Threaded fasteners - bolts, screws, nuts, studs- good for everyone. Bonds firmly, is universal for most applications, and is available in a wide range of diameters and lengths. Bolts, screws are a required part and household appliances, and multi-ton machines, and construction metal structures. To protect against corrosion, hardware is coated with zinc or another compound and made of stainless steel. And everything would be fine, but if the bolt is rusty, unscrewing it is very problematic. How to cope with this task so as not to damage the part and use less effort. There are several ways.
Non-destructive
Knock Knock
The simplest and rarely helpful way is to knock on a stuck bolt or nut. You can try to rotate the fastened parts relative to each other. Pressuring the connection can also help - the frame will collapse and the bolt can be unscrewed. There are chances, but small.
W.D.
You can apply a penetrating lubricant to the bolt or nut - brake fluid, turpentine, kerosene. And the best is the well-known WD-40. Wait twenty to thirty minutes. The lubricant penetrates from the inter-threaded space, under the head of the fastener, and there is a possibility that the bolt will come out. It’s even better to apply this lubricant a day or two before. Perhaps then the problem “how to unscrew a rusted bolt” will not arise at all.
Heat
The third method is heating the connection. The nut is the first to be heated and expands faster than the bolt. The rust between the threads is destroyed and the likelihood of the connection coming loose is very high. Heating can be done with a gas burner, blowtorch, an industrial hair dryer, an ordinary candle or on a burner gas stove. The choice depends on specific circumstances. You can “tighten” the method and, after heating, immediately cool the joint sharply in snow, water, etc. But the result may not be what you want - the part will collapse.
Destructive
Chisel
A chisel is applied to the edge of the bolt and an attempt is made to turn the bolt or nut with hammer blows. After unscrewing, such fasteners are most often not used anymore, as the edges are damaged.
If the head of the bolt or screw has already been torn off or the previous methods do not help, more drastic actions are applied. You can carefully weld a part to the shaft of the bolt or screw that is convenient to grip. For example, a nut. Then, to unscrew, use a tool with a large lever - fittings, pipe. If this method does not help, drill a threaded rod from the hole, being careful not to damage the threads in the part.
Some useful tips to avoid resorting to the above tips:
- apply lithol, solid oil, graphite or other lubricant to the fastener threads before screwing
- use when tightening and unscrewing quality tool with the greatest grip
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Instructions
Some time before unscrewing, place a cloth moistened with kerosene on the bolt. The longer the cloth sits on it, the better. If you don’t have time, you can use the same kerosene or easily penetrating lubricant WD-40. Tap the bolt with a hammer, then apply kerosene or WD-40. Wait 1 minute and tap the bolt five times. After that you can try to unscrew it. It happens that you have neither lubricant nor kerosene on hand, then you can use brake fluid or ordinary vinegar.
You can also try to "loose" the bolt. Start by tightening it rather than unscrewing it. If the bolt moves a little, start unscrewing again. As soon as the bolt stops turning, start tightening it again until it stops. Thus, without haste and without nervousness, you will unscrew rusty bolt.
If the bolt cannot be unscrewed using any of the above methods, take a hammer and chisel. Place the chisel on the edge of the bolt head at an angle. The tip of the chisel should be directed in the direction of unscrewing the bolt. Apply sharp, strong blows to the chisel with a hammer. This way you can unscrew almost any rusty bolt. You can also knock on the key, but not hard. If the bolt does not budge, it is easy to lick the edges of the bolt with a wrench.
Very effective way- heat the bolt. You can heat it with a soldering iron, a blowtorch, a torch, or you can just use boiling water. You need to heat it up a lot. The more heat you use, the higher the chances that you will be able to easily remove the rusty bolt. The main thing is not to let it cool down, turn the bolt while it is hot.
note
Do not lubricate the bolts with grease and lithol when tightening. These lubricants are intended for rubbing parts. If you lubricate a bolt or nut with it, over time the lubricant will harden and it will be more difficult to tighten than a rusty bolt.
