1

I'm trying to remove the thumb turn on my door. There appears to be a set screw that's preventing the knob from coming off. I believe the manufacturer of the lock is Lawrence Hardware.

I have tried every hex wrench I have (including those in my iFixit kit: https://canada.ifixit.com/products/mako-driver-kit-64-precision-bits). Everything just seems to freely spin.

Does anyone know what type of screw head I'm dealing with here? Is it a security bit of some sort?

Thank you in advance for the help!

Set screw in thumb turn

6
  • 1
    Unless there is another hole opposite to that, maybe it is a pin, I think the only wrench for removing it is a drill and bit. It might have had a hex socket at one time in the past, but not anymore. If you do not want to use a drill, an epoxy glue might hold a hex key in it long enough to remove. 50/50 chance if you wait till complete set of the glue.
    – crip659
    Mar 27 at 20:04
  • Thanks for the advice! I may try the epoxy approach..
    – Jason
    Mar 27 at 20:31
  • I'm sure it's a hex keyed screw. Might be a metric size. Also, I just removed the door know on one of my doors and, though I'm not certain, it may have been reverse threaded. So when I thought I was trying to remove the screw, I was really over tightening it. Luckily I did not destroy the head in the process.
    – SteveSh
    Mar 27 at 20:44
  • If this is a thumb turn on a deadbolt, why are you removing it? Mar 27 at 20:49
  • If you do use an epoxy, everything(hole and key) needs to cleaned of all paint/oil/dirt. The hex key will need to be held solid to the hole for maybe hours, before trying, for best results. A drill will take a minute or two. Will depend if this for replacement or repair. If replacement, a nice big hammer sometimes works as well as a drill, but faster.
    – crip659
    Mar 27 at 21:10

2 Answers 2

1

I seriously doubt that's a setscrew. More likely it's a spring retainer. Try pressing it in with the tip of a pointed object such as a nail (or one of those hex wrenches); if it moves, hold it depressed while pulling the knob off.

0

If you think it is a screw (I don't), you can try using a screw extractor tool.

screw

3
  • Sometimes just the left-rotation drilling will walk the troublesome fastener out, but the extraction component may indeed be needed.
    – fred_dot_u
    Mar 27 at 20:15
  • Ah interesting! If it isn't a screw, what would it be? I did try an awl with some pressure while pulling outwards on the thumbturn but it didn't seem to do anything either.
    – Jason
    Mar 27 at 20:27
  • 1
    Looks like a crimp factory made to keep the pieces together and never anticipated to be taken apart. Mar 27 at 22:08

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.