Fixing Gooned Screws.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Everybody has gooned a screw on a gun, don't say you haven't done it cuz I'll just call you a liar. Lots of people just throw their hands up in the air and cuss and then buy a new screw,,, and then wait for a week for it to show up.

Obviously using the correct size screwdriver that fits the screw is necessary but even then sometimes the screw slot gives up and foul language generally follows.

However all is not lost and fixing a screw head is not rocket science. I've been doing it for decades, and it aint that hard.

Here's an overview of how I do it.

1. After you get the screw out, you clamp it in a Vice on the threads. You don't need to clamp it tight and destroy the threads because all you are doing is just holding the screw firmly with the underside of the head resting on the top of the vice jaws.

2. Then you take a Small Ball Peen Hammer (4oz.) and gently "toonce" the buggered parts back down to where they were originally. Sometimes you need to use a "guided blow" on the material to push the slot back closed. Don't worry about closing the slot, just don't close it all the way.

3. After the head has been reformed, take a Jewelers File and recut the slot taking care not to taper it too much.

4. Then chuck the screw in a Drill Motor and polish the head smooth on a Scotch Bright Deburring Wheel making sure the radius on the top of the screw head is maintained.

5. Drop the screw into a bottle of Birchwood Casey Cold Blue and swish it around for a while, take it out, rinse the blueing off and then dip it in Oil.

Done,,, and this took all of 2 minutes to accomplish! Don't goon it putting it back in the gun !!!

Hope some of this helps some of you cope with this common problem in a more effective way.

Randy

[Nueces]

Yessir, nicely described process. And you can claim your guns screws to be custom cold forged!

[Drm50]

I have a piece of copper plate to work on screws. It's D&Ted for most sizes of gun screws from 3x56 up. Also have it drilled to pass screw through and nut from back. Nuts are also made from copper plate and are flat pieces about 1" long X 3/8" wide. Depending on what I'm going to do the screw is threaded in plate or into the nut. Work head with ball peen then freshen slot with special little files for the purpose. Brownells sells them. Have brass stock drilled and tapped to put in drill. Put screw in this stock and spin it against Emory and then crocus. I usally heat with propane torch and spray with WD to blue. Sometimes use 44-40 cold blue. The plate is handy for cutting off screws with dremil and filing too.

[samari46]

I use a couple pieces of 2"x4" in a vice and lightly peen the metal back then screw vice and polish with silicon carbide paper then cold blue. Moral of the story is don't throw away any gun or scope ring screws. Someday you will goof one up and you'll be glad you had that little medicine bottle of old refreshed ones. As already said doesn't take long to refresh them. Frank

[KCSO]

If you check out he Home Shop Machinist magazine last year I had an article on this and how to make the dapping block to redo screw heads. Or if you PM me I can send you a rough draft of the same.

[waksupi]

Everybody has gooned a screw on a gun, don't say you haven't done it cuz I'll just call you a liar. Lots of people just throw their hands up in the air and cuss and then buy a new screw,,, and then wait for a week for it to show up.

Obviously using the correct size screwdriver that fits the screw is necessary but even then sometimes the screw slot gives up and foul language generally follows.

However all is not lost and fixing a screw head is not rocket science. I've been doing it for decades, and it aint that hard.

Here's an overview of how I do it.

1. After you get the screw out, you clamp it in a Vice on the threads. You don't need to clamp it tight and destroy the threads because all you are doing is just holding the screw firmly with the underside of the head resting on the top of the vice jaws.

2. Then you take a Small Ball Peen Hammer (4oz.) and gently "toonce" the buggered parts back down to where they were originally. Sometimes you need to use a "guided blow" on the material to push the slot back closed. Don't worry about closing the slot, just don't close it all the way.

3. After the head has been reformed, take a Jewelers File and recut the slot taking care not to taper it too much.

4. Then chuck the screw in a Drill Motor and polish the head smooth on a Scotch Bright Deburring Wheel making sure the radius on the top of the screw head is maintained.

5. Drop the screw into a bottle of Birchwood Casey Cold Blue and swish it around for a while, take it out, rinse the blueing off and then dip it in Oil.

Done,,, and this took all of 2 minutes to accomplish! Don't goon it putting it back in the gun !!!

Hope some of this helps some of you cope with this common problem in a more effective way.

Randy

I use pretty much the same method. On things like ML lock bolts, I will also case harden the heads, as they are removed many times.

[mazo kid]

I have restored several screwheads using that method. Many times, instead of cold bluing the repaired screw, I will heat blue it.

