I have heard about this for a while, but thought there was no way that it could work. It was just too simple. Removing a stripped screw had to be more work than just using a rubber band.
When I read it in one of Kelly Bagnasco’s tips, I considered that it might work, but immediately shrugged it off. It wasn’t until I was struggling and struggling with a stripped screw that I actually tried it. Guess what? It really worked!
There are only two things that you need to remove a stripped screw. These two items are the proper screwdriver, meaning either a flat head or a Philips head, depending on which type of screw you have, and a wide rubber band for big screws or a real narrow one for small screws. A skinny rubber band won’t work on big screws, and a wide rubber band won’t fit into little screws.
All you have to do is to stretch the rubber band across the head of the screw and put the screwdriver in it, keep pressure on the rubber band, and turn the screwdriver counter clockwise (to the left – righty tighty, lefty loosey) to unscrew it.