How to remove rounded Allen head bolts | remove rounded hex key bolts 8 different ways
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- čas přidán 2. 06. 2024
- In this video I demonstrate some of the techniques that we use regularly on site to remove rounded Allen head bolts, or hex key head bolts. Allen head bolts can be difficult to remove as dirt can get compressed into the head which means the minute you insert the Allen key and apply pressure it rounds off the bolt.
The techniques used in this video are-
1. Mole grip or vice grip pliers
2. Cold chisel and hammer
3. Weld a nut onto the rounded bolt
4. Drill using a left-handed drill bit
5. Drill the head from the bolt
6. Screw extractor
7. Trend Grab-It pro
8. Centre punch - Jak na to + styl
Excellent video! I've been a diesel technician for over 20 years and have used many of these methods but there were a couple in there that were new to me. I would say I can't wait to try out these new methods but generally whenever you have to extract its not a fun time lol.
Yeah, it's never fun when you have to do this!
Best of luck with them 👍
Well, that was comprehensive. No mucking about.
Grand! Thank you!
Fantastic! I watched this video several weeks ago... I thought I would never need to use any of these methods but ended up getting a second hand garden shredder and having to remove 4 hex M8 countersunk bolts. I used the center punch and hammer method. Thank you for great educational content!
Glad it helped!
Thanks for the comment 👍
I know this is two years old, but I had a hex head bolts with soft metal that stripped on me in a hard place to get a drill to use an easy out or drill it out. As a last gasp chance I tried an Allen key that I had laying around in my work shed and tapped it in with a hammer and a dang thing worked!!!! It was an important electrical component to help my 2016 Jeep engine run. Thank goodness for CZcams videos like this!!!! 👍🏻🙏🏻
Thanks for the comment ;-)
Very well thought out and presented. Should be made available to all mechanical trades students as soon as possible in their courses by the instructors.
Thanks for the comment ;-)
Great tips, as well as those from the audience. My tip, particularly for those irritating pan hex heads, is to dremel a slot across the bolt head, then use a flat head screwdriver to remove the bolt.
Good clear voice and instructions. No silly annoying background music. Straight to the point. I'd like to have been your apprentice. Not much chance now... I'm 74 y.o. Best wishes from Wales. 😆😆
I'm glad you found the video useful.
Thanks for the comment 👍
I beat a Torques bit into the stripped hole. Then use an impact driver. That works too!!! Keep Rocking!!!
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I do that too, works great!
this is what i was going to add works a treat
Rocker Pat I have done that, also used larger allen wrenchs,or metric and beat the damn thing on. Nice tight fit and shocks it ,all at the same time
what this buy said, or just pound a bigger allen key in.
All great examples and not some crappy DIYer trying to explain things... subscribed
Thanks for the comment and the sub ;-)
Thank you for this. Now I can't wait to get home and try a few. Bought a used thickness planer, 6 allen head bolts on each blade, 3 on each side came out with some penetrating oil and elbow grease. There was surface rust on the machine, so I am assuming rusted inside. Makes it challenging because the blade head spins too, so holding it while you are trying these things is difficult. i've tried oil, heat, but ended up rounding 4 out of the 6 left. Waiting on extractor sets coming today to try again, but I think I'm gonna try shocking better (did do that some) and the punch idea after heating again. Maybe that will finally get them free so I can change the blades!!! Thanks again!
Excellent video, I used to be a mechanic and this really hits home. Often a torch saved my day but as you said sometimes it cant be used. We have better screw extraction tools today than when I was swingin wrenches.
Thanks for the comment 👍🏼
The best part is when no one tells you it's a reverse thread, and you've been tightening it to all hell the whole time
Thankfully left handed threads are pretty rare on bolts!
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LOL
Like the RR circa 80s lugnuts
Propane uses reverse threads in usa
Reverse tread is usaly indicated by notches
Great video full of useful tips as always!
In the past I've used a cutting disc to cut a slot in the head of the bolt and then used a flat headed screwdriver to remove the bolt (only works on certain situations)
Thanks for the comment
"33 year millwright here"( The MillWrights Poem ) We the willing working for the unknowing and uncaring have done so much with so little for so long , we are now qualified to do anything with nothing !
