I'm trying to convert an old Victorian screen door into a trellis. The hinge screws are rusted in, got one out and the other one is totally stuck, three more to go on the other hinge. I sprayed it with WD40, got some on the wood, and am now worried that the primer coat won't bond properly.
Is there any way I can treat it without buying another can of something?
Also, how do carpenters get old rusted screws out? I am using the right size screwdriver. The hinges are really neat old things, but I don't want to leave them on. They are decorative and spring loaded on the inside, but are just some metal, so I'd kind of like to get them off without ruining them if I can, like if I have to somehow cut them, I can twist the screw out with a pair of pliers.
Oiling a wood screw usually is not as effective as oiling a rusted nut and bolt. Oil (or wd40) can actually swell the wood and make it tighter.
In any case, if you do use more oil or WD40 use some masking tape to keep it off the wood.
For the stuff already in the wood, try blotting with a dry paper towel first then moisten with Alcohol (denatured or isopropyl) and blot until dry, repeat until you are satisfied. Just clean the area effected only.
Try cutting a new slot in the screw with a dremel tool then use the screwdriver again
I'm not messing with WD40 on that any more. I tried to remove some rust with it on some wrought iron yard stakes and it didn't do a thing. Left a greasy feeling and I ended up washing them down with strong ammonia solution. Now I'm going to go over them with a soapy brillo pad (maybe that will leave a residue, too) after I try some Whink on them.
OK, it's not that much, and I should have masked it as a precaution having learned the stuff feels greasy already. I will blot out what I can, but do you think scrubbing it with ammonia might help there too? No, I'll use the alcohol and have almost a full bottle of isopropyl I use for cleaning my mouse. I was going to squirt the whole thing with a hose and let it air dry, probably shade would be better, because it's filthy from sitting around for so long, might be 100 yrs old.
Uh oh. More tools. I'll ask at the hardware store about that. A deeper slot might help. It's got a pretty decent slot in it for such an old screw but I can't wrest it loose. I'll try again tomorrow. I wouldn't want to cut a new slot off center would I? Intuitively I wouldn't think so.
If that fails, I'll have to ask some guy to help. Again. Actually if I drag it to the hardware store, they'll do it for me for a small fee. And some of the fancy pieces are really loose. Haven't figured out what I'll do with those yet. I was thinking about getting some square metal corner plates to reinforce the corners but hope I can find a way around that because it's just more $ and more stuff to buy and will look ugly.
I need a new can of WD40 though. It's about out :-).
The alcohol has the advantage that it will evaporate preety quickly. I don't know about ammonia.
If you're going to paint, I might sand the 40's area very lightly with fine sandpaper, as the last step before painting (not counting dusting the dust off)
You can't paint something that is filthy.
I don't think so.
Another way out is to drill a hole into the center of the screw, and then put in an easy-out -- I forget the official name, but it screws in lefthandedly and after it grips as you continut to turn counter clockwise it takes out the old screw. You start with a small drill and work your way up to one that is big enough for the easy-out, but always using a drills that are at list a bitt smaller than the shank of the screw.
Easier than that, and not requiring easy-outs is to buy a couple left-handed drill bits. Few stores have them -- I only know the big hardware store hq'd in Dallas (but not Home Depot. I forget this one's name). I once bought something from them in person (shelf pegs) and when I needed more, I just sent them a sketch adn color etc and my credit card # and they shipped them to me in a regular envelope and charge me 37 cents for shipping and handling. That was the cost of the stamp.
But it still might be easiest to get over the interneat. I think Vermont American sells them in 2 or maybe 3 sizes. The small size is about 2 dollars, but the large size is pretty expensive, and I didn't get them.
You drill the hole like before, but you run the drill counter clockwise. Eventually the hole doesn't go deeper, but instead the screw is unscrewed. I used this to take the special screws out of black and decker appliances, before I got the special tips that fit the special screws. But wood is not that tight and I think it will work here too.
Instead of reinforcing the corners, which are subject to a lot of leverage, maybe consider a preetty slat of wood diagonally accross the door, so that 2 sides of the triangle are 24 inches and the new slat is the hypotenuse. A slat at the bottom, and if it doesn't ruin the view, a slat at the top, but the bottom might be enough. People normally put 2 eyes and 2 wires and connect with a turnbuckle. That enables you to tighten it, especially if the door continues to sag, but the slat will be prettier, depending on how it is painted and maybe decorated ** and maybe the door isn't saggging anyhow, and won't any futher, but you should hold down the hinge side and push up a little*** on the non-hinge side, while you attach the slat, and put the bottom end of the the slat near the non-hinge side of the door.
***MOre than a little if it doesn't open cracks in the corners of the door, or it doesn't open one crack more than it closes another crack. I want you to emulate the crossbuckle at least the first time. That it's 100 years old doens't mean it will sag a lot, but it may mean that it is sagging some. Oh yeah, first measure with a carpenter's square, or with a double page of the newspaper to see if all the corners are square. Then arrange the door so they are and then nail in the slat. I think they are 3/8 or maybe 1/4 by 1 or 1 1/2". Cut a corner off each end of the slat so that that edge is parallel to the door's edge.
**I don't live far from Amish country so I can't get their designs out of my head now. Light pink, maybe with blue bonnets or some other little design. Personally I can't paint, so I'd choose a color for the slat that went with the door and the rest of the house.
Whew, that is too much trouble. So is bottom posting tonight. I'm putting the back seat down, packing it in the trunk and taking it to the hardware store if I can't get them out tomorrow. I'm pulling lots of u-nails and nails from previous work. It's leaving some gouges, so fussy me will have to fill the most conspicuous ones and sand.
I like the corner slat idea. There is a piece of wood about the size of lath, well that size anyway, already patching or reinforcing the bottom. Once I get that off, there may be something bad underneath and I'll have to put it back on, but I think it's just a loose join and the diagonals should take care of that.
At least I do have a miter box and miter saw. I need to get some kind of screen for it at the hardware store anyway. Don't know if I want to use it for a climbing rose or a clematis. I don't like chicken wire, but that would probably work best unless I can find something a little prettier. I wonder if you can get some large mesh screen on the diagonal. What could I use for that that doesn't cost too much and won't uglify it?
I have a staple gun and just need some staples and some paint. Fortunately I do have a drill and some bits, will need some non-rusting but rugged screws. These projects add up.
Thanks for the suggestions. I never would have thought of the diagonals and they will not ruin the look of the door, plus I can put them on the side that won't show, also will sand the wd40 spots lightly after I get done with the other, will use alcohol.
The door is still surprisingly sturdy actually around the outside but I will need to use good paint to keep it from rotting near the ground. I also need to affix some stakes on the bottom and will have to figure out something so it will stay perpendicular and may not keep it the first place I put it. I suppose I could build a brace for it on the bottom at the back.
Well, it's at the hardware store. They couldn't get them out either, so I had to leave it. These DIY projects get expensive. Bought hardware cloth $3 for cutting to size, primer, finish paint, new kind of wood filler $39.27. It's the paint that killed me, had to buy a quart of each. Still have to get staples and stakes and can't find my big roll of heavy duty plastic, plus there will be a charge for their work on the door.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.