Remember to lubricate the bolts and nuts when tightening them, graphite lubricant. It can be bought at any auto store.
It’s rare that a technology lover has not at least once encountered an unfortunate situation when, instead of a whole bolt, he ended up with a head with a short stub in his hands. The rest of the bolt would get stuck in the hole, and removing it would result in additional hassle and wasted time. How to unscrew it from the hole? There are several ways to do this.
You will need
- Hammer, core, electric drill, set of drills and taps, screwdriver, sharpening machine.
Instructions
The simplest methods for removing a broken bolt are used if the fracture site is close to the surface of the part.
Install a sharp core at an angle into the edge of the bolt and try to give the bolt a rotational movement with light blows of a hammer - counterclockwise if the bolt has a right-hand thread. Sometimes this is enough for the broken part to begin to turn out.
You can try using a grinder to cut into the groove for a screwdriver. The circle in this case should be thin (0.8-1 mm) and have a very small diameter.
If you succeeded in one of these simple ways bolt, you can consider yourself lucky.
Most often, to remove a bolt you have to drill a hole in it. Make a mark in the very center of the bolt with a core (to prevent the drill from slipping) and drill a hole in it, the diameter of which is at least 2-3 mm smaller than the diameter of the bolt. The depth of the hole should be 10-15 mm.
If you have a left-hand thread tap that fits drilled hole, the matter becomes extremely simplified. Screw the tap into the hole. After the resistance to rotation exceeds the friction force in the bolt thread, the latter will begin to turn out. Using a left-hand thread tap is the most the right way removing the broken bolt.
If you don’t have a left-hand thread tap, sharpen the edges of the screwdriver so that its tip fits into the hole. The edges should be sharp. Using light blows of a hammer, push the screwdriver deeper into the hole and try to remove the bolt with it.
Sometimes a broken bolt can be removed using a right-hand thread tap. If the bolt begins to turn deeper under the action of the tap, start turning it out. The bolt may begin to turn out with the tap. If this does not happen, unscrew the tap and screw in a bolt of a suitable diameter with a lock nut screwed onto it instead. When the bolt has been tightened a few turns, tighten the locknut and unscrew the auxiliary bolt together with the broken one.
If the broken bolt has a diameter greater than 10-12 mm, and the fracture is close to the surface of the part, you can try to weld any suitable piece of metal to the bolt and use it to unscrew the bolt. This method requires highly qualified welders. An inexperienced worker may inadvertently weld the bolt to the part, making the task of removing the bolt even more difficult.
If all of the above methods are unsuccessful, simply drill out the bolt with a drill whose diameter is or is close to the broken bolt. Then drill a hole for the new thread of the nearest bigger size– for example, if the bolt thread was M8, then the new thread should be M10 or M12.
Video on the topic
note
If you are using welding to remove a bolt, allow it to cool before you begin removing the bolt. A hot bolt will sit very tightly in the thread due to thermal expansion.
Helpful advice
Sometimes the hardness of a broken bolt is so high that regular drill“doesn’t take it.” In this case, use a drill bit with a pobedit or diamond tip.
Repair of equipment, machines and mechanisms that are used in summer cottages, is the regular work of loosening and tightening screws, bolts and nuts. In some cases, fasteners “stick” to their place so strongly that it is very difficult to disconnect them in the traditional way. To unscrew a broken nut, you will have to use some wisdom.
You will need
- - metal brush;
- - WD-40 liquid;
- - spanner;
- - adjustable wrench;
- - chisel;
- - hammer.
Instructions
To save yourself from the dubious pleasure of unscrewing broken nuts or bolts, you need to show foresight. If you took up wrench and find that the fasteners are rusty and cannot be touched by the tool the first time, do not use excessive force, but rather stop.
First, clean the protruding end of the threaded connection. wire brush. Then apply a few drops of kerosene to the thread, or even better, a special liquid WD-40. Wait 10-15 minutes or even a little more, and then try to unscrew the nut again. It is best to use not an ordinary open-end wrench, but a spanner.
