If you have come across a rusted bolt, you probably understand how taking it off can be challenging. However, if you have appropriate tools and techniques, you can easily handle the challenge and remove the rusted bolt. It would help if you were patient when handling this task because getting angry might worsen the situation.
If the technique you chose does not work, find another one because using brute force could lead to hours of unsuccessful drilling. Assess the situation at hand, and plan accordingly if you want your chosen technique to be effective.
Here is how you can remove rusted bolts:
Ensure the Bolt Is Ready to Break
The first thing you should do before removing a rusted bolt is ensuring that it’s ready to break. If a bolt stretches beyond its elastic limit, breaking is about to happen. Also, check whether the bolt has a locking compound or it’s rusted.
Determine whether the bolt is worth saving before proceeding. A rusted bolt that lost its tensile strength will not have an adequate clamping force to do its job. It will not make economic sense to try and save this type of bolt. It may be best to break and replace it.
Remove as Much Rust as Possible
If the bolt is ready to break and salvageable, ensure that you remove as much rust off the threads as possible. You can use a stiff wire brush and some elbow grease during this process.
How to Remove Rusted Bolts With Heat
You can loosen rusted bolts using a method called torching. All you have to do is use a heat torch on moderate or low heat. Heat allows rusted bolts to expand so that it’s easier to loosen them. Ensure that you clean off all the penetrating oil before using this method, and only use an open flame in areas where it’s safe to do so.
Additionally, it would be best if you were extremely careful when using this method because many lubricants applied to bolts are flammable and can easily ignite when exposed to flame. It is also prudent to have a spotter watching for any signs of fire or smoke because your vision will most likely be narrow due to wearing tinted safety glasses.
How to Remove Rusted Bolts Without Heat
There are several techniques that you can explore if you want to remove rusted bolts without heat. Here are some of the methods that you can consider:
Lubrication- Will WD-40 Loosen Rusted Bolts?
If you have a rusted bolt, you can loosen it using a bolt loosening spray such as WD-40 Penetrant Spray. Using this penetrating oil offers deep lubrication that is required to loosen the bolt. The WD-40 penetrant spray targets rusted or corroded components and can loosen stuck parts easily.
You can apply the penetrant spray to the rusted bolt and then tap it using a hammer. This procedure will help the formula to infiltrate the bolt and loosen it, enabling its easy removal.
Cutting
If your bolt is severely rusted and lubrication cannot loosen it, it is best to cut it out. Although cutting will make the faster unusable, it will help you remove the bolt. If you opt for this method, you can use a clamp to help you get an excellent grip on the fastener’s head and twist it hard enough to free it from its position.
Choose the Right Tool
Using the right tool can help you remove a rusted bolt. You can try using a 6-point socket or wrench on the rusted bolt. Begin the procedure by rocking the bolt by tightening and loosening it. If you are lucky, this motion might be all you need to remove a rusted bolt. It would help if you avoided 12-point sockets and wrenches because they are most likely to slip and strip the bolt head.
Drill a New Hole
If you have been unable to free the rusted bolt after trying several methods, it is best to take more drastic measures. You may have to drill out the rusted bolt and re-tap the threads for a new bolt. The process involves choosing a drill bit that is the size of the bolt, boring straight in, and removing the threads of the bolt.
You will then need to screw in a tapping tool to recreate the threads. If you want the exact size hole, you will have to bore the bolt out oversized and buy a heli coil. This helps in threading into a tapped hole with an inner diameter for the correct bolt size you would like.
Use an Impact Gun
An impact gun should be your tool of last resort because it often breaks the bolt. If you want to loosen a bolt that won’t budge, this tool will help you. It focuses on fast rotational hamming and power action to shock and ultimately loosen the rusted bolt in a single motion.
When using an impact gun, ensure that you use the correct impact socket, wear safety glasses and gloves. It is best if you used this tool for larger nuts because it is pretty powerful. If possible, hold the bolt with a wrench and use the impact gun on the nut side.
How to Remove Rusted Bolts Without Breaking Them
If you want to remove rusted bolts without breaking them, these methods might be practical:
- Lubrication
- Using heat to loosen the rusted bolts
- Use a 6-point socket or wrench
How to Remove Rusted Bolts That Keep Spinning
Trying to remove rusted bolts that keep spinning can be frustrating, especially when it stays loose but doesn’t come out. When dealing with a rusted bolt that keeps spinning, you will have to use a lubricant to eliminate the rust before proceeding.
Using a lubricant such as oil will help if you poured at least 2 or 3 drops to the bolt and allow it to soak thoroughly. Leave it for a few minutes to sink through, and then you can use the following methods to remove the spinning bolt:
- Use a magnet: You can use a magnet to attract the spinning screw and force it out of place. This is one of the easiest methods you can use to remove a bolt that keeps spinning.
- Use a flat screwdriver: You can push the flat end of the screwdriver beneath the nut and try to release the nut out of its place. If you manage to remove the nut, you can repeat this process to remove the bolt.
If you are lucky, using a lubricant to remove the rust might help you remove the rust without using the two techniques above.
Can Coke Loosen a Rusted Bolt?
Bubbly soft drinks, including regular Coca-Cola and Diet Coke, contain phosphoric acid. Phosphoric acid is a popular rust inhibitor or remover. If you want to remove rust from a bolt, you can opt for Diet Coke because it doesn’t contain sugars; hence, it easier to clean and will not attract ants.
Pour the Diet Coke on the rusted bolt and let it soak in. You may have to soak a rag in the Coke to keep it in the right area. Some crumpled aluminum foil can also help you to wipe away any dissolved rust. Once you have eliminated the rust, it might be easier to turn the bolt and remove it.
Removing a rusted bolt can be nerve-wracking. However, the tips above should make it easier for you, especially when doing DIY projects at home.