[W.R.Buchanan]

It appears I am not the only person here who does this. Maybe this thread will encourage others to jump off this highly technical and skill oriented cliff,,, and fix their own.:holysheep

Like I said goin' in,,, It ain't that hard! :mrgreen:

Randy

[McFred]

Maybe I'm an over achiever. I have a lathe, so I just re-make the ones too ugly to use.

[mazo kid]

I'm glad you did bring this up. Even though some of us knew about this method of renewing boogered screw slots, others now can benefit from your post. As McFred said, there may be times when screws are just too damaged, but even so, the experience of trying to repair them will give you some experience in knowing just when you will need to make or buy new ones.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Thanks for posting. I can say, this ham-fisted castbooliteer loves this post.
I never would have thought of attempting to fix a boogered screwhead.
I doubt I currently have a jeweler's file, but I'll be on the lookout ;)

[mazo kid]

Harbor Freight has an inexpensive set of Swiss files, also a mini-hacksaw frame you could use to re-cut screw slots.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Harbor Freight has an inexpensive set of Swiss files, also a mini-hacksaw frame you could use to re-cut screw slots.

I have a big collection of HF tools.
I know I have a couple file sets, one is a Riffling set I use all the time...I don't recall what the other set is? ...Maybe I already have some files that will work, LOL :)

[nagantguy]

I’ve never gooned or buggered or damaged a screw with the wrong size driver; I find it much easier to use a dead blow hammer to get those pesky little screws back in!
Please note the sarcasm!

Very simple and informative write up- thank you- I just found a candidate to make a make duplicate of the winny 94 30-30 that I saved and restored from a basement floor- only this one looks like it was worked on solely with a dead blow hammer and a piece of rusted steel wool , there was a machine screw and a piece of wire keeping the mag tube in place, all screws need the treatment described above- I’ll try and post before and after pics!

[Bohica793]

1. After you get the screw out.......

Herein lies the problem.......

[Kenstone]

I have a piece of copper plate to work on screws. It's D&Ted for most sizes of gun screws from 3x56 up. Also have it drilled to pass screw through and nut from back. Nuts are also made from copper plate and are flat pieces about 1" long X 3/8" wide. Depending on what I'm going to do the screw is threaded in plate or into the nut. Work head with ball peen then freshen slot with special little files for the purpose. Brownells sells them. Have brass stock drilled and tapped to put in drill. Put screw in this stock and spin it against Emory and then crocus. I usally heat with propane torch and spray with WD to blue. Sometimes use 44-40 cold blue. The plate is handy for cutting off screws with dremil and filing too.
Yes what you described is way better than bridging the screw over vice jaws as mentioned in the OP.
A flat piece of steel with a screw size hole thru it offers better support of the screw head for peening.
A machinist bench block is ideal for this too.
:p

[John Taylor]

Had a problem screw on a #4 Remington. This is the tang screw which goes into a nut on the bottom of the stock. The head was already buggered up a bit but that was not the problem. The nut is in the stock and has four tiny ears to keep it from turning, they were not doing their job very good. Screw was stuck and nut was trying to turn in the wood. Normally I would take the torch out and heat things up a bit but in this case it would have damaged the stock more. A little heat from a soldering iron and a few drops of penetrating oil and it came loose. Lucky me. I did not waist time making a new screw for the tang but did make a couple for the new tang sight.
Cold peening the top of a screw is a good idea but may take a little practice for a beginner. I have had a few where I welded the top and cut a new slot. Most of the time I just make a new screw.

[indian joe]

one more twist - I (sometimes) use a hacksaw blade to clean out the screw slot - can deepen it just a touch and keeps the sides nicely parallel
If the screw head is really wrecked - deepen and widen the slot till its clean and square - take a touch off the head height - takes an expert to pick it once its back in the gun !

[JM7.7x58]

In the blacksmith world the tool is called a "Heading Plate". It's used for putting the head on a rivet. All it is is a plate with a hole in it. They can be used in a vise or over the hardy hole of an anvil.

From twenty-four to the age of thirty I worked in Architectural Blacksmith Shops. We made fancy house jewelry for rich people. Can you say, change order/change order/change order, three times fast.

When I repair a screw, down in my basement labyrinth, I use a "Heading Plate"! Cause that's what they are called!!!

I also cheat and use an industrial chemical patina called Tri-Black, because I still have most of a gallon left over from that time in my life.

JM

p.s. There is a debate in the blacksmith world over this tools title. I'll let you in on a little secret, the people who call it a bolster are weak minded;).

[Gewehr-Guy]

I've never heard the term bolster, but always "header", and have used square headers to make forged decorative nails. Another useful tool to have for working on screws is a threaded screw plate, run a long screw through the plate, cut off with a hacksaw, then clean it up with a file and when you screw it back out of the plate it straightens out the thread. I made mine, not sure where you can buy one.

