Wow!! Just did this on an aluminum engine mount for a RC engine. The tap broke in the aluminum mount. Had to boil about 2 hours and the hole is empty!!! Amazing!!!!
Dissolving alum in water creates a low saturation sulfuric acid. Boiling the water creates a stronger acid, but not to the point that it effects the aluminum. Aluminum has a slow reaction to saturated sulfuric acid, whereas steel has a rapid reaction. Making an unsaturated batch and then boiling it provides enough reaction to dissolve steel, but not aluminum. On a side note, the bubbles that are produced by the reaction (not the boiling water) are hydrogen.
Great to see that this works on larger stuff, I have done broken bolts & extractors in some motorcycle parts, however I think I will have to get alum online...
Thank you - just removed an M6 tap from stainless steel perfectly over about 36 hours (occasional heating and not being careful making a full saturated solution). Great trick.
Saturated solutions react the fastest but the actual alum consumed per unit of iron is more important to completing the reaction and will be something less than 8:1.
It does work, but I used it for 12 hours straight just to see that a small fraction of it was dissolved, then let it cool over night and had to repeat the same process twice more. It did remove that broken tap, but only after 36 hours(a lot of gas)!! so it was a nice experiment for me, but I don't think I will use that in the future.. By the way the aluminum was boiling too so I have no idea how that affect its mechanical performance only time will tell.. it did not dissolve but it did boiled nonstop for that time...
I suspect you did not have enough alum in the water. Add enough alum to saturate the solution so that no more will dissolve in the water. The temperature of boiling water/alum solution will not affect the aluminum
I think that the solution was saturated, since after adding couple of time alum to solution it started crystallizing at the bottom... about the temperature I don't know if it changes the chemical behavior of the alum with aluminum but it certainly increases the speed of reaction... in both cases cold or hot the aluminum did boiled meaning it reacts with solution for sure.. but it could be contamination in it...
The solution needs to be boiling and will not hurt the aluminum and will dissolve the broken drill or tap quickly. The aluminum will discolor but does clean up nicely afterwards with little effort. What exactly were you removing from the aluminum and how big was it?
i have a weedtrimmer that i broke a tap. in the hole is near other parts that are steel. have you tried keeping the part hot and dripping alum solution in as needed . i can silicone a small sump around hole but cannot submerge part in a container . any feedback would be great. ron
Wow, you have a difficult situation. Your method will not work. The part needs to be submerged in the boiling solution. Maybe a local machine shop can help using an EDM (electrical discharge machine).
Hi what if the part is to big to boil, i have a broken exhaust bolt (Hardened steel) in an aluminium head and dont want to remove the head, can i heat with a touch. I have managed to drill it out so can just see the thread but its fused in and cant be picked out.
Before drilling you could have carefully mig welded a nut to the broken bolt to remove the broken stud. Now the process is a bit more difficult. Lots of penetrating oil, and patience with a scribe. Maybe even a bit of heat from a propane torch and shock it with oil to loosen whats left in the hole then pick it out with the scribe. Once its removed you might need to re-tap the hole or even install a threaded insert. This is definitely a challenge. Good luck.
The bolt was to deep to weld on to end, Is alum " aluminium sulfate", and can i use the liquid form as cant find alum here in New Zealand, can get aluminium sulfate liquid as fertilizer. Thanks
No, it is aluminum potassium sulfate and is used in pickling and tanning. Here is a link for it on Amazon www.amazon.com/Barry-Farm-Alum-1-lb/dp/B00016Q6BK/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1478581446&sr=8-3&keywords=alum
wayne drew try to see the fertilizer formula "potassium aluminum sulfate" or KAl(SO4)2. You can also find in drug stores as alum, those stones you use to close you pores after you shave. Also you can go to the art supply store and ask for alum based mordant.
That's a Chevrolet small block. It should have had a timing tab spot welded to the timing coverIf you find out any way to extract a drill or tap from steel/cast iron let us know. Never had any luck, especially with exhaust parts.Thanks,Barry
Hi. Im hoping this works 4 me. We had a bolt break off in my timing cover we were able to get that out with the tap but then the tap broke off in it and I got 2 of the little things of the alum from the grocery store but apparently that wasn't enough cuz it didn't work is started bubbling out the hole some but that was it so now I just got three and a half pounds from Amazon and I put like a third of it in the water about how long do you think that should take?We just have the end of the cover where it's broke off in the water so there's not a whole lot of water but it's enough to that it's over the broken trap. So just wondering if you could give me any kind of a timeline on about how long that might take to dissolve it? And thank you this is been so helpful as opposed to having to go out and buy a whole new timing cover.
