wrote:
I was reading a previous thread from May about owner assisted annuals. I
noticed a number of comments about drilling out stuck inspection panel
screws. Back when I used to work on airplanes as an avionics tech, someone
showed me a neat trick for getting stuck screws loose. When you find a
screw that doesn't want to come loose, or that the screwdriver tip cams out
of, put a little dab of valve grinding compound on the screwdriver tip.
Valve grinding compound comes in a tube about the size of a small tube of
toothpaste at auto parts stores, and has a fairly coarse grit in it. It
gives your screwdriver tip much better traction in a screwhead that's
already been a little damaged, and does a great job of preventing the
screwdriver tip from camming out. There's also something similar available
called "Screw Grab" that I found at a hardware store locally, that has the
same grit in it but in a thinner solution. It works just as well. It comes
in a small plastic tube. I've rarely had to drill out screws since I started
using those compounds.
Scott Wilson

Hi Scott,
An A&P friend showed me a trick on an access panel that had some stuck
fasteners. He used a 1/4" speeder wrench with a phillips head socket.
The speeder wrench looks like an old "bit and brace" drill. It allows
you to push hard on the bit and still keep it square when you turn it.
Using this tool, he started by turning the fastener tighter, just a
slight bit of a turn. This was to break the sticking threads loose,
and then it took less torque to back the screw out. Sometimes old
fasteners have a bit of rounding in the direction used to back them
out. The use of valve grinding compound to allow the bit a better
interface also sounds like good advice.

Good Luck,
Brian