page_title: Screw extractor
section_title: Spiral fluted extractor
hierarchical_section_title: Screw extractor / Spiral fluted extractor
caption_attribution_description: English: Three sizes of damaged screw removers. I took this photo myself, of my bits, and release it under the GFDL.
context_page_description: A screw extractor is a tool for removing broken or seized screws. There are two types: one has a spiral flute structure, commonly called an easy out after the trademarked name EZ-Out; the other has a straight flute structure. Screw extractors are intentionally made of hard, brittle steel, and, if too much torque is applied, can break off inside the screw that is being removed. Since the extractor is an extremely hard material, and a typical home shop drill bit will not be able to drill into it, a larger element of difficulty is added to the original screw extraction project. One way to avoid this added difficulty is to drill a hole completely through the screw. Thus, if the fastener breaks, a punch can be used to drive out the easy out from the screw, via the back, or end, of the fastener.
context_section_description: A spiral screw extractor is itself a coarse-pitched tapered screw thread. They are generally left-handed, for use on right-handed threads, though there are right-handed extractors for removing left-handed screws.
  The screw is first drilled out to the proper diameter for that extractor. The extractor is then inserted into this hole and turned in the direction opposing the stuck screw's original one, usually using a tap wrench. As the extractor is turned, the flutes on the tool dig into the screw, causing it to lock tightly and withstand the applied torque required to remove the screw.
  A drawback to tapered screw extractors is that their wedge action tends to expand the drilled, and thus weakened, screw. This wedging action can lock the screw even more tightly in place, making it difficult or impossible to extract.
caption: Spiral flute screw extractors
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