How To Repair Broken Bolts

[Steve135]

Hi, I was reading the most reason post on broken bolts, The guy was able to fix his problem with help from this board. It promted me to read other broken bolt links. Heres my two cents!<br />First thing is evaluate your own limits. I read more than one post that ask after being told to get a easy-out,screw exstractor,They ask whats that??? If you don't even know what the tool is, stop and bring it somewheres to be fixed. In most cases you are dealing with a couple of hundred dollar part or a couple of thousand dollar part!!!! In all area's of the country there are atleast 10 small mom and pop machine shops dying for the you to bring your little job in. In most cases they will charge you 25.00 bucks or less. It wil take them a couple of minutes to do the job but don't ask to wait! And for those of you that feel compeled to do it yourself, when using heat to help, heat the casting not the bolt! You want the hole to expand not the bolt!<br />No I am a Letter carrier! Use to be Machinest!

 

[dkondelik]

Re: How To Repair Broken Bolts

Good Points Stinky2.<br />Have to agree with you.<br />Besides, don't want you to go,...p,...Machinest<br />(sorry, couln't resist wackin' that slow ball oudda the park)

 

[ob]

Re: How To Repair Broken Bolts

Stinky2,While heating the surrounding metal of some frozen bolts will be effective in aiding removal by expanding the surrounding metal,it is not by any means an effective process in all situations.I've done my share of machine work over the years as well as being a turbine mechanic with large municipal companies.I've removed hundreds of frozen bolts and set screws on machinery and turbine blades ect..Many frozen thread studs and bolts are a result of corrosion and scaling.By concentrating heat directly to the stud in these cases causes it to swell and transmit its heat to the surrounding threads and effectively breaks the scale or corrosion bond.Using this process requires a "complete" cool down of the work before attempting removal and causing galling.Trust me on this one.I too questioned this procedure in my occupational infantcy and found the proof to be in the pudding,so to speak.

 

[Walker]

Re: How To Repair Broken Bolts

Remember, when you heat the metal it expands in all directions. Therefore it expands into the threads making the hole tighter not looser. Different expansion rates of the two different metals (bolt & block) helps to break the corrosion loose.

 

[spete]

Re: How To Repair Broken Bolts

Hey stinky - i understand where you're coming from but the reason most of us ask questions on this message board is so that we can do the work ourselves - big or small. I know for a fact that the "easy-out" I purchased at the hardware store wasn't called "easy out" ... "broken screw remover" or something like that. I happen to ask the question regarding the brand name easy-out because I wanted to know if there was a superior tool that could be purchased someplace else and help the cause along. I think you'd agree there's a big difference between a Craftsman or Snap-on tool and a made in taiwan Buffalo or something like that. Also, I'm not going to tow my boat 50 miles to a mom and pop shop who most likely won't have time to get to my 1/8" bronze plug that's frozen. I'll try it myself. Heating the bolt was just the trick too. came right off.

 

[12Footer]

Re: How To Repair Broken Bolts

A very good post, Stinky2!

 

[Pascal]

Re: How To Repair Broken Bolts

I believe Stinky2 is on the right track. All of us - no matter what level of experience, need to step back from certain situations and evaluate our capabilities and equipment on hand.<br />Some times I blaze away on a tough part of a project and dig myself a deeper hole than I started with just to get the job done without spending an extra dollar and wind up spending two or four dollars more.<br /><br />The procedure I have found that works for removing seized and broken studs from iron castings is this:<br /><br /> 1. Drill a hole the size of the stud in a piece of sheet metal ( not galvanized)<br /> 2. Place the hole in the sheet metal over the broken stud location to protect the casting.<br /> 3. Using a nut the same diameter as the stud, weld it to the end of the broken stud<br /><br /> 4. LET THE ASSEMBLY COOL COMPLETELY!!(if you want you can add some liquid wrench while it cools)<br /><br /> 5. Use a wrench to remove the broken stud<br /><br />Using an arc welder with the smallest rod available, the heat penetrates the stud and heats it up faster than the surrounding material. The stud will expand faster than the hole and since it needs more diameter than hole can accommodate, it will get longer instead. As the assembly cools down everything contracts and the diameter of the bolt ends up less than before heating and breaks any corrosion and comes out easily.<br /><br />This is not a guaranteed success the first time but if you have an old block around break off some different size bolts and practice you can sometimes remove bolts broken well below the surface of the casting. With care and more practice you might get it to work with aluminum too.