If the nut still won’t budge, try the opposite action, that is, try to lightly tighten the nut rather than unscrew it. In most cases, such actions allow you to remove the fasteners without bringing the work to the point of struggling with threads or damaged nuts.
If the edges of the nut are still damaged, use a spanner wrench or a removable head to unscrew it. Before doing this, lightly tap the nut with a hammer, being careful not to hit it too hard.
If there are no results, use an adjustable wrench or a small vice. Tightly wrap the jaws of the tool around the deformed nut and turn first in the direction of tightening the nut, and then in the opposite direction.
In particularly difficult cases, use a chisel and hammer to unscrew the stripped nut. Place the chisel against the nut at a slight angle and, using light, precise blows, try to move the fastener from its place in the direction of unscrewing (counterclockwise).
If none of the proposed methods allows you to move the nut from its place, you can only take extreme measures: cut the nut with strong blows hammer on a chisel to separate it into pieces. In this case, most likely you will be able to disassemble the connection, but then you will have to change the entire fastening assembly (nut and bolt).
No one major renovation, especially when it comes to complex mechanisms, one cannot do without long suffering with bolts that have rusted, become stuck or soldered as a result of diffusion processes. The problem becomes acute when it is necessary to unscrew such a bolt, and not break it. There are several professional advice and for such occasions in life.
You will need
- - professional tools;
- - universal lubricant;
- - a heating element;
- - sulfuric acid;
- - rags.
Instructions
Before unscrewing a bolt, first check the tools you are using. Heads, adjustable or socket wrenches must be made of high-quality metal with appropriate coating. Unfortunately, cheap products break too often, causing further big problems and even damage problematic parts.
First, try unscrewing the rusted bolt using the “back and forth” system. Fix the key tightly on the bolt, then sharply turn it as far as possible against the axis of rotation, easily return it to its original position and again with a sharp movement try to unscrew it a little. Manipulations should be continued until the bolt is in literally will not cut through the rusted part of the thread.
If the previous method did not help, you should use a special penetrating lubricant, for example, the very popular WD-40. In its absence, turpentine, kerosene, gasoline or oleic acid can also help. Wrap the rusted bolt in a rag and thickly fill the resulting structure with the selected liquid. Leave the rag for several hours, periodically tapping the bolt with a hammer to better penetrate the liquid into the rust structure. After this, the bolt can be unscrewed, if necessary, using the “back and forth” system.
If, even after being in a special mixture, the bolt does not want to be unscrewed, knowledge of school physics will come to the rescue. Use a soldering iron, industrial hair dryer, gas burner or, if the dimensions of the part with a rusted bolt allow, normal for heating
The connections under the bottom and in the wheel arches of the car are especially susceptible to oxidation and rust, so it sometimes becomes very difficult to unscrew rusted bolts or nuts in these places. However, it is almost always possible to unscrew a rusted or oxidized bolt or nut, with quite rare exceptions (a bolt has broken off, for example). For this we will use the most different ways and we list them below - they can and should be combined, and they are all effective in different ways.
So, how to unscrew a stuck bolt or nut and what to do if they do not unscrew at all, despite futile attempts? Let's go in order from the most effective way to unscrew rusted/oxidized threaded connections to the less effective.
Remember not to apply too much force, especially in the case of small nuts and bolts and if in the future you may not be able to find a replacement for them or such a replacement will be too expensive. There is a chance that the bolt will break - especially if it is heavily rusted.
Unscrew the nut "Vedeshka"
Perhaps the most effective way to unscrew a rusty bolt or nut is to use a miracle cure - WD-40, popularly called "Vedashka". This substance is truly miraculous in its properties, possessing the highest penetrating and cleansing ability. Just spray a little of the mixture on the stuck bolt or nut and wait about 20-30 minutes. WD-40 will eat away rust or other deposits by penetrating deep into the thread joint. Then just try to unscrew the nut or bolt again - most often it will give in under the pressure of such a symbiosis of chemistry and physical strength.
