Hot shoe borken screws

This forum is awesome, first of all. I will probably be spending more time here after this! I wish I had discovered it sooner.

The reason I'm posting here I screwed by hot shoe (literally) and I figure I may get some ideas on how to fix it. I got a 430EXII for Christmas and in my ultimate wisdom, I left it attached to my T3i when they both took a tumble onto a tile floor. They both worked fine afterwards, they don't even have any visible scratches. The only damage was a bent hot shoe. If I pushed the flash onto the camera, it worked flawlessly, but it would not work if I was not pushing it.

I took the protective plate off, expecting to just take the hot shoe out, bend it, and put it back. But alas, the rear-right screw head was broken. That was the side of the hot shoe that was bent up, so it just ripped the screw head off when the flash hit the floor. Understandable because these are tiny screws, but my problem now is how do I get the rest of the screw out of the camera? Here's a cell-phone picture of what I'm dealing with:

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Did the screw break flush and flat or is it broken on an angle? From the pic you post it looks like it broke off fairly clean, if so, and it were mine, I would try to find a left hand drill bit a little smaller than the screw and try to remove it myself.

Ah I just realized I made a typo in the topic title and I can't edit it on this forum. Darn.

Anyways, that's a good idea if I can find a bit that small. Also, where would I find a left hand drill bit? Are those sold at homedepot/lowes or would I have to get it online?

if you can file or cut (dremel like tool) a straight slot into the screw you should be able to remove it with a precision screwdriver.

It looks like there is a plastic cover over metal. I would remove the top so I had access to the bare plate, then remove it with needle-nose pliers.

The problem with left handed drill is the screw is too small and probably won't bite. I have used easy-outs (drill holes, left handed devices locks in hole) but what you are dealing with is too small. Cutting a slot will not work as you will cut into the plastic.

The one thing you have going for you is there is no tension or pressure on the screw. If you can get a bite on the top, it will unscrew easy.

Just bite the bullet take it apart yourself to remove it properly, or have a repair shop do it.

If you are in the Boston area, you should be able to find a machine shop supply store, that would be the most likely place to find a left hand drill small enough to work. Keep in mind you will use it by hand not in a drill motor. On the other hand, Gregg.Siam has a point, there is probably no tension on the screw and you might get it out with some other tool,something with a small sharp point or maybe a small screwdriver? If you can get something to give you a little bite on it it may come out.Good luck!

Ah Yes! No success on getting the screw out yet but I have a flat head jewlers screwdriver that was small enough to fit in the hole and I actually moved the screw. So the shaft of the screw is loose, it's just a matter of getting it out of the hole. I tried magnetizing the screw driver but that didn't work. So I think the screw is slightly larger than the hole which means I'm probably going to need to try the super glue on a stick method. I tried shaking the camera to get it out but it just won't.

EDIT: Nope. The shaft isn't loose. It's still attached to a metal plate under the plastic and that metal plate is loose.That metal plate has the other 3 screw holes in it. It's strange that it's loose, I guess when the hot shoe is screwed down, the shoe and that plate sandwich the plastic frame to secure the hot shoe to the camera. Anyways, I'm really in trouble here. I tried some gel super glue on the tip of a screw driver but it wouldn't bond strong enough. I'll try again with a filed down push-pin (an idea I saw somewhere else) to I'm gluing a larger surface to the screw.

The big problem is that the screw is still attached to something and it's not loose. When I unscrewed the other three, they didn't come out very easy because they have some sort of thread glue on the bottom. It's looking like my only option if the pushpin and super glue doesn't work is to try to take the back cover off of the camera, but that could be suicide.

I do not know the order of assembly, and what overlaps what. But; sometime in a situation like this, I take out the other 3 screws and am able disassemble the item. The broken screw will remain in the previously hidden base material. The shank of the screw can then be grapsed fairly easily and removed with miniature pliers. One of the handiest tools to have around, and easy to get is a set of "Flush Cutting Wire Cutters". Radio Shack sells a pair with Red handles, for about $5. I keep 2 of these in my collection at work all the time.

I lost one of those screws, and rather than order from Canon I found the exact screw in a trashed PC.

First off, here is a link to a supplier to buy just about anything for Canon.
http://www.uscamera.co​m/7d.htm

I have replaced hot shoes before and I can tell you those screws don't come out easily.
Canon uses a locktite product on the screws. I first heated the jewelers screwdriver and held it to the screw to de-activate the locktite, then unscrewed it.

Good luck

Al

ps. You should be able to get away with just three screws, unless you're anal like me and have to get it perfect.