Bar end weight removal?

Originally Posted by maviczap

Yes, because you won't be able to drill it out Most probrably you'd have to get it spark erroded, to get it out.

I'm still in the dark as to what goes wrong? the only thing i can imagine is if the the screw you need to remove is somehow without a head and sunk slightly into threads and the screw extractor grabs the threads of the hole and causes some damage? Otherwise if it gets stuck in the screw then perfect you can unscrew it, if it rounds its drive but is stuck in the screw. Mull grip and undo. Or if it strips its threads then it comes out and you aren't far off where you started. I'm not trying to nitpick I'm trying to figure this out! Probably going to be kicking myself!

Originally Posted by maviczap

I agree with SS, why use one, when you can drill the head off this bolt easily.

Admittedly I straight away assumed he was stuck with threads below a recess. But the drilling it does seem a very efficient method for this particular application.

[TamSV]

Easy outs have their uses but, because they are very hard, they are also quite brittle.

Problems arise when the extractor gets stuck in the bolt but the bolt is still seized in the thread. The ham-fisted mechanic applies ever more pressure until one of those forces is overcome. If the extractor gives up before the thread it will snap inside the bolt and you're left with a fixing that's harder than any drill bit you've got.

If you use them slowly and carefully with a T-handle you'll probably be OK. If you need to use a ratchet handle, set of grips or some other extra leverage then you're getting into dangerous territory.

For a seized bolt with no exposed thread to grip I would give them a go after applying heat and penetrating oil. Drilling a decent depth of pilot hole sometimes seems to take pressure off the thread and then the bolt comes out with relatively little force on the extractor.

If it doesn't shift with "screwdriver" levels of force then I put the easy-outs away and look at drilling/retapping.

[Sid Squid]

Because they're most usually tapered, (although parallel ones are available), when you screw them into a drilled bolt and you've used the one that closely fits the broken bolt, it expands the now thin walled tube and jams it even more firmly in the hole.

Then it snaps and being bloody hard you won't even scratch it with a drill.

If the broken part isn't stuck dot punch a slot in the end and unscrew it, if it is stuck don't even think about using one of those damn horrors.

[mikerj]

Originally Posted by Elltg

I'm still in the dark as to what goes wrong? the only thing i can imagine is if the the screw you need to remove is somehow without a head and sunk slightly into threads and the screw extractor grabs the threads of the hole and causes some damage?

The screw extractor, by necessity, is of a smaller diameter then the screw thread, it's made of a hard and brittle material and you have to apply more force to it than caused the original bolt to shear or round off. It's an almost perfect recipe for having an impenetrable lump of material embedded in the middle of a sheared off bolt, defeating any further attempts to remove it until the spark eroder is introduced.

Originally Posted by Elltg

Really? I will admit I have only had to remove 4 or 5 bolts with them but I found them great in use. On one bolt it had been bent and snapped off so that half was sat in the threads but applying pressure to each side of the threads making it absolutely stuck. It had about 1cm of 'threaded bar' hanging out the end and when i mull-gripped that to turn it and unscrew it, it literally snapped off leaving it flush to the hole. At which point the screw extractors did the job fine.

For future reference. What happens when they 'break'? Do the threads on them die? Would probably useful to be in the know about it, then I can watch out for tell tale signals!

Would be one thing to have a bolt thread or round. It would be another entirely to embed a screw extractor in there as I try to remove it!

I found them usefull too but I can't help thinking the heat caused by friction helped!

It is so easy to overtighten bolts as you think tighter the safer but I've learn t now at 37 that things dont have to be so tight.
The misses is as pleased as I but i still wish the milk man wasn't so well endowed.

[mac608]

Interesting to read peoples ideas/opinions.
My cunning plan was to weld a nut on the end of the of bolt and draw it off that way. But as my mig welder is snow bound I guess I will be attacking it with a drill.

[21QUEST]

The obvious has been missed....

Get a pair of mole grips on the bar end weight and turn it anti clockwise. A lot of the time that would undo the bolt. Use a rag wrapped round the weight if you need it to remain unmolested.

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by 21QUEST

The obvious has been missed....

Get a pair of mole grips on the bar end weight and turn it anti clockwise. A lot of the time that would undo the bolt. Use a rag wrapped round the weight if you need it to remain unmolested.

Probably won't work, as the bar end weight will just spin on this bolt as there its only threaded for the short section that goes into the end of the clip on.

I did try this and fubared the bar end weight and it didn't loosen the bolt at all.

These bolts seize in there really tight because I'm sure any rain water is funnelled down by the handlebar tube.

[mac608]

Good grief the price of quality drill bits !!!!
Well done the first one, bar weight off, bolt extracted, everything else remains stuck.
Watch this space.
Though as my garage has no heating, I don't spend too long in there. So there could be a long wait

At least the christmas booze stored in there is cold, no need to go into the 'fridge.