The smallest (suitable for emergencies) can of “Vedeshki” costs about 100 rubles, and you can find it in almost any hardware or auto store.
If you don't have WD-40 on hand
Meanwhile, "Vedeshka" can be replaced with a number of substances. It will also help to unscrew a stuck nut or bolt:
- gasoline, diesel fuel or kerosene,
- weak acid (non-aggressive, ideally acetic),
- Coca-cola.
All these substances also have fairly good penetrating and cleaning-corrosive properties. Coca-Cola is one of these liquids, thanks to phosphoric acid in its composition - it is precisely this that has the effect of corroding rust and scale of a different nature.
However, unlike "Vedashka", specially created for such tasks, these liquids still require a more intense impact on non-screwing threaded connections. It is best to place stuck parts in a container with such liquids if they are already separated from the car. If not, you can generously soak a rag in the liquid and wrap it around the rusted bolt. You will also have to wait longer - up to a day.
All of the following methods for unscrewing a stuck bolt or nut can (and should) be combined with one of the above.
Twist to unscrew!
Sometimes, for the required task, you have to solve directly opposite problems. So in our case, if the nut or bolt does not want to unscrew, you need to apply force in the opposite direction - try to tighten it. Often the bolt or nut breaks off only in this case, and then it becomes quite easy to unscrew them. Again, don't overdo it - it's even easier to break the thread by tightening it.
Unscrew a rusty bolt or nut by tapping
Another effective option is to lightly tap the bolt or nut to unscrew them. This method of unscrewing is especially likely to work if the threads are initially exposed to a WD-shock or other rust-corroding liquid, after waiting a short time. Scale or rust comes away from the metal surface when tapped, and therefore it becomes much easier to unscrew the ill-fated bolt.
You can also tap the nut or bolt while a force is applied to it - i.e. With one hand you try to forcefully unscrew the bolt or nut, and with the other hand or with the help of a partner you lightly tap. The main thing here is not to overdo it and not to spoil the thread using this method, because then you won’t be able to unscrew anything at all.
If it won't unscrew
Alas, if the bolt or nut cannot be unscrewed using any of the above methods, then you will have to remove them in other ways. For this we need a grinder. In the case of a nut, it is necessary to cut off one of its faces, breaking the circumference of this nut, if this can be done without touching adjacent parts. If that doesn’t work, then you can cut it as far across its plane as possible without touching adjacent parts.
In the case of a bolt, we will need a drill. You need to drill the bolt leg in the direction from the head to its end - i.e. drill along the bolt shaft itself. To do this, you need to select a drill with such a diameter that it is as close as possible to the diameter of the bolt, but at the same time does not spoil the thread. A bolt that is empty from the inside will either unscrew much more easily, or it will break and be pulled out in parts from the hole.
And, of course, having unscrewed or more forcefully removed a nut or bolt, pay due attention to the newly tightened connections - clean them of rust or other deposits, lubricate them with graphite grease and make sure that you put a boot on the connection, if any.
For those men who like to tinker with various pieces of hardware in their garage, this problem is far from new; they often encounter it. Although, probably, there are probably few secrets left for them in this area. But if you took a wrench or a screwdriver in your hands for the first time and decided that you are now going to quickly unscrew this slightly rusty bolt or not particularly “fresh” nut, then you quickly understand that it is unlikely to be possible to do this “quickly”. You usually have to tinker with such “instances”. Some even devote more than one hour to this fascinating struggle, like the old man from Ernest Hemingway’s famous work. Remember when he caught big fish and struggled with it for a long time. Here, of course, our case is not so pleasant (we are not there now), but, nevertheless, the problem must be solved. What methods of quickly unscrewing rusty bolts and nuts has mankind come up with at the moment?
