how old it is.

I'll bet you whizzed it, didn't you?

[Stratmangler]

I have a couple of sets of Bondhus Allen keys, one metric, one Imperial.
They invented the rounded end key.
Buy well, buy once.

[walpurgis]

I'll bet you whizzed it, didn't you?

Wot dat mean?

[Stratmangler]

Wot dat mean?

Threw it in the bin.

[omsoc]

Use a good quality hex key if possible and once it is in the screw head give it a gentle couple of taps with a SMALL hammer to fully seat it in the head.
Then instead of trying to loosen (anti-clockwise for muppets ) try to tighten it a TINY amount before reverting back to loosening it.
This will help you to not damage the hex socket faces that take the loosening load while trying to overcome the initial sticksion (you often hear a click sound) ans should reduce the force required to undo the screw...hopefully the head is not already too damaged.

[omsoc]

P.S. Don't use a round headed key

[Pharos]

Isn't the round head only for quickly screwing the excess length of a screw, and not meant for final torque?

[walpurgis]

P.S. Don't use a round headed key

Quite right. It's a pretty pointless tool for hand work. You need the maximum contact area between driving and driven faces.

[Stratmangler]

I see you good folk haven't worked out how to use a search engine yet.
http://www.bondhus.com/index.html