Depending on where the hex head is on the machine or other impossible spot, I find you are using some pretty good methods. I have used every method you used in many , many cases, most work some you have to drill out ' using the size of the inner thread size as your last drill size. Use the desired tap to dress the thread. Remember by heating, you also temper the bolt , so it can't be drilled, you must decide what is more desirable .
Thank you for your time and consideration Mr Ultimate. I have learned from your demonstrations.
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Proper toolroom experienced engineer , I,ve been repairing things for 46 years , & had never seen a spring - loaded punch before that you ping upwards like that , magnificent , a mate & myself spent 3 days getting the front suspension ( macker) struts off of my caddy van , as you just can,t get at the s***+ng bolts , then another 3 days changing the top bearing mounts , these are worse , as you must save the ends of the strut rods , but sacrifice the nuts to release them ,the strut rods are female Allen socketed , & invariably already chewed up internally , ( then fit new top grade S.L. nuts guys ! ) I just wish I had seen this first , rock on mate , power & respect to Lancashire . ( yes, we did win the battle , & the old van went straight through the test)
I've had fights like that in the past with nuts/bolts/screws/etc.
The spring tools are brilliant!
Thanks for the comment 👍
Hammer and chisel technique was very effective in rotating a cap head and backing the bolt out enough to get a grip with my fingers. Thanks for covering so many scenarios.
You are welcome
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Another option for large bolts: When working on a right-hand thread bolt, drill out and tap for a left-head thread that is smaller than your bolt diameter. Thread in a hex-head left-hand bolt to your newly tapped hole, and as your left-hand bolt tightens completely, it will transfer force to your right-hand bolt, spinning it left / counter-clockwise. You essentially give yourself a hex head to get a wrench on. I tried this in a 24mm drain plug w/ Allen drive - I had limited access (so no chisel, welding on a nut, etc.) and its face was thin (1mm, too thin for vice grips). Extractors can snap if overtorqued and are difficult to remove if broken, so I view them as a last resort. Using a 5/8" - 11 LH tap and bolt (5/8" = 15.875mm, so well within the 24mm bolt diam.), I got this out smoothly. Sourcing the parts/tools you need is the biggest pain as they're not readily available to grab same-day, but once you have them, you can use again in the future. Might be a good option for someone who runs into the situation often. Best part is: if it doesn't work, you still have the ability to drill out for an even larger extractor such as a Walton REPS (look em up, they're gold)
Excellent video. I have used practically all of these techniques but a reminder is always a good thing. One other way I have found recently is with a cheap thin diamond wheel on a dremel type tool cut a slot into the bolt and use a hand impact wrench with a straight bit ...my first option in a lot of cases nowadays.
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Thank u I was fixing my screw on my computer and figure out if I used a small screw drive and Clened it I could get it out and it work! Ur cleaning technique was so helpful thank u🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
After working for 37 years on oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico with it's salt water environment I can attest that the methods used in this video to extract broken screws, bolts, fasteners etc. works. We used the same methods along with brute force, finesse, patience, elbow grease and profanity. Lots of profanity.
It sounds like you had an interesting job 👍
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4:59 this method worked for me i tired it after 2 hour of hopeless removing... so big thanks for you !!!
I'm glad it worked ;-)
Thanks for the comment
Kóbor Tamás that's the best \●
I can’t remember the last time we had such a dry spell in Darwen, apart from 1976. I guess one good summer every 42 years is not bad 😉
I’m off to do some outside D.I.Y I hope everyone has a great Sunday
I originally read that as "Darwin" - and though to myself "doesn't sound like the Darwin I remember" - 100% humidity and 38C summers . . . . . . . . . :-D
Great Video! I'd like to offer my personal favorite way to extract any stripped bolt.
Get a metal cutoff wheel in an angle grinder and make a plunge cut, doing this you essentially turn any bolt into a Flathead. works almost every time, and will even work on countersunk screws if you don't mind biting into both materials a little.
Still going this hot weather - I remember "76 , also "84 was pretty good :] S.Wales
I understood ever word you said. Coming from chorley it's not hard work
Ahhh thought I recognised the accent. Great video, cheers mate
Great vid. Lots of good tips.
I have used 2 techniques that i didnt see here. One is to hammer on the face of the bolt to mush some material back into the hole. Alittle heat can help this along. The other is to braze the wrench into the bolt. Works good if you got the swing, and when youre done, you can get your wrench back.