Dissolve enough alum so the water saturated with it. The part I did in the video took a couple of hours to do. I also did this outside on a hot plate in a glass dutch oven I quietly borrowed from the kitchen. My best advice is to pull the part every once in a while to see how its doing till the tap is dissolved. Good luck.
no, the soloution attacks steel , i am searching too, as far as i know EDM works for sure ua-cam.com/video/YbeKxFBZrF8/v-deo.html here a demo: ua-cam.com/video/yUXJiPtWVrk/v-deo.html (you can do this with a welder as a current source,)
jpjpakos the method is to "fast rust" the broken piece. If it was a carbon steel bolt broken into a stainless steel piece it would work. For your case it is better using bolt removers (that ones that look like taps).
i had metalshop in highschool, when the libtards hadnt yet arrived . no one lost an eye or cut any fingers off. we had knowledgable, passionate teachers. what we find today in stores is only the second - step ''taper'' tap. the ''starting'' tap is used first. if its a blind hole and you need threads as close to the bottom as possible, use the ''bottoming tap''. use a sharp tap, dk.brown threading fluid is an all around lube for drilling/threadind. when you are ''in the hole, make SURE you clear the chips from the tool. on a critical part, i cant risk, i back the tap out a full turn or until i hear click of the chips ''unbinding'' . i havnt broken a tap that couldnt be removed w/ pliers or tap extractor in 20 years.
usually a hydrated double sulfate salt of aluminum. Potassium alum, KAl(SO4)2·12H2O, also called "potash alum" or simply "alum". Sodium alum, NaAl(SO4)2·12H2O, also called "soda alum" or "SAS". Ammonium alum, NH 4Al(SO4)2·12H2O.
+cigarcaptain I ran in to a problem with the broken tap this past summer and with a bit of research discovered a simple, tested, and working method of removing the tap. It is an older method long before electronic removal processes. I was pleased with the results.
+cigarcaptain -- It can found at the grocery store and is used for pickling, treating animal hides, used a flame retardant, and even used to treat canker sores in the mouth. I like working with aluminum for the hot rod and will now keep a supply of alum in the shop.
trash those heads. get some 99-2000 vortec heads and a vortec carb intake. it'll make tons more power, burn cleaner, and wont break the bank. best sbc heads ever production made.
you can also punch the tap out or drill holes around it and work it out, , then have a welder fill in the hole, grind it smooth and re-tap, this may destroy any heat treatment of the piece but if you are in a hurry and have a welder available, the process can be done in about an hour.
Wow!! Just did this on an aluminum engine mount for a RC engine. The tap broke in the aluminum mount. Had to boil about 2 hours and the hole is empty!!! Amazing!!!!
Great video. Even as an engineer, I find myself learning new 'old' tricks daily. Great video, very helpful.
Dissolving alum in water creates a low saturation sulfuric acid. Boiling the water creates a stronger acid, but not to the point that it effects the aluminum. Aluminum has a slow reaction to saturated sulfuric acid, whereas steel has a rapid reaction. Making an unsaturated batch and then boiling it provides enough reaction to dissolve steel, but not aluminum.
On a side note, the bubbles that are produced by the reaction (not the boiling water) are hydrogen.
Amazing what you can find, who would have thought it would work to remove that broken tap thread. You are excellent engineer.
Great to see that this works on larger stuff, I have done broken bolts & extractors in some motorcycle parts, however I think I will have to get alum online...
Thank you - just removed an M6 tap from stainless steel perfectly over about 36 hours (occasional heating and not being careful making a full saturated solution). Great trick.
Saturated solutions react the fastest but the actual alum consumed per unit of iron is more important to completing the reaction and will be something less than 8:1.
It does work, but I used it for 12 hours straight just to see that a small fraction of it was dissolved, then let it cool over night and had to repeat the same process twice more. It did remove that broken tap, but only after 36 hours(a lot of gas)!! so it was a nice experiment for me, but I don't think I will use that in the future.. By the way the aluminum was boiling too so I have no idea how that affect its mechanical performance only time will tell.. it did not dissolve but it did boiled nonstop for that time...
