Easy-out tool?

[Malarky]

Whats the crack with the easy outs (has anyone actually used them to get pigs of bolts out), will they handle the strain, and won't they expand the bolt being cone shaped? Is tapping annother bolt into it with two nuts tight together for extraction not a better option?

[RLWP]

Easy-outs do work as long as the thing you are extracting is big enough. They don't work terribly well on small bolts

 

Richard

[WotEver]

There are two types of Easy Out. The one that everyone knows has a left-handed tapered thread and you're right - using that type if the stud is well and truly stuck you're more likely to break the easy out whilst expanding the stud into the thread. The other type is square-shanked and still has a small taper but is designed to be "banged" into the hole. In my limited experience that type will generally come loose before it breaks.

 

I removed some studs from a Cortina exhaust manifold once using the screwed type of easy out but it required a very steady pressure and lots of heat to succeed - I was forever scared I'd snap the extractor in the stud (but didn't).

 

Tony

[Proper Job]

As Richard says..... OK on large stuff. Smaller diameters are easy to over load and shear the easyout in the hole.

 

Once that happens its game over. The easyout is subsequently to hard to drill out.

Edited August 28, 2009 by Proper Job

[bag 'o' bones]

A better option if you are trying to remove a stubborn stud is to weld a nut on to it. In the case of a bolt weld a cheap spanner to it and give it a clout. Usually the heat shock will loosen it sufficiently enabling you to remove it. If not, heating it repeatedly and cooling with a wet rag a few times will eventually release it.

 

Easy outs rarely work and usually end up making the problem worse.

Edited August 28, 2009 by bag 'o' bones

[NB Esk]

I used to do this as a job, several years ago. Actually managed to make a living at it.

 

As everyone says, *easy outs* (?) can be a right pain. If used correctly, they can be useful. The best type I've used, were a Knock in, made by Rigid. They were a splined rod with a loose hexagonal ferrule. You would use two spanners in conjuntion with the ferrule.

 

The trick was to drill right thro', so you were, in effect, removing a tube. This, in conjunction with heat (flame, hot air gun or even boiling water) would often do the trick.

 

If it's a vertical down hole & you think the thread is corroded, build a plastecine dam around it & fill with plus-gas. Leave as long as you can.

 

Above all patience & common sense.........good luck...

[smileypete]

Whats the crack with the easy outs (has anyone actually used them to get pigs of bolts out), will they handle the strain, and won't they expand the bolt being cone shaped? Is tapping annother bolt into it with two nuts tight together for extraction not a better option?

Maybe a high tensile bolt held in with high strength loctite thread lock/stud lock?

 

As everyone says, *easy outs* (?) can be a right pain. If used correctly, they can be useful. The best type I've used, were a Knock in, made by Rigid. They were a splined rod with a loose hexagonal ferrule. You would use two spanners in conjuntion with the ferrule.

Wonder if knocking a decent star/torx bit into a slightly smaller diameter hole would do.

 

cheers,

Pete.

Edited August 28, 2009 by smileypete

[NB Esk]

Maybe a high tensile bolt held in with high strength loctite thread lock/stud lock?

 

 

Wonder if knocking a decent star/torx bit into a slightly smaller diameter hole would do.

 

cheers,

Pete.

 

Hi Pete, mmm maybe the thread lock would work but the *torx* bit definately does. Same rules apply, drill core out to weaken & release slightly, & don't knock the torx in past the end of the flutes or things will tighten up.

 

Alot depends on how the stud broke in the first place. If the cause was tension (& the thread opened like a bellows) it will be more difficult than one broken by a shear force.

 

I used to specialise in the exhaust manifold studs on the older model (1990's) BMW's. In left hand drive they had a two piece manifold, but UK spec'd had a long one piece, due to the steering box being on the "wrong" side. These used to pop studs regularly. Trouble was with the engines being canted over, you couldn't even see the studs. I used to remove these using a mirror.....Happy days

[DHutch]

For known stubbon bolts as well (ie, typically where they have sheared under being undone, rather then over tightened) its certainly i think a case of 'better right once than wrong twice' when buying the tool. Ie, only fools buy cheap stud extrators!

 

 

Daniel

[Big Steve]

A trick I've used occasionally is to jab the end of the stud with a stick welder, don't pull an arc, just stick the rod straight on, within seconds the stud will be red hot, they come out much easier then. just watch out you don't get it too hot if the stud is in aluminium.

[alan_fincher]

A trick I've used occasionally is to jab the end of the stud with a stick welder, don't pull an arc, just stick the rod straight on, within seconds the stud will be red hot, they come out much easier then. just watch out you don't get it too hot if the stud is in aluminium.

I don't have a welder. Can I achieve the same by controlled use of my battery bank ? (It's a joke, BTW, before I become a target!....)

[Tony Brooks]

I don't have a welder. Can I achieve the same by controlled use of my battery bank ? (It's a joke, BTW, before I become a target!....)

