Stuck Parts: Tips to Loosen Them

[MochetVelo]

There are a number of tricks to remove rusted fasteners. Of course, they don't all work, but perhaps you have a few you can add. I'll start with one;

Removing Stuck Nut From Carriage Bolt

A carriage bolt's square top holds it while you remove the nut... except when it turns freely in the wood along with the nut! A trick here is to drill a hole on the edge of the bolt head and insert a screw down into the wood. This can be enough to hold the bolt still while you turn the nut.


Phil

[MochetVelo]

Everyone has their favorites: Kroil, WD40, Liquid Wrench, CRC. I personally use both Kroil and CRC. One home-made fluid that has a lot of enthusiasts is 1 part automatic transmission fluid & 1 part acetone. A new product (to me) I just found but haven't yet used is Loctite Freeze & Release. According to the label, it "loosens by shock-freezing to -32 F". You spray it on the part for 5-10 seconds and wait 1-2 minutes. This might be fun to try after heating the part, which also sometimes works.

The thing is, you never really know if the stuff you sprayed on the part really loosened it, or maybe it would have come off anyway. Now that's not the case with a nut splitter!

Phil

[ihayhurs]

I have been using the ATF/Acetone to disassemble a chassis that went through a fire 10 years ago and sat outside since. I'm very impressed. I put it in a household spray bottle.

[MochetVelo]

Another tip for loosening stubborn fasteners: heat the part until just read, then melt in candle wax. Might be worth a try!

Phil

[MochetVelo]

We all know the "EZ" Out bits that supposedly remove broken screws and bolts:

EZ Out

EZ Out.gif (3.21 KiB) Viewed 9756 times

I've not had a lot of luck with the E-Z Outs, but the "Blue Point" extractors are more positive in action.

Blue Point Extractor Set

Blue Point Extractors.jpg (213.01 KiB) Viewed 9756 times

These work by drilling a centered hole into the broken bolt. The round plated pieces in the set are drill guides. You then tap in the extractor pins, which have 6 beads on their circumference. Finally, you drop on the proper nut from the set and unscrew the stuck bolt with a wrench.


Phil

[MochetVelo]

Here's a method for removing a broken cylinder head bolt, or similar, if you have access to a MIG or gas welder. The heat itself can aid extraction.

http://modeltengine.com/brokenheadstud.htm

Phil

[MochetVelo]

The Mini-Ductor, and induction heater, is available from tool dealers and on eBay. Anyone ever try this tool? Here's a video on it:

[ddunlavy]

Just posted a "real life" experience on a thread near this one.
My experience with 300 nipples (on spokes).
https://hcca.org//BOARDS/viewtopic.php? ... 8d7e5539da

[harkinarcola]

USA fluid