Removing stuck/rusty screws

[ajoneja]

Hi everyone, I inherited a Jotul Firelight 12 with a house that I bought a few years ago (Boston). This community has been super helpful getting me started with wood stove and it's been a lot of fun. I took it apart and cleaned it up, replaced the cat, and it's been great. First post here.

One of the glass doors had a small crack when I got it, and recently a second crack developed. I decided it was time to replace. I removed the door from the body for easier access. The screws holding the glass clips were stuck solid into the door frame. With a lot of penetrating oil and elbow grease, I managed to get two of the screws out intact. Unfortunately for the other two, the screw heads sheared off. I thought I had them coming out but the heads just popped off.

For one of them, I have tried using a screw extractor, but not luck. Not surprising given how stuck it is. I haven't done anything to the second one yet. So two questions:

1. Any idea how to get these screw remnants out? I'm pretty much resigned to drilling them out and hoping I can take the fragments out without ruining the threads. I may have already damaged some of them with the screw extractor. If not usable, I'll have to re-tap. But would love any other ideas before I do that.
2. If the glass on the other side cracks, and I'm starting from scratch, any advice for getting all the screws out intact?

I'm sure I'm not the first one to encounter this. Thanks and any help is appreciated!

 

[begreen]

Carefully drill out and then retap with a bottoming tap.

 

[ajoneja]

Sounds good, I will go ahead with that plan and thanks for the suggestion of the bottoming tap.

 

[EbS-P]

I hope your replacing the gasket too?

 

[davemill]

It's hard to tell how the glass is installed from your photos, but in our Jotul stove, the glass is only touched by two brackets and the gasket. The brackets clamp the glass to the gasket, the gasket cushions the contact with the door.

As @EbS-P mentioned, also replace the gasket.

 

[ajoneja]

@EbS-P : Yep, definitely will be replacing the gasket with the glass.

@davemill : I think the general assembly is the same, except mine is held in place by 4 clips, two on each side. They compress the glass against the gasket. My two screws that lost their heads are both on the same side, so no chance of trying to get away with one on each side. I don't think I'd get good/even compression against the gasket anyway...