If a nut is stuck or you need to unscrew a rusty bolt. How to do it?
It is clear that most of us do not have a super-duper-sophisticated set of tools at hand that can easily solve any such problem. Basically, we have a screwdriver and a hammer at hand, and also a chisel (how would we live without it in Russia). So it’s best to limit yourself to these “high-tech” tools (well, or a little similar to them) in this situation. It is this principle that we will adhere to in order to try to unscrew the rusty bolt.
How can you treat a rusty bolt or nut?
Of course, we always want to do this as quickly as possible, but often the bolt has a completely different opinion on this matter and does not want to give in to our efforts. If you can’t cope with it, then you need to prepare the bolt for this operation.
To do this, you can wet a cloth in kerosene (wet it well) and place it on top of this very bolt. Let her lie on it longer. The effect will only get better. Instead of kerosene, there is such an excellent product as WD-40. I think many people know about him. If this is the first time you’ve heard about a “Vedashka” (it’s also called that), then go to any car store and you’ll easily find it there. You can use this remedy.
But first, take a hammer in your hands and give the bolt a good tap. Only after this, “thickly” spray “Vedashka” on this bolt, or again pour it with the same kerosene. Next you will need to wait. How many? This already depends on the urgency of solving the problem. It could be a minute, or it could be a whole hour. It is clear that the liquid will penetrate further and deeper over time. After this, tap the bolt again, and then you can try to unscrew it. You can replace kerosene and WD-40 with other liquids (who knows what this bolt needs?). Maybe the Vedashka won’t help, but the brake fluid will help you defeat it. It is also quite possible to treat the bolt with these liquids, wait, and try to unscrew it.
How can you “break” a rusty bolt?
Before treating the bolt with all these liquids, you can try to move it in any direction, that is, simply loosen it. After all, if you loosen it, then there will be at least a microscopic gap in the thread, but it will still be a gap, and liquid will penetrate there much easier, then you will be able to unscrew the bolt faster. To do this, you will need to “rip” the rusty bolt or nut, as they say, from its dead point. It is no longer the point whether you will unscrew it or try, on the contrary, to tighten it a little. The main thing here is to move it in any direction.
You can first start twisting it, and if it “goes” in this direction, then start unscrewing it. When it “rests” and stops unscrewing, then tighten it again as much as possible. Thus, when tightening and unscrewing the bolt, it is likely that you will be able to unscrew it completely, especially if you connect to this operation the fluids that we talked about.
It is quite possible that the bolt was seriously stuck and these methods did not work. Then we take the national Russian instrument, that is, a chisel, and, of course, a hammer, and we work with these simple tools. We place the chisel on the edge of the head of this “persistent” bolt (or nut) at an angle. In this case, the tip of the chisel itself must be installed in the direction in which the bolt is unscrewed. Next, we simply hit the chisel sharply and strongly with a hammer.
This simple impact procedure quite often helps to deal with a rusty bolt, and it still unscrews. You can also knock on the key. But, the key is, it’s still not a chisel, and therefore you shouldn’t knock on it too hard. So you will simply tear off the edges on the bolt or nut, or, if they turn out to be stronger, you can simply break the key.
The easiest and most reliable way to unscrew a rusty bolt
There is a method that almost always helps with rusty bolts or nuts. This is their strong heating, but this same heating cannot be applied in all cases. You can heat the bolt different ways, everything here will depend on its size, location, and the material that surrounds this rusty bolt.
You can take a soldering iron for this (if the bolt is small), use boiling water, but ideally, use a torch or blowtorch. These last two heating methods will definitely help you, because with these tools you can quickly and very heat any bolt or nut. Here you need to heat it up more, then your chances of unscrewing the rusty bolt will be much higher. The main thing here is to do it “hot”, that is, heat it up, immediately take the key and start unscrewing it. Almost always this operation ends in success.
If this does not help (although this rarely happens), then all that remains is to drill out the bolt. To do this, they usually take a diameter smaller than the bolt itself and simply drill through it. How to do this, and how this operation is useful, will be told to you in this video. Let's see.
