I finally tried a trick with a zip tie to get a stripped screw out of a panel on a Cessna 172

The head was totally rounded off and I was about to drill it, but I heated a zip tie tip with a lighter and pressed it into the screw slot. It cooled and grabbed enough for me to turn it out with a wrench. Has anyone else found a simple fix like that for a stripped fastener?

3 comments

3 Comments

iris_mason881mo ago

1927 Boeing 247 mechanics wouldve laughed at this trick but honestly it holds up better than half the "approved" extraction methods. The zip tie trick is basically a poor mans version of a screw extractor but it works because the plastic melts into every tiny scratch in the head. Ive done it on a lawnmower carb and a truck door hinge, worked both times. You just have to make sure the plastic is hot enough to flow but not so hot it burns. The risk on a Cessna panel is overblown, youre not touching any flight control surfaces usually.

hugow302mo ago

Seems risky on an aircraft part.

-1

eva_garcia561mo ago

Actually makes you wonder about the supply chain for those parts. Could be a certified part from a sketchy vendor, or maybe a paperwork mix-up where a non-flight-grade item got the wrong tag. Seen that happen with fasteners before.