Damaged Screw Extractor

[menzies]

This just came through on my FaceBook feed. $14.

Has anyone used this?

https://esfranki.com/products/damaged-screw-extractor-set-of-4

 

[Northern Spy]

Umm. Yeah. Lots of times. Some things are better in principle.

For screws they work quite well.

But a stud extractor can make one either teary-eyed joyful or enraged.

If you think you were swearing when you had a broken bolt, just wait until you break off the hardened stud extractor in the broken bolt. New combinations and modifiers of previous swear words are quite typical.

 

[boomerang]

Yeah wood screws aren't generally too much of a problem. Right now I have my 30 year old Sea Wolf anchor windless on the garage floor with a rung off 5/16" mounting stud that was coated in locktite when it was installed PLUS 30 years of corrosion holding it in. I've heated & PB blasted & heated some more but it's still got me licked. I will persevere but I only wish it cane out as easy as that screw extractor ad shows!

 

[twistedtree]

Umm. Yeah. Lots of times. Some things are better in principle.

For screws they work quite well.

But a stud extractor can make one either teary-eyed joyful or enraged.

If you think you were swearing when you had a broken bolt, just wait until you break off the hardened stud extractor in the broken bolt. New combinations and modifiers of previous swear words are quite typical.

Get only the very best screw extractors you can, and drill the hole as deep as possible. A broken one turns a bad day a whole lot worse.

 

[ancora]

I recently broke off an 8 mm. bolt on my VOLVO heat exchanger. Due to lack of room to work, I removed the heat exchanger and brought it home to work on. The bolt was only grade five so not a problem to drill a hole in the center to use an EZ-Out. Put some muscle on the EZ- Out and it was no go. Ran a tap drill in and then an 8 mm. tap...problem solved. Yeah, it was a blind hole in aluminum.

 

[BIG CAT]

If you want to know what the best extractors are. Go talk to your local machine shop. I keep several different sets/types on my service truck. There is no magic bullet that works for every situation. Some times you just have to bit the bullet and drill it out and helicoil the sob.

 

[tiltrider1]

That is a fine tool for stripped Phillip screw extraction. Bolts are a whole different animal. If the bolt head is rounded off, it’s a good bet that we have a stuck bolt. You would be far better off using a spiral socket. Spiral sockets grip the outside of a bolt giving you the best chance of reaching the necessary torque. The smaller the grip device the greater the chance of exceeding the tools mechanical ability(ie breaking).

Then there are broken bolts. The trick to removing a broken bolt is successfully drilling a center hole. Not so easy on a broken bolt.

 

[porman]

Check out TIME-SERTS. They are a much better solution than heli-coils.

 

[stubones99]

I recently broke off an 8 mm. bolt on my VOLVO heat exchanger.

Use a reverse twist drill and start small, drill out the center of the bolt. Then step it up a little. As the threads are all that's left, and there is room to collapse into the hole in the bolt, the heat will help make it turn loose. Just make sure you keep it straight and you don't drill into the threads...

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
I don't know if anyone noticed but the device in the OP appears to be a reverse twist drill or more accurately a reverse center drill.


Interesting. From the website: "Works on wood and machine screws as well as philips, flat, hex, or painted over screws. NO mention of Roberston drive fasteners...Either the manufacturer does not know what they are OR Roberstons seldom strip out.

 

[stubones99]

Greetings,
I don't know if anyone noticed but the device in the OP is a reverse twist drill or more accurately a reverse center drill.

In a crude sense, perhaps?

When you drill out a bolt / screw, the friction heat expands the screw, crushing whatever corrosion is in the threads. When it cools, it tends to leave a gap, so the next attempt (or even the extractor) can get a grip on the stub and back it out.

If you use the little reverse center drill, you don't heat it up down the length of the broken bolt. On a really crusty sheared off bolt, all that does is booger up the visible end of the bolt stub. Drilling it out gives you heat and then somewhere for the material to go into to remove the stub. the next size reverse drill will start to widen the hole until something hangs on the stub and backs it out.

 

[AusCan]

With a stripped SS Phillips head screw, I find that it is easier to cut a slot with an angle grinder and cutting disc. Then use a tight fitting flat screwdriver.
Works for me 99% of the time.

 

[psneeld]

Greetings,
I don't know if anyone noticed but the device in the OP appears to be a reverse twist drill or more accurately a reverse center drill.


Interesting. From the website: "Works on wood and machine screws as well as philips, flat, hex, or painted over screws. NO mention of Roberston drive fasteners...Either the manufacturer does not know what they are OR Roberstons seldom strip out.

Have a set of those or look alikes.

Best type I ever used....but still dont work all the time as others point out about different techniques and tools.

I did buy a set of Irwin colbalt reverse bits, also very good, for the tough jobs.

I would recommend a set of those, as they work on things they can grab either using the other end drill or a bigger one...

The may have left off some brand/type fasteners, but my bet Roberstons actually are easier to center drill if not too mutilated.