Mole grips worked a treat, you just saved me a lot of bother with my motorbike, and getting to work on Tuesday. Top man.
I'm glad the video helped
Thanks for the comment 👍
A couple of my own tips...
When u have to drill out a tough 10.9 / 12.9 grade cap screw or similar & u don't have a cobalt bit, use a masonry bit which has a carbide tip & if possible , grind a sharp edge (positive rake) on it.
When heating bolts & nuts to free them, melt a candle onto it instead of penetrating oil. Works great !! 😎
Don't forget there are special occasions where a left-handed bolt / nut may have been fitted, hard to identify but usually on rotating parts only, just keep in mind.
CSK screws can sometimes be freed by an initial heavy blow with a parallel punch directly on the head. Then chisel as in the vid...
I prefer using a centre punch (as opposed to a chisel) for even larger csk screws as the collatoral damage is confined & also as the total energy of the hammer-blow is concentrated in a smaller area (think psi) for greater effect.
Screws in cast iron can simply be burnt out with oxy acetylene as CI has a higher melting point than steel & the threads wont melt.
The use of a screw-extractor or "easy-out" is fraught with danger, (particularly in the smaller sizes) as they are made "glass-hard" & as such are brittle. As u say in the vid , if u break one, u are not gonna drill it out... 😨
ALWAYS buy the best quality allen keys you can source, cheapos will only get u in more trouble. I've always used Umbrako brand & have keys that are 20 years old & still sharp-cornered... if u ring the edges, use a thin cutting disc to trim back to "fresh wood" ... 😅
Great educational vid... liked & subbed... 😎😎😎😎
Thanks for the tips Peter ;-)
Well here's is 2 more cents.
For all Allen, spline, or torx bits.
I call all versions of Spline style bits as spline (Triple square, Double hex, 12point ect).
After a slight rounding
Loctite method: Hit with pin punch to slightly squash head. Put a drop of the strongest loctite preferable with activator in the head. lightly tap the correct sized ratchet bit, Allen key or impact bit into the bolt. Go have a cup of tea or lunch. Come back and undo bolt. heat removed bolt to recover tool.
The butcher method - Hammer the next closest size up bit into the fastener. For instance a an 8mm allen key should fit over tight in a 5/16th bolt head, Or 1/4" in a 6mm. same principle works for torx bits.
After a major rounding
The guerilla method - For all fasteners with a high wall height on bolt head. Hammer a tight fitting socket over the fastener. it will cut slight flats on the walls and jam itself on. then undo with a ratchet. Cheap sockets work well as they tend to swell to suit. This will damage the socket so don't use your good ones.
The surgeon - Same as the butcher but with precision you drill the center to receive a spline bit when hammered in. Can also use loctite to assist in torque limits.
Don't use heat once loctite is applied on any of these methods or you will release the loctite.
However always use heat and penetrating oil before loctite if possible.
Excellent, v useful.
20 yrs working with cap head screws as an engineer. I will only use bondhus Allen keys. Frankly nothing else compares. That includes snap on, and Facom. All techniques are sound. On small stuff hammering in a torx bit of similar size can give you some purchase.
Good shout, I do this myself
Fantastic stuff mate! I have been using the barbaric method of a dremal to cut a slot and then an impact flathead to remove everything that becomes stuck but this can easily damage the surrounding surfaces. Love the centre punch idea! Cheers from Australia
Thanks for the comment ;-)
Your video helped me get a bolt out and probably saved me a few hundred dollars. All it took was a 3/8 chisel and 100 or so whacks with a hammer to the left. :) Thank you!
I'm glad the video helped
Thanks for the comment 👍
I’m an industrial mechanic with over 4 decades experience. I used to use these techniques but have found 2 others that save time and effort. One way I have used for years is to drive a Torx bit into the bolt. This will work quite well. The second way is MAC Tools have come out with RBRT hex bits. Rounded Bolt Removal Technology. I purchased theses socket and they work spectacularly.
My dad was a marine mechanic who worked for himself. He had something like a hand impact screwdriver. You'd put in the correct size bit, then you'd get a hammer and hit the other end. Worked great especially with some heat.
Impact screwdrivers are great 😉
Thanks for the comment
I used to do Submarine Repair in the Navy. Dealing with stubborn or stuck fasteners was an every day occurrence. Before ever trying to use an Allen Key but after cleaning the bolt we always started with the Impact Driver. Just the simple Hammer Driven one. This would loosen or break free over 95% of the bolts.