I suspect you did not have enough alum in the water. Add enough alum to saturate the solution so that no more will dissolve in the water. The temperature of boiling water/alum solution will not affect the aluminum
I think that the solution was saturated, since after adding couple of time alum to solution it started crystallizing at the bottom... about the temperature I don't know if it changes the chemical behavior of the alum with aluminum but it certainly increases the speed of reaction... in both cases cold or hot the aluminum did boiled meaning it reacts with solution for sure.. but it could be contamination in it...
The solution needs to be boiling and will not hurt the aluminum and will dissolve the broken drill or tap quickly. The aluminum will discolor but does clean up nicely afterwards with little effort. What exactly were you removing from the aluminum and how big was it?
Nir Ophek you changed the behavior. You need to saturate the solution at room temperature.
5 years later, but thanks for sharing this. I didn't know about the boiling process so I will try again.
i have a weedtrimmer that i broke a tap. in the hole is near other parts that are steel. have you tried keeping the part hot and dripping alum solution in as needed . i can silicone a small sump around hole but cannot submerge part in a container . any feedback would be great. ron
Wow, you have a difficult situation. Your method will not work. The part needs to be submerged in the boiling solution.
Maybe a local machine shop can help using an EDM (electrical discharge machine).
I have a Chevrolet engine with a broken tap in one of the fuel pump bolt holes, any suggestions? Thanks
Nice. Thanks for sharing. Hope the restoration is coming along well for you.
Hi what if the part is to big to boil, i have a broken exhaust bolt (Hardened steel) in an aluminium head and dont want to remove the head, can i heat with a touch. I have managed to drill it out so can just see the thread but its fused in and cant be picked out.
Before drilling you could have carefully mig welded a nut to the broken bolt to remove the broken stud. Now the process is a bit more difficult. Lots of penetrating oil, and patience with a scribe. Maybe even a bit of heat from a propane torch and shock it with oil to loosen whats left in the hole then pick it out with the scribe. Once its removed you might need to re-tap the hole or even install a threaded insert. This is definitely a challenge. Good luck.
The bolt was to deep to weld on to end, Is alum " aluminium sulfate", and can i use the liquid form as cant find alum here in New Zealand, can get aluminium sulfate liquid as fertilizer. Thanks
No, it is aluminum potassium sulfate and is used in pickling and tanning. Here is a link for it on Amazon www.amazon.com/Barry-Farm-Alum-1-lb/dp/B00016Q6BK/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1478581446&sr=8-3&keywords=alum
wayne drew try to see the fertilizer formula "potassium aluminum sulfate" or KAl(SO4)2. You can also find in drug stores as alum, those stones you use to close you pores after you shave. Also you can go to the art supply store and ask for alum based mordant.
You could try this technique but it's expensive you might need to fast forward vid a bit: ua-cam.com/video/KSYpVbx-9fg/v-deo.html
That's a Chevrolet small block. It should have had a timing tab spot welded to the timing coverIf you find out any way to extract a drill or tap from steel/cast iron let us know. Never had any luck, especially with exhaust parts.Thanks,Barry
Does this process create nasty fumes? Is that why you did the boiling outside?
I was not sure about the fumes so why not do it outside just to be safe.
If nothing else, it reduced the chances of his wife discovering he used her good cookware for this.
thank you for shearing this video . i am having the same problem. can you add the link where we can buy the alum solution please.
I bought it at the Bulk Barn or anywhere that sells spices and cooking supplies
thank you for replying. . the did not have in Montreal Canada . it is ( Aluminum Sulfate) you think can i buy it from amazon?
@@usernew1764 Yep , Amazon sells Alum
if the metal is casting and weight of casting is 1.5MT then ?
"Found a Pyrex in my wife's kitchen, borrowed it"... classic
Excellent tip and video. Much appreciated!
Hi. Im hoping this works 4 me. We had a bolt break off in my timing cover we were able to get that out with the tap but then the tap broke off in it and I got 2 of the little things of the alum from the grocery store but apparently that wasn't enough cuz it didn't work is started bubbling out the hole some but that was it
so now I just got three and a half pounds from Amazon and I put like a third of it in the water about how long do you think that should take?We just have the end of the cover where it's broke off in the water so there's not a whole lot of water but it's enough to that it's over the broken trap. So just wondering if you could give me any kind of a timeline on about how long that might take to dissolve it? And thank you this is been so helpful as opposed to having to go out and buy a whole new timing cover.
