Re: [NTLK] Bootstrapped! D'oh!

You're not understanding. The torx head was stripped quite by accident
because the power screwdriver was shifted into high/forward when I set
it down. I didn't notice. The stripping happened while I was attempting
to remove the screw, and thus it became stuck inside the deep hole in
the plastic. I couldn't get ANYTHING to fit in that small space aside
from other bits, so I did the only thing that I could and used the
dremel to cut the plastic around the screw, which is now a permanent
part of the case.

In other words, I couldn't have used pliers. No room. No way to even
reach the bit.

Really, it was a stupid, tiny mistake. The power screwdriver wasn't my
first choice, but I ended up needing to use it rather than trying to
find a functioning torx screwdriver (impossible in this town,
apparently). The fact that the direction and speed of the driver got
changed when I was moving the thing around was my downfall. I didn't
check it before trying to remove that last screw with it, and instead
of loosening the screw, it tightened it and stripped it in about one
second. I didn't react in time. It worked fine for the other screws. It
was just that one where everything sort of went to hell.

So you see, I didn't put the screw "back in." It was stuck there and
simply wouldn't come out (I tried, believe me). Once I cut the case (in
lieu of the screw) to get the case open, the only way to get that
corner of the case to remain secured to the now-warped screw was to
fill the screw-hole with epoxy. The epoxy was the only thing on hand
that would form a bond between metal and plastic, and since I had to
work with a warped screw and a plastic hole that was the same size as
the whole screw head, I saw little choice.

I'm actually pretty good if I have the right tools. I used to build PCs
for a living. I just ended up buying the only T8 in town that was
available (and I looked all over!) and the kit turned out to be cheap,
useless junk.

All's well, though. It works like a charm. The eMate is clean and has
good hinges. All is right with the world.

On 1 Mar, 2006, at 2:10 PM, Martin Joseph wrote:

>
> On Mar 1, 2006, at 10:24 AM, Keyth Owen wrote:
>
>> worried that I might have a problem if that corner remained
>> unsecured, I dropped a little solder on it and then finished it off
>> with some epoxy in the hole, hopefully binding the plastic to the
>> now-permanent warped screw.
>
> I'll make sure you never get near any of my hardware with a tool in
> your hand.
>
> Painfully silly story really. Using pliers to turn the bit instead of
> a powered screwdriver would have been slow, but spared you the damage.
>
> Also, WHY ON EARTH would you put the damaged screw back in? And then
> GLUE it?
>
> Yikes,
> Marty

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