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As I sit in my sub repair chair on shore duty, I watched this video lol. I will add though, the times we have stripped heads, a "sock out" or a tapered allen head just slightly bigger than the original hole is beneficial to these stripped allen head bolts. Hammer the sock out into the head, and use a socket or adjustable wrench on the end to loosen by hand.
@@core4365 I agree. I have ground down larger allen keys to do just what you said.
My recessed head bolt broke 2 Alan keys and 2 hex head impact bits.... Even with heat applied and penetrant
@@LightGesture that's when you drill it out and use a bolt extractor.
A great collection of removal tips. Don't forget to use Never Seize compound when you replace the bolts. Over the years my maintenance regime was to never have the same problem again.
Thanks Keith, I always use copper grease at work when re-assembling anything. It makes it so much easier, the next time it needs taking apart.
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Good video, I gave it a thumbs up. The only exception is applying heat, I think you might be missing the idea of applying heat. Heat expands metal, the trick is to expand what the bolt is screwed in without (as much as you can) heating the bolt itself, thereby the bolt is slightly smaller that what it's screwed into making it easier to remove. When doing this, a person has to work fairly quickly as not letting the bolt reach the same temp as whatever it's screwed into.
Have a great day.
Heating up the bolt often breaks the bond between the bolt and what ever it is screwed into- once it cools back down.
Thanks for the comment 👍
An interesting and well made video. Thank you.
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment
Good video. At the beginning, when talking about the tools, it would have been a great note that ball style drivers are a poor choice for breaking things loose. Even if it’s an awkward angle or limited access fastener, do whatever you have to to break it loose with a straight style Allen first then go to the ball driver. While they are handy in some situations many noobs are unaware of the limited engagement that style of driver has.
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Dont know why you would give a thumbs down! very informative. been in maintenance 25 years, and i learned a couple of good tricks. i have a couple of stainless rod holders on my boat, and the adjustment bolt is stainless... must have been cheap. cant get it out. gonna try a little heat and vice grips. Thanks
Good luck with the rod holders
Thanks for the comment 👍
Just a heads up for everyone else watching. If your are going to be using some type of allen head in a crappy environment. You should ALWAYS fill the allen cavity with silicon or some other barrier to stop erosion and build up of dirt. This does not work all of the time and these tips illustrated are great. Thanks for the video.
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment 👍🏼
Use a Dremel or grinder to cut a slot in the head then remove with a flat screwdriver. If that doesn't work I usually beat the thing to pieces with a sledgehammer and throw the whole mess in the trash
LOL
Thanks for the comment
You beat me to it! I don't know what I'd do without my Dremel. In extreme cases, sometimes I have cut a slot right down into a threaded post, to get that broken screw stub out...
😁👍
I had a bolt stuck in my scooter front mudguard, so I cut a slot with the Dremel and finally got it to unscrew. It was a Phillips style head of some description, overtightened and corrosion issue...new bolt will be a hex head style...
SOUNDS GOOD-!!!
Very useful video and I appreciate the effort you went through to film this. Thank you Ultimate Handyman!!
I'm glad you appreciate the effort as it took quite a while doing all the filming and editing ;-)
You are welcome, thanks for watching the video and thanks for the comment
This was very helpful! I've been trying to remove a bolt from my industrial sewing machine for a week. Thanks so much!
I’m glad you found the video useful
Thanks for the comment 👍
Useful video - I think a lot of us had to learn this stuff the hard way so it's nice to see it offered up like this. Will save a lot of people a lot of painful lessons!
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Always good tips,cheers👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment
Alan Mullock, On bolt heads, Use a reverse course threaded internal socket. I work on a lot of elderly MERCEDES engines especially removing cylinder heads and I always use that type of socket and then I throw the old bolts away.
Great Video, thanks you for the "Tutorial" it was very helpful, thank you.
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment
Great techniques and a good followup in the comments section too. Appreciate your efforts in providing good information and clear, realistic demonstrations.
I'm glad that you appreciate my efforts ;-)
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Thank you!!! I was able to finally remove a stubborn Allen head bolt after watching your video. Appreciate your help so very much.
