Screw extraction?
I went to adjust the trussrod on my mid-90s Flatiron, and was shocked to find that the Phillips X-slots in both cover plate screws were totally rounded, meaning useless. The shock was mostly because its last "real" setup was an add-on to some more serious repairs done (well!) by a respected shop in Brooklyn, probably 12-15 years ago.
(Aside:
Were the slots rounded prior to that? Possibly, but I don't know - there were bigger issues at the time. As a full set-up was being done, for not-inconsequential bucks, I'd think that issue might been noted and reported? OTOH, the relief had been in good adjustment, I thought, so may not have needed to be looked at. But it is what it is... Onward!)
FWIW, I've had poor success using screw extractors, whether wood screws or engine bolts, and these screws are smaller than most extractors sets go to. Are they tight or loose? No way of knowing. Fortunately, the cover plate is a relatively cheap piece of black plastic, so marring it in the process would be little problem.
So... After research here and the other usual places, it looks like grabbing the domed head with vice-grips is probably the way to go, maybe. Yes, they are small screws, but I have appropriately small vice-grips.
What could possibly go wrong, other than the screw head breaking off, or crushing to the point that it loses integrity and, ya know, breaks off anyway?
While this is low on the "intensity scale" of instrument repairs, it's probably something that you folks see regularly and I appreciate your thoughts. Thanks!
- Ed
"Then one day we weren't as young as before
Our mistakes weren't quite so easy to undo
But by all those roads, my friend, we've travelled down
I'm a better man for just the knowin' of you."
- Ian Tyson
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