The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Allen screws are common on many household goods likefurnitureandready-to-assemble kitchen and bathroom cabinets.
The beauty of these hex screws is that they lay low and remain out of the way.
But Allen screws are easy to strip because they are so small.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Insert the correctly sizedAllen wrenchover the paper or rubber band and turn.
Switch to T-Handle Hex Wrench
The usual L-shaped Allen wrenches are thin and difficult to handle.
Use a set of T-handle Allen hex wrenches for better hand grip and improved downward pressure.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Add one drop of screw-grab friction liquid to the top of the Allen screw.
Insert the correctly sized Allen wrench and turn.
Turn With a Larger Allen Wrench
Stripping an Allen screw widens its internal hex shape.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Move up to the next-sized Allen wrench and turn with that.
Tip
There are both SAE and metric sized allen wrenches.
It is good to have both available for proper fit.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Turn With a Torx Wrench
Torx is a trademarked screw and wrench with a six-point star-shaped pattern.
A similarly sized Torx wrench might provide a firmer grip on a stripped Allen screw.
Or you might even discover that you actually have a Torx screw, not an Allen screw.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Turn With a Phillips Head Screwdriver
Insert the tip of aPhillips head screwdriverand turn the Allen screw.
Take your time and go easy to avoid stripping out the Allen screw even more.
Insert a left-hand drill bit into an electric drill.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Keeping the drill vertical, drill into the Allen screw until it turns out.
Remember to switch the drill rotation to REVERSE.
Create a Groove to Turn With a Screwdriver
Place a metal cutting wheel into arotary cutting tool.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Cut a shallow groove into the Allen screw head.
Switch to a flat-head screwdriver and turn out the Allen screw.
Screw extractor bits start at 3/16-inch.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Add the screw extractor bit to the drill or the manual T-shaped handle.
Turn the bit counter-clockwise into the Allen screw until the screw emerges.
Mix two-part epoxy composed of a resin and a hardener.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Often, this is done by squeezing a double-barreled applicator to form a single compound.
Other two-part epoxies are mixed from separate containers on a piece of cardboard or another disposable material.
Glue the wrench firmly to the Allen screw.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
You may need to wait up to 12 hours for the epoxy to fully cure.
Then, turn the screw out.
To remove a stripped 3mm Allen screw, first try lay a wide rubber band on top.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Next, use a 3mm Allen wrench to turn the screw through the rubber band.
If that does not work, switch to a 4mm Allen wrench without the intervening rubber band.
The rubber band helps to widen the Allen wrench’s grip and give it more friction.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