Glad it helped 👍
When you need to apply heat - those smaller blowtorches much loved by Professional Chefs are very useful. VERY compact yet hot flame, with a nice compact unit overall. For REALLY tight spots - you can get "pencil" butane torches from Ebay, etc, which can be a godsend.
Thanks for the comment
What in the world would a chef use a blowtorch for?
Hot Ice quickly cooks/ browns the surface of things like a meringue
@@hotice8885 creme brulee...just borrowed my wife's as I am down to heat as a last resort on a sump pan bolt. Last one with limited access :-)
Dremel make a good little torch.
Nice video. I found soaking the bolt a few days using beakaway and shocking it inbetween soakings can help. Sometimes a combination of heating, soaking and shoking can really help. I find drilling can produce enough heat to loosen the bolt. I once had exaust manifold bolts that took a whole week of soaking, shocking and finally was able to get the bolt free. I hate allen head bolts with a passion.
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...well, if you HATE allen head bolts so much, then why don't you KILL them?!!
I’ve been extracting stripped bolts for 8 years but I still watch this stuff whenever I’m working on my own stuff lol. Drill and extractor seems to be best
Thanks for the comment ;-)
The last resort method worked for me getting a threaded hex of of a expensive bike crank arm !! 👍👍👍
I'm glad the video helped
Thanks for the comment 👍
One of my favorite tips is using a dremel with a cut off wheel to cut a slot for a flat head screwdriver. Hacksaw will also work except for counter sinks.
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Wa u recon about torx bits i dont like going hard in the banging in my dirtbike as it might brake lol cost me more cash im thinking of a dremmel
That was brilliant!
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I have already used one of your methods, I took out eight 1/4 inch rusted bolts from my mower deck, using the pilot drill bit to center up and drill. got all eight out and only trouble with two. Great tip.
I'm glad the video helped ;-)
Thanks for the comment
The best video with the most tricks I've seen the nut over the bolt then welded blew my mind. The centre punch well you sneaky devil.
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great tips!
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Swearing at it is the last measure 😂😂🇦🇺 Well narrated information video and some techniques I haven't seen before...thanks.
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In my experience as an electrician, smaller stripped Allen heads can be removed with a thin strand of copper folded over the head of the Allen key. Gently tap the key with the copper into the head of the bolt until you feel it seat. This trick does not work every time. If the Allen head is too stripped the copper has nothing to grab onto. I have successfully removed many Allen lugs this way. It does take finesse and patience.
The thought came to me from working with wood. An old carpenter told me if I ever had to use a screw hole that was worn out insert a matchstick or two and the hole is as good as new.
Hope to help some and glad to share.
Thanks for sharing ;-)
A very detailed example of every scenario with bolts and nuts that are a bastard to get out. Brilliant video chezzer. Thanks for posting 👍👍👍👍👍
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment
GOD BLESS YOU MATE!
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An imperial set of tools can be handy when bolt/cap screw or nut has rounded as they are often a mid-metric size which can be pounded in.
Yes, Imperial sizes can be odd though. Some of the machines at work use metric, then imperial then a different size imperial, then a different size metric all on the same component- it drives me nuts sometimes. There seems to be a lot more imperial sizes, than metric.
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Once I stripped a dome head so I dremeled a straight cut into it and I could undo it with a flathead. These were nice methods too, honestly I didn't know vise grips existed, you learn something every day!
👍
After having used all of these methods for many years I can say your not only a good mechanic but you are also a really good educator.
Very good job!!!
Thanks for the comment 👍
On 1/5 scale rc cars with a flush mount I've used a Dremel to cut a notch for a screwdriver or a sacrificial 1/4" torx head pounded in. MIP Thorson Allen head wrenches work best on the small stuff.
Thanks for the comment
I was going to say the same thing about using a Dremel to cut a slot. I use this a lot on my rc vehicles.
You can use a torx socket, that are usually tapered. After grinding it down for a tight fit, it can be pounded into the hex bolt. This has worked for me on a couple of occasions.
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THANK YOU!! I had a small Allen head flush screw that was stripped and I used a punch and a hammer and It worked perfectly!! Thanks again !!
Thanks for the comment
Thank you! I was so frustrated with this DIY furniture screw and Allen wrench from America's Superstore. The screw was stuck halfway into the bookcase and then stripped! Your advice for using the grips worked like a charm.