Dissolve enough alum so the water saturated with it. The part I did in the video took a couple of hours to do. I also did this outside on a hot plate in a glass dutch oven I quietly borrowed from the kitchen. My best advice is to pull the part every once in a while to see how its doing till the tap is dissolved. Good luck.
Very informative! Thanks for sharing.
A circlip plier will help to remove broken drills and taps.
Probably not on my 6-32 broken flush tap.
Great video mate.
Will this work on a piece of steel?
no, the soloution attacks steel , i am searching too, as far as i know EDM works for sure
ua-cam.com/video/YbeKxFBZrF8/v-deo.html
here a demo: ua-cam.com/video/yUXJiPtWVrk/v-deo.html
(you can do this with a welder as a current source,)
So are taps known to just crap out after the first successful hole? I just had a titanium coated one snap and it's stuck in the hole real good.
Make sure you use a lubricant while cutting the threads. Also take your time and back the tap off every 1/4 turn. It happens to the best of use.
Forgot to oil that shit up. Ugh/
Every 1/4 turn is rather excessive, every two to three turns is fine.
Very good, new idea for me.
John
Where did you get the alum
I bought it at the Bulk Barn
What u do if the part can’t be boiled?
That's when you visit a machine shop with an EDM and have the part removed electrically.
Well, I guess my only question is, does the polished aluminum make the Ford go faster??
COULD I REMOVE STAINLESS STEEL BROKEN BOLTS WITH THIS METHOD????
+jpjpakos I believe it depends on the type of of stainless but not 100% sure on that.
jpjpakos the method is to "fast rust" the broken piece. If it was a carbon steel bolt broken into a stainless steel piece it would work. For your case it is better using bolt removers (that ones that look like taps).
i had metalshop in highschool, when the libtards hadnt yet arrived . no one lost an eye or cut any fingers off. we had knowledgable, passionate teachers. what we find today in stores is only the second - step ''taper'' tap. the ''starting'' tap is used first. if its a blind hole and you need threads as close to the bottom as possible, use the ''bottoming tap''. use a sharp tap, dk.brown threading fluid is an all around lube for drilling/threadind. when you are ''in the hole, make SURE you clear the chips from the tool. on a critical part, i cant risk, i back the tap out a full turn or until i hear click of the chips ''unbinding'' . i havnt broken a tap that couldnt be removed w/ pliers or tap extractor in 20 years.
Typical idiotic reply from a Trumple foreskin follower. Talks for an hour and doesn't say a thing
Looks like you graduated just in time, before the "libtards" established any English grammar requirements.
No good if it breaks off in steel though
This method is only good for steel stuck in aluminum
What can i do if i have a broken drill bit in a hole from steel?
@@albertreado1980 drill it out carefully.
Ingenious
yeah let me just put my engine in a boiling pot lol
I got the same with the front fork of my motorcycle, doesn't fit in a turkey pot
What is alum
usually a hydrated double sulfate salt of aluminum.
Potassium alum, KAl(SO4)2·12H2O, also called "potash alum" or simply "alum".
Sodium alum, NaAl(SO4)2·12H2O, also called "soda alum" or "SAS".
Ammonium alum, NH 4Al(SO4)2·12H2O.
Amazing!
+RMj I didn't believe it till I tried it out. It's magic.
never heard of this before
+cigarcaptain I ran in to a problem with the broken tap this past summer and with a bit of research discovered a simple, tested, and working method of removing the tap. It is an older method long before electronic removal processes. I was pleased with the results.
I dont even know what alum is or used for but it eat that tap right out
+cigarcaptain -- It can found at the grocery store and is used for pickling, treating animal hides, used a flame retardant, and even used to treat canker sores in the mouth. I like working with aluminum for the hot rod and will now keep a supply of alum in the shop.
trash those heads. get some 99-2000 vortec heads and a vortec carb intake. it'll make tons more power, burn cleaner, and wont break the bank. best sbc heads ever production made.
you can also punch the tap out or drill holes around it and work it out, , then have a welder fill in the hole, grind it smooth and re-tap, this may destroy any heat treatment of the piece but if you are in a hurry and have a welder available, the process can be done in about an hour.
thank you from animal eng go ford
doesn't work if the whole car had to be placed into the pot
that's good to know
If you go down in deep alum,Put your money in your shoe... oh wait!
edm machine is better way !!👍
if only everyone could afford one.