[Kenstone]

one more twist - I (sometimes) use a hacksaw blade to clean out the screw slot - can deepen it just a touch and keeps the sides nicely parallel
If the screw head is really wrecked - deepen and widen the slot till its clean and square - take a touch off the head height - takes an expert to pick it once its back in the gun !

I have put 2 hacksaw blades on a saw frame and taped them together for a wider slot.
Sometime even face the blades in opposite directions too, because the teeth will interlock.
just one more twist on your "hack" :coffeecom
:mrgreen:

[JM7.7x58]

I have put 2 hacksaw blades on a saw frame and taped them together for a wider slot.
Sometime even face the blades in opposite directions too, because the teeth will interlock.
just one more twist on your "hack" :coffeecom
:mrgreen:
I have used a fine toothed Sawsall blade to get that type of width. Used a pair of visegrips as a handle. The screw was held between two pieces of pine in the vise. I had to grind a custom screw driver to fit that screw slot.
JM

[Nueces]

LS Starrett used to supply a set of 8 inch saw blades specially made for cutting screw slots in various widths. The teeth are straight cut and without any set or waviness. I ordered a set in the mid 70s and have supplied myself with a bunch of old cast iron 8 inch hacksaw frames, the heaviest ones being Millers Falls. I like the small frames so much that I cut regular blades to length and punch a new hole for these shorties, for use in fine work.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have seen a Screw Slotting Jig for use with those shorty saw blades. I twas a while back like 30+ years ago.

I have many slotting saws for my mill and use them occasionally. I have one 6" x .060 saw I have set up in my small mill with a right angle head that I use as a cut off saw for my Hand Press Guide Rods. Been set up that way for nearly 3 years now and I have to go down and cut a few sticks up for some Handpresses that are going out later today.

I should call them "Hand Made Presses" as I have assembled every single one that's been sold. Were up to just below #200 right now.

Randy

[indian joe]

LS Starrett used to supply a set of 8 inch saw blades specially made for cutting screw slots in various widths. The teeth are straight cut and without any set or waviness. I ordered a set in the mid 70s and have supplied myself with a bunch of old cast iron 8 inch hacksaw frames, the heaviest ones being Millers Falls. I like the small frames so much that I cut regular blades to length and punch a new hole for these shorties, for use in fine work.

you fellers in the US have had acess to so much good quality tooling (at low prices) - hope ya appreciate it!!!!!

[Nueces]

you fellers in the US have had acess to so much good quality tooling (at low prices) - hope ya appreciate it!!!!!

I'm with you, Joe, and I do appreciate it! I surely wish we also had a good supply of the sort of tooling the UK 'model engineers' are awash in, such as Myford parts and accessories. Ebay is my only source for lots of this stuff.

[forwardgunner]

Might try Brownells, A bit pricey but will get the job done right!
https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/general-gunsmith-tools/files/screw-head-files-prod5742.aspx

[Kev18]

Happened to me on my 1887 shotgun. The stock screw was tight and I pretty much sheared half the screw head off... I clamped it down and took the mig welder to it. Im far from a welder, but that screw came out looking like an original after I filed out the screw slot. I did it with a set of cheap dollar store files.

[Bazoo]

I buy used guns most often and it's pretty common to run across a damaged screw. In some cases I just file the damage off so there isn't a burr and leave it raw if it's a beater.

If it's a nice gun I peen the burrs down as described. I always use a punch to get the blow exactly where I want it and often it results in a repair that doesn't need to be refinished.

[McFred]

I just remade some 6-40s last weekend using a $5 second-hand HSS slitting saw and a quick change tool holder on the lathe. Center things up, and feed into the saw turning about 60RPM.

https://i.postimg.cc/MHCY5BRX/Slotting-Screws.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/4y8gyrJK/Slotting-Screws2.jpg

This weekend I think I'll use the above mentioned method of trying to push the burr into the old slots. If necessary I'll re-cut the slot a little wider.

[McFred]

Might try Brownells, A bit pricey but will get the job done right!
https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/general-gunsmith-tools/files/screw-head-files-prod5742.aspx

Holy crap. $123 plus shipping for a set of 3 files? I'll stick with the slitter saws. That tiny radius in the bottom of the slot I can live with by comparison. Sheesh.

[Froogal]

I've been doing the whole gun hobby for just a short time, but I quickly realized that the screwdrivers I use for working on cars, tractors, lawnmowers, etc. did not lend themselves readily to working on firearms, so I bought a set of "Grace" gunsmithing screw drivers. Absolutely no regrets.