 

 

I don't think it is a joke.

 

Get hold of an old dynamo brush (all carbon, not copper-carbon) and hacksaw down so the lead is still attached but it small enough to enter the hole.

 

Connect to battery + with a jump lead and grip end of the brush in pliers etc.

 

Put down hole onto stud and slightly remove to draw an arc - may be a good idea to wear dark sunglasses or gas welding goggles.

 

You will end up with a red hot brush and a hot stud.

 

You can use a faulty battery for this as long as you an charge it.

[NB Alnwick]

I don't think it is a joke.

 

Get hold of an old dynamo brush (all carbon, not copper-carbon) and hacksaw down so the lead is still attached but it small enough to enter the hole.

 

Connect to battery + with a jump lead and grip end of the brush in pliers etc.

 

Put down hole onto stud and slightly remove to draw an arc - may be a good idea to wear dark sunglasses or gas welding goggles.

 

You will end up with a red hot brush and a hot stud.

 

You can use a faulty battery for this as long as you an charge it.

 

Absolutely - back in the 1960s I did some fairly extensive car body repairs with a crude carbon arc welder running of a 12v battery - it used to be possible to buy the copper plated carbon rods with a simple holder and HD leads with crocodile grips for this purpose. I borrowed a welding mask from work and I wouldn't recommend any procedure like this without proper eye protection.

[Big Steve]

I found it better not to start an arc, if you do have an arc you risk welding the stud to whatever it's screwed into, jab it on hard and the thing gets red hot with no arc, just due to the resistance of the rusty stud/lump interface. (earth is on the metal which is threaded, not the stud) Pull it off quick and it won't weld. Do wear eye protection. Even clear glass will stop arc eye (UV won't go through glass, but you will get dazzled) Best use good sunglasses at least.

Edited August 30, 2009 by Big Steve

[FadeToScarlet]

Personally, faced with sheared-off grub-screws in my flexible coupling, I couldn't use easy-outs.

 

I resorted to angle-grinding the flexible coupling into small pieces to get it detached. That was a great deal of fun- took about 15 hours......

[Sir Nibble]

In 35 years I have used easiout style extractors twice with success, I believe they are the invention of unemployed spark erosion operators. I LOVE the carbon brush heater Tony, for some years I have used the carbon rod removed from a zinc carbon battery to repair burned battery posts.

[Tony Brooks]

In 35 years I have used easiout style extractors twice with success, I believe they are the invention of unemployed spark erosion operators. I LOVE the carbon brush heater Tony, for some years I have used the carbon rod removed from a zinc carbon battery to repair burned battery posts.

 

 

Ah - days of old. For that I used a gas oxygen torch (or at a pinch a carefully set welding torch), an old brush hook (always home made form old cycle spokes) to puddle and melt the old post into the mould and then just melt lead stick (recycled and cast strips made from old battery posts and interlinks) into the molten pool.

 

Must be even easier now you do not have to worry about the post getting so hot the molten lead leaks from the bottom of the mould and disappears below the sealing pitch

 

bet the 'elfs would have a field day if they were around when I was doing battery work!

[smiffy]

I always use left handed drills as it helps to loosen the offending stud and is sometimes all that is required .They are used on production machines and capstan lathes, and then use either the splined type extactor or a allen key mounted in a socket ,the advantage of any type of splined extractor is that the stud can be worked both ways .Often a sheared stud will tighten a small amount before it comes undone and can be worked loose by rocking backwards and forwards.The tapered type stud extractors are fairly useless and are only of very limited use

[Sir Nibble]

Ah - days of old. For that I used a gas oxygen torch (or at a pinch a carefully set welding torch), an old brush hook (always home made form old cycle spokes) to puddle and melt the old post into the mould and then just melt lead stick (recycled and cast strips made from old battery posts and interlinks) into the molten pool.

 

Must be even easier now you do not have to worry about the post getting so hot the molten lead leaks from the bottom of the mould and disappears below the sealing pitch

 

bet the 'elfs would have a field day if they were around when I was doing battery work!

And I bet you made your lead sticks by pouring it into a bit of angle iron!

Must be even easier now you do not have to worry about the post getting so hot the molten lead leaks from the bottom of the mould and disappears below the sealing pitch

Still a bugger 'cos modern polypropylene cases melt if your not just as careful.

[alan_fincher]

In 35 years I have used easiout style extractors twice with success,

Well we (thankfully!) have just used one with great success.

 

See this post.....

 

Link to my forum post

 

I'm posting this to say that even novices (albeit contortionist novices!) can sometimes succeed.

 

Read the thread for detail, but I'm convinced that spending approaching £20 rather than £4 on an extractor set helped.

 

In fact if you only wish to remove one stud, you can buy a single reasonable extractor for similar cost to a set of crap ones. I thought it was worth having a whole set to hand.

 

maybe we was just lucky, but I'm glad I tried!