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I have an overhead light fixture and I need to remove the "cover" so I can change a bulb but the cover is held in place with metal brackets that have to be removed first and they are attached to the main part on the ceiling with flat head screws.

The space between the cover and the ceiling is too small for pliers, and even small wrenches can't get enough grip. (I'm wondering how it was even installed in the first place, tbh.)

How can I remove it? Is there some kind of drill bit that could do the trick?

enter image description here

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  • Guessing you are talking about knobs with a flat head instead of a flat head screw with a slot or type of indentation. Have you tried needle nose pliers? They usually not that tight, fingers might turn them.
    – crip659
    Commented Apr 5, 2021 at 22:01
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    Use a Nut Driver.
    – brhans
    Commented Apr 5, 2021 at 22:26
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    @Alisa the picture is awful ... it looks like somebody spread grease on the camera lens ... please post a clear, in focus picture ... it is puzzling that you would post such a useless picture when you are wanting help with the light fixture
    – jsotola
    Commented Apr 5, 2021 at 22:35
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    It's puzzling to me that you would be unnecessarily critical... I think the picture shows the situation well enough. There's a screw, it's in a tight place, and it's holding a bracket fixture in place.
    – Alisa
    Commented Apr 5, 2021 at 22:43
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    @Alisa I am sorry, but I cannot see the screw clearly enough to even identify the type ... if I was needing help, I would keep taking pictures until I got one that showed the screw clearly
    – jsotola
    Commented Apr 6, 2021 at 1:35

2 Answers 2

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On this style of light fixture, you'll usually find that one of the three clips is spring loaded and can be pulled horizontally away from the center. This allows you d to remove the glass. There is no need to unscrew the clips.

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  • Or you slide the cover into one of the clips so that the other side can come out. It might be spring loaded but typically they are tool-less removals and installs.
    – Nelson
    Commented Apr 6, 2021 at 5:17
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If you're talking about the metal-colored screw that sticks out parallel to the ceiling, use a nut driver: nut driver
(image from Klein Tools via Google)

on this hexhead (not "flat head") fastener. They're available in many sizes, and you'll need one to fit this fastener head.

Props to @brhans in comments.

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    OP had indicated that nut drivers were tried but they were too big or too small. Nut drivers come in fractional and metric sizes and the OP probably doesn't have a set of both which is why it didn't fit.
    – Platinum Goose
    Commented Apr 6, 2021 at 2:26
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    Obtaining and using a tool of the correct size would be good.
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Commented Apr 6, 2021 at 14:17

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