Carrying out renovation work, sometimes the question arises: how to unscrew a bolt or screw with torn edges. This problem has several solutions, knowing which you can unwind almost any hardware. Even if you overdid it and tore off the head or broke the stud, there are ways and tools that allow you to unscrew the broken fasteners.
It is better to prevent any problem than to solve it. Therefore, if you have applied sufficient force and the fastener has not moved, you do not need to continue until you completely damage it. Better do the following:
The above steps will not be superfluous in the case when you decide how to unscrew a bolt with torn edges.
Methods for removing a bolt
Below are the most effective ways unscrewing damaged bolts and screws.
With damaged edges
When deciding how to unscrew a bolt with stripped edges, you need to consider whether there is access to it, its location, and what tool you can use. Based on these factors, You can use one of the following methods:
In difficult cases, in order to achieve the desired result, you need to combine several methods. Therefore, first assess the situation, decide how you can unscrew the bolt, and only then get to work.
With the head torn off
Very often, when disassembling old threaded connections, you can not only damage the edges of the bolt, but also tear off the head. Then the question arises: how to unscrew the broken bolt. If you have separated parts and the broken bolt protrudes from the body of the part, then you can use all of the above methods.
How to unscrew a bolt with a torn head if the body of the bolt does not protrude from the part? There are several options for solving this problem.
Drilling a hole accurately is quite difficult. And if you damage the threaded connection, the situation can only be corrected by drilling a hole and cutting a thread of a larger diameter.
A cut stud is no different from a bolt with a torn head, and therefore the methods for unscrewing it are the same.
Thread damage
There are cases when the thread of the fastener is damaged. In this case, the hardware rotates freely, but it is not possible to remove it from the threaded connection. To solve this problem, you need to lift the bolt. This can be done using a screwdriver or other similar tool, which is inserted under the head and lifts it with force. When the bolt rests, it begins to rotate in the direction of unscrewing. This is done until the hardware is completely removed. If the hole in the threaded connection is through, then you can push with reverse side using any suitable tool.
If you have a similar problem with the nut, then proceed in the same way. Hardware with damaged threads must be replaced, so if there is access, the nut can be cut off with a grinder or knocked down with a chisel.
Asterisk and hexagon
IN Lately fasteners with asterisk, hexagon and more exotic shapes are increasingly being used. If the edges on such a fastener are damaged and you need to unscrew it, then you can proceed by analogy with ordinary bolts with the only difference that to unscrew you need to use a tool with the appropriate shape of the edges.
Removing the screw
Screws with torn edges cause a lot of trouble. Unscrewing such screws is not easy, but there are several ways to solve this problem. To make it easier to unscrew them, you need to do the same preparatory measures as for the bolts.
In the simplest case, when the screw protrudes above the surface, you can try to grab it with pliers, wire cutters or another similar tool and unscrew it in this way. But most often there is nothing to grab onto. Then you can try the following methods:
- Sometimes it helps to use thin rubber, for example, from a balloon. A piece of such rubber is placed on top of the screw and unscrewed, pressing the screwdriver through it. This increases friction and prevents the screwdriver from slipping.
- A screw with a curly head can be converted into a flat-head screwdriver by sawing through the groove with a hacksaw.
- In order to solve the problem of a screwdriver slipping, you can use cyanoacrylic-based glue; this glue dries quickly and holds together well. metal surfaces. The procedure is simple: the screw and screwdriver are degreased, glue is applied to the head of the screw and the screwdriver is pressed against it, maintaining alignment. To speed up the setting of the glue, you can sprinkle it with soda. Wait until the glue has completely hardened and try to unscrew the screw.
In order to avoid such problems in the future, renew all threaded connections with taps or taps before assembly. Replace any damaged fasteners. Be sure to lubricate the threads and fasteners in general. It is best to use graphite lubricant for these purposes.
