ShedBoy
31-08-2009, 08:15 AM
I was face with the need to remove a broken bolt yesterday so I thought I would share with my new comunity the easiest way I have been shown how to remove them. This trick I picked up from my old boss at a boat workshop where broken steel bolts in aluminium was very common. The bolts in question were holding down the power valve retaining plate on a two stroke barrel, would not move with a impact driver:((why the fuck would they use screws anyway[?]) so I had to drill off the heads.
http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1251670854.jpg
After doing this two of them come out with me fingers but one had to be stuck;)no problems. These are 5mm bolts so they are not big.
http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1251697598.jpg
Time to get out the trusty arc welder and a weldall rod;) these things are great, weld all sorts of weird steel but not ali.
http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1251723032.jpg
You need to do little tiny spot welds on the broken stud. The trick here is to not let the slag cool, when you see the red heat start to die through the helmet lense spot it again through the slag. The slag will keep rising to the surface if you keep some heat in the slag and keep going until it gets high and you have something to grab or put a nut over to weld a new head on. This stud came out with pliers.
http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1251741952.jpg
I am a bit rusty doing this so my little weld is a bit dodgy looking but it worked[^]
http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1251722717.jpg
So to answer some of the usual questions I get. No the weld will not damage or stick to the ali as long as you are only using quick little spots on the stud. Yes if you heat the rod up on a scrap piece of steel it is easier to strike an arc on the bolt. Yes it will work on a bolt snapped down in the casing a bit but you need to be very accurate with the rod, flush is where they usually snap but bike are full of locating dowels. The big question is why do you have to use the weldall rod? The weld deposit from these rods contracts as it cools down effectively shrinking and pulling in the bolt. Always use eye protection when using these rods as theypop the slag off as the deposit cools. That is what I was told and it seems to work and it is alot easier than trying to drill, this stud took about 5 minutes to get out. It is also handy after you have snapped an easy out in the stud. I will post more tricks as I need to use them in the shed.
http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1251670854.jpg
After doing this two of them come out with me fingers but one had to be stuck;)no problems. These are 5mm bolts so they are not big.
http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1251697598.jpg
Time to get out the trusty arc welder and a weldall rod;) these things are great, weld all sorts of weird steel but not ali.
http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1251723032.jpg
You need to do little tiny spot welds on the broken stud. The trick here is to not let the slag cool, when you see the red heat start to die through the helmet lense spot it again through the slag. The slag will keep rising to the surface if you keep some heat in the slag and keep going until it gets high and you have something to grab or put a nut over to weld a new head on. This stud came out with pliers.
http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1251741952.jpg
I am a bit rusty doing this so my little weld is a bit dodgy looking but it worked[^]
http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1251722717.jpg
So to answer some of the usual questions I get. No the weld will not damage or stick to the ali as long as you are only using quick little spots on the stud. Yes if you heat the rod up on a scrap piece of steel it is easier to strike an arc on the bolt. Yes it will work on a bolt snapped down in the casing a bit but you need to be very accurate with the rod, flush is where they usually snap but bike are full of locating dowels. The big question is why do you have to use the weldall rod? The weld deposit from these rods contracts as it cools down effectively shrinking and pulling in the bolt. Always use eye protection when using these rods as theypop the slag off as the deposit cools. That is what I was told and it seems to work and it is alot easier than trying to drill, this stud took about 5 minutes to get out. It is also handy after you have snapped an easy out in the stud. I will post more tricks as I need to use them in the shed.