I'm glad the video helped ;-)
Thanks for the comment 👍
Damn gurl 😍
One more: Hammer a slightly oversized Torx bit into the rounded socket. That usually bites well.
I was about to post the same, I have never bothered buying dedicated tools as i rarely encounter this issue but when I do i use some old cheap torx bits and as you said hammer them in and for me they work every time
This worked for me. Domed head, recessed in plastic panel so some of these options wouldn't work for me. Saved drilling it out. Great vid though. I'll be screwing the same bolt in for the next person!
THIS AND ONLY THIS
you wont dmg Torx if you wont remove 1000 bolts, screw is the least dmged, and it is soo fcking simple
just use Torx
Yea multispline works great
Ye. It's the No 1 go to way for me for recessed heads.
you didnt cover the first step, swear at it.
Swearing is mandatory when doing jobs like this ;-)
Thanks for the comment
Jusb1066 ain't nothin better than saying words that would get you kicked out of church for such a potty mouth. Lol. Doesn't get the screw or bolt out, but it makes you feel better for saying those words. LMAO 😹😹😹
RANDALLOLOGY if you yell loud enough the sonic waves break up the rust. Only works with profanities though.
I'm still trying to find a set of left handed allen keys for undoing, all the ones I have are right handed for tightening.
YOu forgot BLO! If it'll take the barnacles off a wooden leg it ought to back an Allen head out!
Thanks a ton mate this video saved me a trip to the Mercedes Benz dealership
Glad it helped
Thanks for the comments
The centering tool technique was amazing. I used it just after watched your video and it worked like a charm.
👍
I'm dead impressed with the sprung centre punch! I thought that bolt would just laugh at it.
They are great. At first I thought they were a joke until I tried one, they are very useful!
Thanks for the comment 👍
Great tips!
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When I was an aircraft technician; we used to use a Torx bit which was bigger than the allen and hammer it into the head. Worked great for me.
Great video and you covered a lot of situations on ways to remove the bolts and screws very well! Nice work.
One more tip here,
if you can get to the back side of a busted bolt such as broken off in a stainless steel cover plate you can then drill with a standard right hand bit same as you would use a left hand bit to walk it out. Do this after you let the new guy try a left hand bit not thinking hes actually slightly tightening it, walk up, smack the bolt with a thumb detector (hammer) and a punch, drill it with your right hand bit and it should easily unscrew out the other side after he's heated it for you with the wrong bit.
Thanks for the comment
Excellent video ! I’ve drilled a fair few Knackered grub screws out. What brand of mole grips are you using at the moment ? Here’s a tip, if you can’t get decent screw extractors use an annealed file tang, very good quality steel.
Grub screws can be a pain to drill out, I've done a few myself at work!
My mole grips at work are Teng, I have a set with about 5 pairs, a couple of which are long nose.
File steel is good, a few of the fitters at work have made old files into scrapers by brazing a piece of tungsten to the end.
Thanks for the comment
i find the genuine american vise grips are very sharp indeed all over their range, the teeth are milled in, so can grip right at the end when you need it, the very worst are the original british mole grips, not sharpely milled and smooth near the ends ( not a shareholder! lol, just my experience), though the american vise grip release i dont like, when its really really tight, you need a pair of pliers to squeeze it off again!
@@jusb1066 ...how does THAT grab you?!
File tangs are already soft so no need to anneal them
They look líke American Vise Grips (proper Yankee spelling)they are on sale in the UK,for about £30 I have been told,and they are miles better than Moles.I bought mine (like new) from the car boot sale. I asked the woman how much,she said 50p,so I was generous and gave her a £1.she was delighted,but also,so was I.
One way I like is to take either a 6 point or 12 point torx bit and hammer it into the rounded-out head.
Thanks for the comment
I am an Industrial Maintanence Instructor. I have used the torx bit as my goto for removal. Also teach my students to use an engraver to remove broken bolts. A good penetrant. (Not wd40). Heat with paragon works too.
Indeed, use torx bits on damaged hex bolts, and hex bits on damaged torx bolts to remove them.
This is the first thing I try, I have a bunch of naff ones I keep knocking about specifically for this.
Same technique we use on drainage floor bolts... works most of the time.
Damn, I thought a magician never revealed his secrets. Thanks for the hard earned shop tips!
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment 👍
Mole grips!! Genius, thank you! Worked like a charm!