[waksupi]

I've been doing the whole gun hobby for just a short time, but I quickly realized that the screwdrivers I use for working on cars, tractors, lawnmowers, etc. did not lend themselves readily to working on firearms, so I bought a set of "Grace" gunsmithing screw drivers. Absolutely no regrets.

Even with good sets like Grace, I will end up regrinding them for specific screws. I now make my own screwdrivers.

[Patrick L]

I sometimes fire blue the screw heads I dress back into proper shape I think it looks nice.

[DDriller]

I haven't gooned a screw all year! Glad I haven't had to take anything apart so far.

[cuzinbruce]

Gunsmith Mark Novak, on Youtube, has a video on this. He uses a bench block, just drops the screw in and starts lightly tapping. He has a little jewelers bench block but I have used a regular one. Stresses that the face of the hammer needs to be polished and smooth. He uses a 2 oz ball pein. I have done it a number of times and it does work. With light taps, you can move the buggered metal back into place if it isn't too bad. You can find the jewelers bench blocks on eBay if you want. $15 or so IIRC.

[xtriggerman]

For bad screw slots, I file them out clean and then simply gas mig weld the slot shut and most of the time if there's not too much over weld on the sides, chuck it up in my hand drill and spin it true against the running belt sander. Once the sides are reestablished, I just recut a new slot with the Fordom hand (Dremel like) tool with a thin Dymond disk . A quick wheel buff and 44-40 gun blue. Most folks never notice the screw is not original to an old gun.

[Tall]

Everybody has gooned a screw on a gun, don't say you haven't done it cuz I'll just call you a liar. Lots of people just throw their hands up in the air and cuss and then buy a new screw,,, and then wait for a week for it to show up.

Obviously using the correct size screwdriver that fits the screw is necessary but even then sometimes the screw slot gives up and foul language generally follows.

However all is not lost and fixing a screw head is not rocket science. I've been doing it for decades, and it aint that hard.

Here's an overview of how I do it.

1. After you get the screw out, you clamp it in a Vice on the threads. You don't need to clamp it tight and destroy the threads because all you are doing is just holding the screw firmly with the underside of the head resting on the top of the vice jaws.

2. Then you take a Small Ball Peen Hammer (4oz.) and gently "toonce" the buggered parts back down to where they were originally. Sometimes you need to use a "guided blow" on the material to push the slot back closed. Don't worry about closing the slot, just don't close it all the way.

3. After the head has been reformed, take a Jewelers File and recut the slot taking care not to taper it too much.

4. Then chuck the screw in a Drill Motor and polish the head smooth on a Scotch Bright Deburring Wheel making sure the radius on the top of the screw head is maintained.

5. Drop the screw into a bottle of Birchwood Casey Cold Blue and swish it around for a while, take it out, rinse the blueing off and then dip it in Oil.

Done,,, and this took all of 2 minutes to accomplish! Don't goon it putting it back in the gun !!!

Hope some of this helps some of you cope with this common problem in a more effective way.

Randy

Done it many times like this for years. I do not remember where I learned it maybe from my dad?

[JIMinPHX]

Rather than grab the threads of the screw in a vice, I would typically drill & tap a piece of mild steel, clamp that in a vise, then put the screw into the threaded hold before working the slot back into shape.

But usually I just try to purchase a replacement screw if they are available. Screws usually don't cost a fortune.

[JIMinPHX]

I just remade some 6-40s last weekend using a $5 second-hand HSS slitting saw and a quick change tool holder on the lathe. Center things up, and feed into the saw turning about 60RPM.

https://i.postimg.cc/MHCY5BRX/Slotting-Screws.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/4y8gyrJK/Slotting-Screws2.jpg

This weekend I think I'll use the above mentioned method of trying to push the burr into the old slots. If necessary I'll re-cut the slot a little wider.

That's a creative use of a lathe. I'm just not seeing how you move the cutter up & down through the slot. I would expect that you would fixture the screw on the cross slide & then run it back & forth under the slotting saw. Maybe your fixture might have a few set screws in it so that you can adjust the cut depth.

...Or did you mount the tool holder dovetail sideways & I'm just not seeing it because of the orientation of the picture????

There IS more than one way to make that work. I'm just not understanding how you did it here.

Another way to do it would be to screw the screw into a piece of flat bar that is twice as wide as the tool bit slot in the dovetail holder, so that the screw head sticks out, then adjust the dovetail down very far & run the screw head under the cutter that way. That probably makes more sense than the first option I described.

There was a time, before I had a mill, when I had to do creative things like that on a lathe, but it's been a couple of decades. I'm a little rusty on that stuff.