# Recessed Nut Problem



## tzankoff (Nov 16, 2008)

Hi guys!

I having a major problem regarding a recessed nut that I am trying to remove.

Back in 2010, I bought a pre-assembled skull from Cowlacious Designs. The inside of the skull contains the servo (which is used to move the jaw) and the bracket to which the servo is mounted.

I want to remove the bracket from the skull. To do that, I have to remove the nut that is holding the bracket's mounting screw in place. Here is my problem. The nut is recessed inside the skull. How they got it in there during assembly is beyond me. You cannot even grab the sides of the nut with anything, not even needle nose pliers. I am certain that there is no tool that I am aware of that can grab a hold of the sides of the nut because it is so recessed.

Any suggestions on what to do? I'd rather not tear into the skull in any way if I can avoid it.


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## dstading (Aug 6, 2014)

Sounds interesting, can you post a pic? I'd like to know how Cow did this, too.


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## drzeus (Jun 25, 2011)

Probably a stupid question (and I'm not trying to sound rude) but is there a screw head attached to the treated rod that the nut is attached to? Is the head buried in the plastic and then covered with more plastic on the outside? Just a thought...


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## Machiavellian (Sep 2, 2013)

I have removed recessed nuts molded into plastic by using a longer bolt or screw. Just thread it in and push or pull it depending on the situation. You are basically grabbing hold of the nut from the inside. A slight tap with a hammer may be required. Hope that helps.


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## tzankoff (Nov 16, 2008)

Hi guys! I thought that I posted a pic earlier, but I guess not. Here is a link to my FB post regarding this situation.




__ https://www.facebook.com/tony.tzankoff/posts/315207958649990


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## tzankoff (Nov 16, 2008)

I am going to give Cowlacious a call tomorrow to get their input.

For historical purpose, I would like to point out that I have had problems with CD in the past. For example, when I ordered this skull, there was supposed to be a piece of piano wire connecting the servo to the jaw (as documented in their video tutorial for assembling the skull). What I got was a paper clip that was not even completely straightened out. That is the least of several problems that I have had with their products. Even their Scary Terry Servo Driver Board is problematic, Thankfully, I have since found better products to suit me needs.


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## dstading (Aug 6, 2014)

Wow, it's as though it was molded into the skull. There's no exposed bolt head on the underside of the skull? Is the threaded rod a stud?


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## tzankoff (Nov 16, 2008)

From what I have seen in the video tutorial, the bolt appears to be directly attached the the bracket plate. Even if a bolt does go through the bracket plate, you would need to remove the servo to get to that screw...but you cannot do that unless you remove the bracket. That brings us back to the nut.

Skull Assembly Tutorial:





The bracket in this video is an updated version of the bracket that I have. However, I do not believe there is any fundamental differences between the two. You will also notice (at about 3:25) that they edit out the part where they attach the nut to the screw.


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## dstading (Aug 6, 2014)

Oh, I see now. The pic is of the underside of the skull. Looks like the countersink is pretty much the size of the nut. This, of course, means that the servo had to be mounted to the bracket after it was installed in the skull. There has to be a way to get to the two bolts that hold the servo to the bracket. Offset screwdriver? Open-end wrench?


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## Jackyl48 (Nov 13, 2013)

Here Is something that may be of some use.
http://www.scary-terry.com/buckyservo/buckyservo.htm


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## tzankoff (Nov 16, 2008)

Jackyl48, that tells me what I already know. I guess I need to find out what tool was used to attach the servo screws to the bracket after the bracket was installed, provided that the bracket *was* installed first.


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## tzankoff (Nov 16, 2008)

Of course, I could just use some spare Actobotics parts that I have lying around and just build another bracket. At the very least, I would still like to get the servo out of this one though. I am rebuilding my robot skeleton frame out of Actobotics parts and need to switch to a lighter skull because the 3-pound Bucky skull that I have is just too heavy.


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## tzankoff (Nov 16, 2008)

Well, I just got off the phone with Cowlacious Designs. It appears that they mounted the bracket first then used some kind of offset screwdriver to mount she servo. Unfortunately, they edited that crucial part out of the assembly video so there is no way of knowing what they did (in this case, use a special tool) to get things the way they are which is an absolute no-no in my book. I pretty much was left to myself to figure out how to take care of this problem. In short, I was disappointed...again.


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## dstading (Aug 6, 2014)

Nothing particularly special about an offset screwdriver. I use them often to get into tight spaces. I agree that leaving that out of the video was a problem.


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## Rick (Feb 6, 2012)

Try using a small screwdriver to tap the nut around the bolt or if you can get to the head of the bolt then jam the screwdriver between the nut and the skull and turn the bolt.


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## bfjou812 (Aug 15, 2008)

Get an offset screwdriver and remove the servo then the screw is exposed and you can remove the screw . Simple as that .


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## curtis_1966 (Nov 11, 2013)

Wow, looks like its even glued or something. Maybe a right angle screwdriver to get the servo off if there is enough room, or chisel around the nut to give you some room to turn it.
If it was me, I would do what ever to get it out an come up with something to put it back, like cut it out and fill the hole with some bondo or something like it so I could just redrill the hole.


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## tzankoff (Nov 16, 2008)

Well, an offset screwdriver and about twenty minutes did the trick in removing the servo from the bracket. However, I had to use my drill with a screwdriver bit to undo the bolt holding the bracket because a regular screwdriver was not going to do it. It was tightened down so much, the bracket was slightly warped.

Sheesh.

Anyway, I now wait for my Lindbergh skull to arrive so I can reinstall the servo in it.


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## curtis_1966 (Nov 11, 2013)

Alright,glad you got it.


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## tzankoff (Nov 16, 2008)

Me too...but the bracket is not useable in the Lindbergh skull that I just got...not without a trip to the hardware store that I would much rather avoid. However, I do have some Actobotics parts that I can use to create my own bracket.


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