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Author Topic: Trouble unscrewing a seized allen / hex nut. Help please  (Read 4518 times)

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Offline delatroy

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Trouble unscrewing a seized allen / hex nut. Help please
« on: Sat, 14 April 2018, 10:04:16 »


I tried soaking it in oil, hitting the sides with a spanner (not that hard) and heating it with boiler water. Is there anything else that I could try? I don't have a blowtorch.

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Offline BlindAssassin111

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Re: Trouble unscrewing a seized allen / hex nut. Help please
« Reply #1 on: Sat, 14 April 2018, 10:30:41 »
Quote from: delatroy on Sat, 14 April 2018, 10:04:16
Show Image


I tried soaking it in oil, hitting the sides with a spanner (not that hard) and heating it with boiler water. Is there anything else that I could try? I don't have a blowtorch.

Could try some vice grips on the outside and just make sure they are clamped very tightly...sometimes it will work. But even a small lighter would be better than nothing, heat usually does the trick.
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Offline Coreda

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Re: Trouble unscrewing a seized allen / hex nut. Help please
« Reply #2 on: Sat, 14 April 2018, 10:48:35 »
If you know someone with one you could try an impact driver, and get a hex bit for it the correct size. The hammering mechanism in them was made for stubborn things like this.

There are also non-electric, manual impact driver hand tools (which you hit with a hammer on the back while twisting) but I'm not sure if there's a hex variant.
« Last Edit: Sat, 14 April 2018, 10:50:31 by Coreda »
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Online tp4tissue

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Re: Trouble unscrewing a seized allen / hex nut. Help please
« Reply #3 on: Sat, 14 April 2018, 10:58:36 »
It doesn't look stripped to me,  maybe just the camera angle..



If it is stripped, I would just dremel 2 slits into it and try a flat head..

Make sure you get the slits deep, but not TOO deep.


« Last Edit: Sat, 14 April 2018, 11:00:42 by tp4tissue »
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Trouble unscrewing a seized allen / hex nut. Help please
« Reply #4 on: Sat, 14 April 2018, 12:45:33 »
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Offline JP

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Re: Trouble unscrewing a seized allen / hex nut. Help please
« Reply #5 on: Sat, 14 April 2018, 14:37:52 »
I hate when this happens. I live in the rust belt and I have burned out tail light on my truck I can't change because the screw is rusted in that holds the tail light cover. I figure worst case I am going to drill that sucker out. I would vote for trying some penetrating oil before going to any extremes.
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Offline delatroy

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Re: Trouble unscrewing a seized allen / hex nut. Help please
« Reply #6 on: Sat, 14 April 2018, 15:01:33 »
Update: I bought a vice grips and boy can it grip. I gripped it so hard, I could barely close it so that I could get enough purchase on the round head.

This I can report has worked well! Then it worked almost too well where one of the heads snapped off as I was turning it:



The other sides are gradually loosening so I'm using the oil to loosen the rest of the screw up as it's coming out. I hope that the bolt that's left inside will not mean that I cannot take the unit apart but I suspect that I will be unable to. Does anyone have any advice on how I might be able to recover from here? Thanks in advance
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Online tp4tissue

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Re: Trouble unscrewing a seized allen / hex nut. Help please
« Reply #7 on: Sat, 14 April 2018, 15:39:43 »
Quote from: delatroy on Sat, 14 April 2018, 15:01:33
Update: I bought a vice grips and boy can it grip. I gripped it so hard, I could barely close it so that I could get enough purchase on the round head.

This I can report has worked well! Then it worked almost too well where one of the heads snapped off as I was turning it:

Show Image


The other sides are gradually loosening so I'm using the oil to loosen the rest of the screw up as it's coming out. I hope that the bolt that's left inside will not mean that I cannot take the unit apart but I suspect that I will be unable to. Does anyone have any advice on how I might be able to recover from here? Thanks in advance

Do you have a CNC EDM cutting machine. ??

/jokes

if it's really important, you still may be able to chisel a slit in there to use a flat head.

But there are more expensive methods.

https://www.osseonews.com/shop/neo-fractured-screw-removal-kit/

« Last Edit: Sat, 14 April 2018, 15:43:50 by tp4tissue »
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Offline JP

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Re: Trouble unscrewing a seized allen / hex nut. Help please
« Reply #8 on: Sat, 14 April 2018, 15:40:55 »
I think you are going to need one of those easy out screw / bolt extractor kits like they sell on Amazon. I'd also suggest looking up related videos on YouTube.
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Therapy is expensive so I buy keyboards and bike parts.

Offline delatroy

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Re: Trouble unscrewing a seized allen / hex nut. Help please
« Reply #9 on: Sat, 14 April 2018, 15:51:15 »
Luckily.. I was able to separate the top from the bottom with a couple of taps with the hammer. Now, I have access to the remaining piece of the bolt. Does it make sense to try and remove the remaining part with the vice grips again?

See the remaining piece and one of the screws that came out intact:

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Online tp4tissue

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Re: Trouble unscrewing a seized allen / hex nut. Help please
« Reply #10 on: Sat, 14 April 2018, 15:53:25 »
I'd use the vice but do it slower this time, and m0ar oil.
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Offline Tactile

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Re: Trouble unscrewing a seized allen / hex nut. Help please
« Reply #11 on: Sat, 14 April 2018, 15:57:51 »
Just FYI - when it comes time to buy a replacement that's called a "socket head capscrew".
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Offline delatroy

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Re: Trouble unscrewing a seized allen / hex nut. Help please
« Reply #12 on: Sat, 14 April 2018, 17:16:23 »
Mission accomplished boys  :)
Now buying those screw-caps.
Thanks for your help
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Offline delatroy

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Re: Trouble unscrewing a seized allen / hex nut. Help please
« Reply #13 on: Sat, 14 April 2018, 17:30:03 »
Here's what's inside if anyone's interested. The idea is to de-scale the inside of this coffee boiler and other components using citric acid:
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