That one time a 'simple' gate latch install ate up my whole afternoon

Got a call for a basic gate latch replacement on a cedar fence in a quiet neighborhood. Figured it was a 30 minute job, tops. The old latch plate screws were rusted into the post so bad they just spun. Ended up having to chisel out the whole area, fill it with epoxy wood filler, let it cure for an hour, then redrill. What should have been a quick swap turned into a solid 4 hour project. Anyone else have a 'five minute fix' that blew up on them recently?

3 comments

3 Comments

charlesanderson1mo ago

Ugh, that's the worst. Those rusted screws that just spin are a special kind of torture. Solidarity.

max_ramirez481mo ago

Ever wonder if they design those screws to fail on purpose? You get that little bit of hope when it turns, then the sick feeling as it just spins freely. At that point you're not fixing anything, you're just in a fight with a piece of metal. The only way out is to cut it off, which always makes a bigger mess.

grant8261mo ago

My buddy was trying to replace his old door hinge last week. Got one screw out, the second one just spun forever, stripped clean. He spent an hour trying to grip it with pliers, just grinding the head down to nothing. Felt that exact fight @charlesanderson mentioned. Ended up having to cut it out with a Dremel, took a chunk of the door frame with it. Made a simple swap into a full day's repair.