&$%@!!! What now?

[surfmonkey]

I was attempting to put in strap locks on my Jazz bass, but the existing holes were not big or deep enough to accomodate the strap lock screws. So, while drilling the holes deeper the cheap ass drill bit broke in half and is now lost/stuck in the hole. Any suggestions?

[Rocky McDougall]

The easy thing to do would be to drill another hole right beside it. The only way to get the bit out (I am assuming there is nothing sticking out) would be major surgery. If you get the hole as close as possible, the strap lock should cover the original hole. If some of the original hole is exposed, put a small chrome washer under the staplock with a matching felt washer. Anything else, I am afraid, would do more damage than you want to deal with. I hope this works for you. If not, we will talk abut plan B.

Good Luck, Rocky

[wraub]

Is there any part of the cheap ass drill bit visible outside the bass body? 1/4" or so?

 

 

Peace,

 

wraub

[Bob Gollihur]

Originally posted by surfmonkey:

I was attempting to put in strap locks on my Jazz bass, but the existing holes were not big or deep enough to accomodate the strap lock screws. So, while drilling the holes deeper the cheap ass drill bit broke in half and is now lost/stuck in the hole. Any suggestions?

Get a screw extractor, they don't always work but do quite often. Here's a page at Sears.com so you get the idea: http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/search.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&keyword=screw+extractor&vertical=TOOL but you should also find them in various sizes at a decent sized hardware store.

[surfmonkey]

Originally posted by Bob Gollihur (bob@gollihur.com):

Originally posted by surfmonkey:

I was attempting to put in strap locks on my Jazz bass, but the existing holes were not big or deep enough to accomodate the strap lock screws. So, while drilling the holes deeper the cheap ass drill bit broke in half and is now lost/stuck in the hole. Any suggestions?

Get a screw extractor, they don't always work but do quite often. Here's a page at Sears.com so you get the idea: http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/search.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&keyword=screw+extractor&vertical=TOOL but you should also find them in various sizes at a decent sized hardware store.

Thanks Bob, I think I'll try that first.

[Rocky McDougall]

If the drill bit is below the surface there is nothing to grab with a screw extractor without making the hole larger????? Unless there are some new types of extractors that I am not familiar with?????

[Big Red 67]

Needlenose pliers!

[thanny XIII]

That sucks!

[Gruuve]

You could try glueing the other piece of the drill bit back to the piece embedded in the bass. You *might* get it to stick long enough to run the drill backwards to get the broken piece out, or turn it with a pair of pliers to be safe.

 

Dave

[kenfxj]

What Bob G. said. I've used an extractor on a broken embedded drill bit and successfully backed the bit out.

 

Also - like Wraub suggested, if 1/8th of an inch or more is sticking out, attach a vice-grip as tight as possible and back it out.

 

Good luck.

[mcbn]

I vote for needle nose pliers if you can get them in there.

 

But I think the question that needs to be asked is why were you drilling out the holes? Were the new screws that much larger than the ones that were in there before?

 

You should have been able to use the screws that came with the straplocks if you were careful not to over torque them.

[Bob Gollihur]

Originally posted by NUTT:

I vote for needle nose pliers if you can get them in there.

 

But I think the question that needs to be asked is why were you drilling out the holes? Were the new screws that much larger than the ones that were in there before?

 

You should have been able to use the screws that came with the straplocks if you were careful not to over torque them.

IME the Dunlop screws, supplied with the straplocks I favor, are larger than most stock strap screws. However, the fact is that the recess in the Dunlop strap holder is usually too small for the heads of most stock strap screws.

 

Sooooo, provided the stock screw is healthy enough, I'll put it in a pair of vicelock pliers and use my bench belt sander or Dremel tool with rotary sanding head to trim around the edges of the stock screw's head until it fits within the Dunlop strap holder.

 

Bob's Bass Trick #842

[Rocky McDougall]

I dont know is Sears makes a "drill bit extractor" I have seen them but never used one. With out making the hole any larger, the extractor has two very small pins on the end which are desined to go down into the flutes of the drillbit, and in some cases allow you to rotate it backwards "if" the bit is not too tightly stuck in the hole. I'm afraid that if the bit broke off, it is in there pretty tight. Good luck, let us know.

Rocky

[Fred TBP]

Originally posted by Bob Gollihur (bob@gollihur.com):

Sooooo, provided the stock screw is healthy enough, I'll put it in a pair of vicelock pliers and use my bench belt sander or Dremel tool with rotary sanding head to trim around the edges of the stock screw's head until it fits within the Dunlop strap holder.

 

Bob's Bass Trick #842

I second that. I have a preference for the longer screws Fender uses on their bass bridges, (I think they're about 1-1/2" long) so every now and then I visit my repair guy and buy a dozen of those and do the Dremel on the screw heads just like Bob does. IMHO the longer screw provides a little extra mass.

