Hi Fabio, I think I can help you. I had exactly the same problem and posted this message some time ago:
I wanted to share a very successful procedure to remove one of the flat head 4-40 cover screws from my K3. The screw head was damaged beyond use. There was a long thread on the subject last year and one poster suggested using a left hand drill bit. I purchased a 3/32" left hand bit, chucked it into my hand drill, masked off the screw to avoid any cover damage, drilled very slowly, and 5 seconds later the drill bit with the entire screw was in my hands. The threads of the 2-D fastener were totally undamaged and a new screw was easily put into place. My thanks to the poster that made the recommendation. 73, Mike K2MK Fabio IZ4AFW / NZ1W wrote > Hi guys, > today I decided to try to apply a mod (Audio Low Pass filter) to my > beloved K3. > My K3 was born in September, 2009 and I bought it factory assembled. > Up till now, I just added a couple of additional filters and the KV3A > board; so, I never unassembled the front panel before. > > Today I found that one of the upper front panel screws was probably > overtightened (or defective). > I tried to unscrew the screw with several phillips screwdrivers (little > and big), to no avail. > The side effect of my (unsuccessful) tentatives was that: > 1) I was not able to unscrew the screw > 2) now the screw head is damaged (see pic at > https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/V1aTCoSq5qkgs3y-beE_DdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink) > > I got to unassemble the front panel unscrewing a couple of screws more, > but I'd like to solve this little problem (moreover, it's ugly). > Before going with some more destructive methods (I am thinking about > drilling the screw??), I'd like to have some savy suggestion from the > community... > Moreover, do you know if Elecraft has an additional screw kit available > (I don't need the stainless steel ones)? > > As a side note, I found that almost all the flat-head screws were very > "soft" and damage-prone (differently from the other round-head screws). > > Thanks in advance for your suggestions, > 73 Ciao > Fabio > IZ4AFW - NZ1W - HI9/IZ4AFW -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/Problem-with-a-K3-screw-suggestions-needed-tp7567729p7567738.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
