Removing a broken screw by welding on a nut

[ryanjones2150]

They sure have some bright colors for their rod containers huh? No mistaking them for sure.

I went looking for another brand of extractor rod I have from nassau/Rockmount. The specs on it are a fair amount different. The tensile strength is 120k psi and 35% elongation. Something around there. That's quite a bit higher than the bright boxed stuff.

Let us know of that stuff works though as I'm sure it's cheaper than either the Rockmount or extractalloy stuff.

[walker]

I can't tell you how many broken bolts, screws, taps I have removed for customers over the years with this method. I used to keep them in a can, but when it got be a full bucket I scrapped them. I don't usually do it while they watch, makes them think it was difficult and time consuming. Haven't ever had it fail. Sometimes took a few tries, but has always worked.

[mcostello]

Nothing like TIG to allow You to dwell on the part with intense heat.

[ryanjones2150]

Hey Walker, do you prefer the stick rod or mig or what?

[walker]

I usually just mig weld them, but whatever process is handy at the time works.

[ryanjones2150]

Have you used the mig to get one out that was recessed a fair bit down the hole? Seems like it would be tricky to keep the puddle from wandering over to the bolt hole threads.

[walker]

It doesn't seem to affect it a lot, so long as you are arcing on the screw, not the base metal. In case it doesn't affect it at all.

[mp4]

One other thing that helps is melting wax on the bolt after it's warmed up from welding. The wax wicks into the threads and makes removing the bolt a lot easier. I actually try to do this before I break the head off and rarely (if ever) break them off anymore. It works great because you only have to get the area warm enough to melt/wick the wax.

[Don52]

There are lots of ways to use welders to remove broken bolts/studs, but you'd almost think MIG welders were invented specifically for that purpose, they work so well. You have so much control that frequently you don't even have to find an old nut or washer, you just pile some metal on top of the broken fastener and grab it with a Vise-Grip.

Nothing like TIG to allow You to dwell on the part with intense heat.

While I was working on the shelf for the vacuum my customer asked me to remove a seat belt screw. My customer couldn't break it lose with a four foot pipe on a breaker bar. Based on your suggestions I used MIG to weld a 36 mm nut to the top of the screw. The heat from welding compressed the rust on the threads of the screw and as you can see it came right out, without a pipe on the breaker bar.

[ryanjones2150]

Bam. Done.

[old jupiter]

I'd never heard that trick with the wax, mp4. I have a stick of paraffin (which melted over a large area of my workbench one hot day this summer, LOL); I'll have to try that (now that I've re-melted it into a small stick again).