 

To that I add the "Fred trick" of a drop of Elmer's wood glue that I moisten the screw thread with to keep it from slipping out later. Now I can't remember if this applies to just drilling steel or if it applies to wood as well, but my dad used to use a drop or two of machine oil on the drill bit about every inch or two of drilling. He said it cut down on friction, but I recall the wood would smoke a little, so he'd stop drilling for a minute or two until the smoke cleared. Same trick with sawing lumber.

 

Getting the screw out is another hat trick. If the head is still on it takes the right amount of pressure and patience to work the screw out without damaging the slot. (brute strength alone isn't the solution) If the head is broken off, my experience is that you'll do less damage by filling the hole over and drilling another hole nearby. I didn't have much luck with those extractor bits either (they wobble too much) so a broken drill bit just has to get used to its new home.

 

The difference in cost between "cheap ass" (plain steel) drill bits and good (carbide) ones is a few dollars. I learned from my dad that "cheap ass" will cost you more if you botch up the job. Ditto from a friend of mine with 30+ years in the tool and die business. Stay away from cheap tools unless you plan to throw them away sooner or just keep them in your car for emergency road work. For instance, I'm not a big fan of "Made in China" on my tools (or my power amps) even if I bought it from Sears.

 

Same with cheap jeans, as I learned recently. Had one split at the wrong time at the wrong place (good thing I was wearing grey briefs or it would have been an even bigger embarrasment)

[way2fat]

There is a tool called an EZ-Out that is made for removing nuts that have had their head sheared off. It should be adaptable to your situation.

[Rocky McDougall]

The problem with an ez-out is, it is made for a much larger screw or bolt. You have to drill a hole in the center of the broken bolt and then use the "backward thread" of the tool to lock into the drilled hole and ease the bolt out. The problem here is , this is a broken drill bit that is down below the surface. There is nothing to grasp onto with any other tool. You can't drill holes in drill bits, they are too hard. I still say drill a new hole as close to the old hole and just forget about the old hole. You can fill it if you want, but the Straplock should come close to covering it where it is not noticable.

Rocky

[Big Red 67]

Originally posted by Bob Gollihur (bob@gollihur.com):

IME the Dunlop screws, supplied with the straplocks I favor, are larger than most stock strap screws. However, the fact is that the recess in the Dunlop strap holder is usually too small for the heads of most stock strap screws.

 

Sooooo, provided the stock screw is healthy enough, I'll put it in a pair of vicelock pliers and use my bench belt sander or Dremel tool with rotary sanding head to trim around the edges of the stock screw's head until it fits within the Dunlop strap holder.

 

Bob's Bass Trick #842

I chucked the screw into the drill and used it like lathe.

[Rocky McDougall]

Now that we are on the subject. What is most popular amoung this group. The Dunlap or the Schaller locking strap buttons?????? Just curious.

Rocky

[Fred TBP]

Dunlops on 90% of my toys, Schallers on 5%, original stock on the remainder. It was easier to get parts for Dunlops (extra strap buttons) without having to buy the whole kit each time.

http://www.activemusician.com/images/store/small/MC_SLS1033BK.gif

They have this "dual purpose" strap button so that you can use it with a regular strap if you forget to bring your Straplok-equipped strap or if you want to pass your bass on to someone else without having to readjust your strap all the time. (carrying spares is a good thing)

 

Plus Dunlops are easier to disconnect when you've had a few...

[JonathanD]

Whats wrong with you people. Chop off the horn and drill in the fresh wood. If its on the bottom use a band saw and just make a nice lap around the drill bit and putr the lock next to it.

[surfmonkey]

Well, the screw extractor won't work, because I don't have a good surface to drill into. The bit broke off at an angle. I tried drilling through it with a cobalt bit, but that didn't really work either. The good news I can now see a small part of the bit about 1/4" below the surface, so I might try and jam an ultra thin pair of pliers down there and try and turn it. I'd say that is my last hope.

 

 

NUTT,

 

I was drilling a deeper hole because the strap lock screws are bigger and deeper than the original screws, and I wasn't able to just turn them in the smaller holes.

[Rocky McDougall]

Originally posted by dnkritr:

Whats wrong with you people. Chop off the horn and drill in the fresh wood. If its on the bottom use a band saw and just make a nice lap around the drill bit and putr the lock next to it.

NOW WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT ??? IF IT'S ON THE BOTTOM, YOU MAY LOOSE PART OF YOUR BRIDGE, MAYBE??

IF IT IS THE HORN YOU MAY BE ABLE TO BREAK IT OFF IF YOU DON'T HAVE A SAW. YOU CAN ALWAYS TIE A ROPE AROUND THE NECK, I KNOW IT CAN BE DONE, I SAW IT ON "HEE-HAW" YEARS AGO.

ROCKY