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thirdeyefish t1_iu4ma91 wrote

Drill it out. Pick a bit smaller than the screw and destroy the screw. Your valve may already be lost. I had a similar issue and the cheapest option was to replace the whole knob.

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thephantom1492 t1_iu532x6 wrote

There is some reverse drill bits too. They are pricier, but they MAY grab and cause the screw to unscrew.

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Captain_Elson t1_iu5c3w7 wrote

Theoretically these should always grab when used properly. Generally they come with a kit that has the correct size reverse bit and the associated drill bit. Edit: Just checked and harbor freight sells a whole set of these for like 10 bucks.

You'll want to use the regular, smaller bit to drill a hole into the screw, then (generally with a tap wrench) use the reverse bit to grip on the inside of the hole you drilled. Just back out the screw while the bit is trying to go deeper. I've never had one of these fail on me.

Hardest part is getting the initial drilling straight on the screw, but there is quite a lot of tolerance.

Also, lube up the bit while youre drilling, WD40 works fine for this. And blast the screw with PB Blaster before unscrewing it.

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joejc18 t1_iu58rbt wrote

Always use reverse bills for extraction. Why are you going to drill a hole and make the screw go in even more. Drill and loosen at the same time or nothing

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Skeeboe t1_iu5a3iy wrote

I saw a reverse bill on daffy duck back in the day

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Remanage t1_iu4p4b4 wrote

The other problem is going to be cleaning up the old threads, since you probably don't know the thread size so you can't pick the right tap. You might be better off picking a slightly larger drill bit and then re-tapping the hole slightly larger. It looks like the valve is behind a sheet of plastic, so my worry would be that replacing the whole valve is going to become a much larger shower/tub project.

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QuestionsGoHere t1_iu51y85 wrote

I had to do the same thing recently at my parents place. OP make sure to get a drill bit that's harder than the screw. Something like a Carbon drill bit $15-$20 for the bit no need to get the super expensive bits

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BariumEnema t1_iu5ncai wrote

2nd this, I fought with a tub overflow screw that was stripped to Hell. Wrestled with it for hours until I said eff it and just drilled it out. That soft metal gave away real easy and I was back in business quickly. I was afraid I was going to mess up the threading but it was not an issue.

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