I'm glad the video helped
Thanks for the comment 👍
Two other techniques are the use of a manual impact driver and the old trick of first tightening the stuck bolt.
Thanks for the comment
I use to always catch help for doing that, but I just don't think most can visualize what is happening with the threads.
that works with wood screws also especially old rusty ones
Tightening it a bit works great on stuck wheel bolts. Also having a high quality deep impact socket from wurth doesn't hurt with the torque.
If the bolt head sticks out, use a pipe wrench. The wrench will grip more as you apply pressure
Thank you. Very useful. A very thorough look at the practical options. Liked.
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Excellent video. Very educational. So now I know after struggling with such damaged hex screws many times. Thanks.
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Another method I've used is to hammer a torx head bit into the rounded allen bolt, that will grip enough to get them out. Not sue if it would work n larger bolts but on motorcycles it works well.
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I did this yesterday with a rounded dome head bolt. The torx bit hammered in removed it quite easily.
Damn that sounds like it might solve my problem, I've just got to make sure I don't accidently hammer the bike over
I had a cap head stuck on my motorbike hugger. I found when it rounded, if hit flat with a hammer the hex shape would return. But still stuck I dremelled the round head into a hex shape and put a small socket over the top, which sheared off when turned. I used a heatgun & oil but the alu swingarm was a big heatsink. I then drilled it out and tapped a smaller hole in the remains as I didn't have the right size bolt.
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...you can't ALWAYS win-!!!
Great video as usual. Enjoy your Sunday!
Thanks, I'm getting some filming done whilst the kids are out enjoying themselves ;-)
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Centre punch indent and hit at angle did the job. Nice one, you've saved me a lot of trouble. Thanks
Glad it helped!
Thanks for the comment 👍
One important thing to remember, is before even TRYING to remove a hex head screw- make sure that the corners on the hex wrench are NOT ROUNDED!! You always want to remove a hex head screw on the first try- and trying to use a rounded hex wrench puts you at a GREAT disadvantage-!!
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Thanks for the great tips! What is the brand of your center punch, I have never seen one like it.
Subscribing now.
That centre punch is very useful in confined spaces, I did a review here- czcams.com/video/fjBu-tWdqoc/video.html
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All of your videos have been so helpful to me, thank you.
You are welcome
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Fantastic tips, fantastic video and sound quality !
Glad it was helpful!
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use a 12 point bit that is a little bigger than the hole, mash it in with a hammer and just screw it out.
Works 9 out of 10 times on first try
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An air hammer is a fast hammer.
@@ddd228 ...well, don't KNOCK it-!!
I use these techniques and also use the beating a torx socket bit into the hex method.
one of the most informative videos ever!
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Never seen the centre punch with the spring, great vid thanks for posting.
🤓 Neat Center Punch
Yes, the spring tools centre punches are really useful.
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@@ultimatehandyman 😇 ur welcome
Heat, then put a candle on it the heat draws the wax down into the threads. Best penetrator ever
I'm going to try this one day ;-)
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Great range of tips, very helpful. Thanks!
You are welcome
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Very useful video. The last method with the spring punch is pretty cool.
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That's for the reply but I'm in the usa
In that case- springtools.shptron.com/
Ready tidy Leftie Lucy
You've invented your own impact drivers with your cold chisel and spring punch but my method of extracting internal hex bolts would be not to use them in the first place but rather use torx head bolts?!
We can only use the bolts supplied on site, most of the time we use countersunk bolts and nuts and because of the chemical processes on the sites where I work it is impossible to remove them after a few months so the nut and back of the bolt is normally just cut off using the gas axe. I agree that Torx would be better though.
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A friend of mine used to work at BNFL Salwick and he said exactly the same thing about corrosion.
Ultimate Handyman
Gas axe. LOVE IT!
The punch method worked perfectly for me on a recessed head bolt; without your advice, I would have tried an easy out, and I'm glad I didn't.
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Thank you for this clip. I've never seen a centre punch quite like that. I have used the manual ones and semi automatic ones you push on, but this must really be able to hit hard I guess and is probably a lot more reliable. Another thing which can sometimes work is to use a torx bit and tap it in, but if it doesn't work it can make an even bigger round hole as I discovered earlier.
I had an automatic centre punch once, it only lasted a few weeks!
The spring tool punches are great 👍