Bolt removal questions.

[Brian Ski]

From another thread...

I remove grade 8 bolt with my plasma cutter . put torch centered on broken bolt hit trigger for a second woosh bolt gone with clean hole with threads still there

What size bolt diameter was it????

Any other tricks on removing bolts??? Sometimes I get some that will not come out. I know an EZ out only seems to work for loose bolts. If you get carried away you can snap the easy out off and really be in a heck of a mess. Or you can swell the stuck bolt and jam it tighter. I have a friend whose father used to take a stick welder and stick the rod to the bolt and after a while the bolt would get red hot and drip/fall out. I have also heard of welding a nut onto a broken bolt. That worked a little for me. I have heard of heating them up, then waiting to cool off, then heating again helps. I know the big thing is to heat up the nut or casting to swell the hole to get it to release the bolt, not the bolt.

Bolts that are rusted or corroded in place or bottomed out in a blind hole then snapped off are always tough to get out.

[Rodsmachineshop]

if the grade 8 bolts i use my plasma cutter to remove them since so hi in carbon i just put plasma dead center on broken bolt grind flush firsts . hit the torch and wooosh broken bolt just is gone and empty hole with threads dont work on grade 5 and under --5 and under use reverse drill bits with a centering jig . also heat broken bolt area and use a candle will break a rusted bolt loose

[Brian Ski]

also heat broken bolt area and use a candle will break a rusted bolt loose

Use a candle??? Can you explain??? Never heard of that.

Left hand drills work pretty well.

I have a couple of left handed bits. I guess with my luck I end up getting some busted off bolts from hell... I have cut them in half thread to thread and still can't get some out with a tiny chisel... This is Indiana home of the rust locktite.

Last bolt I had in a head I could not even drill it out all the way. I finally said the heck with it, and what I drilled out filled with weld and was going to redrill and tap it. As soon as I hit the spot I couldn't drill through the first time the bit just stopped and would not cut. I just tapped it shallow. I don't know what was up with that bolt, but it was sure tougher than the drill bits.

[Rodsmachineshop]

1. Heat the nut up, but not red hot or you can distort it and wreck the threads, this will not happen on most bolts but if it does you will be forced to cut it off.

2. Place a candle on the end to melt the wax. The "wick effect" will suck the melted wax into the threads and lube it up enough to remove easily.

This sounds a little wierd but trust me it does work.

[undercut]

1. Heat the nut up, but not red hot or you can distort it and wreck the threads, this will not happen on most bolts but if it does you will be forced to cut it off.

2. Place a candle on the end to melt the wax. The "wick effect" will suck the melted wax into the threads and lube it up enough to remove easily.

This sounds a little wierd but trust me it does work.

Think the guy who welded the nut doesn't like broken off bolts ??? ....

That wax trick is slick as slick can be. Never heard of it until now ....

[zoama]

Think the guy who welded the nut doesn't like broken off bolts ??? ....

....

Must be all the oxididation... or having to make up new words.

[Rodsmachineshop]

I get so many broken bolts and studs at my shop , that the joy of a machine shop , i do a lot of heli coiling

[Rodsmachineshop]

ez outs are a waist i dont use them

[sportbike]

Left hand drills work pretty well.

Sometimes you can just drill the center of the bolt and then turn it out with a screwdriver or similar once teh center is gone. Drill needs to be smaller than the root diameter of the bolt...