I am retired now, but in 45 years of welding/factory maintenance (GM) I can't even estimate the very many hundreds of broken bolts (at and below the surface) I removed using exactly the same technique. It was fun remembering and fun watching someone who knows what their doing!
This is a top method for the task. I was taught to do it with a mig and have never been beaten. I think the heat 'growing' the now softened stud is the reason it works. After cooling the clearance is actually greater than before and the rust is powdered by the compression. Keep the tips flowing, it's a great series.
I did that the other day on a bolt on a crushing plant. I used a arc-air carbon arc torch. Your way is much " cleaner". I watch all your videos, keep um coming!
Just had to review this video, and do this technique today and worked to a Tee, removed a 1 inch bolt out of a tractor transmission mount, made some money on this job. Thanks again Jodie for another great video
I've made a lot of money removing studs from cast and aluminum. I never mess with easy-outs, I just go right for the MIG or stick and weld on a nut. Never failed me yet. (Sometimes takes a couple of tries) I have even blown studs out of cast with a torch without harming the threads. Slow and steady with lots of O2 control. Good vid!!
First off I have to say thanks for all the help you pass along to to regular working guys it's such a pleasure watch, listen and learn from a guy that goes to work every day and wants to pass along what he has learned in his trade Thank you! Now being a truck mechanic for a good number of years I have learned a trick or 2 . I don't have a tig set up yet but what I do in a case like this is to mig a flat washer to the broken stud first and then weld a nut to the washer ( since you can't weld down into the nut ) then all that heat from the welding is usually enough to walk the broken stud out . Half the time you can do this in the vehicle.
Jody, thank you for your time on this, some of us haven't seen this before. I have been working on vintage motorcycles for the past thirty years and have always used quality EZ-Outs and rarely have any problems but that's not to say this hasn't happened a few times.. It really sucks, usually then making a mess of it, drilling oversize and tapping that larger size. I have
Hey buddy. Good job. I'm a welder/fabricator in a scrap yard and many times the mechanics come to me with pieces that have broke studs. I kid them all the time cause I would think that a mechanic would be the king of removing broke studs. Not a dumb ole welder. I usually follow up that comment with "I guess mechanics are kings of BREAKING studs, not removing them." I don't have access to a tig but I do the same thing with a mig gun many times. I don't weld a nut on it since sometimes it breaks off and takes 2 or 3 and sometimes 4 tries but persistence and patience always wins. I use a vice grip and work it back and forth. The trick is to let the broke stud get hot and swell up and then let it cool to the touch cause when metal cools after being heated it shrinks and helps break the bond. But here's another trick. There's a company called Rockmount that makes "stud extraction" welding rods that work super well cause they're very strong. They're a little expensive but work really really well. Obviously they're not for every application but I use them when I can. I told the mechanics to throw out their easyouts because as the name implies they are for broke studs that come out easy. Easyouts are not for rusted and damaged threads. I am their easyout. They always come to me when their ox is in the ditch.
Over the years I've removed maybe a dozen broken bolts, some of which I've saved as "trophies". I've never found one that I couldn't get out. I've always used mig to build up from below flush and then add a nut on it. On one I had to weld a piece of angle iron onto the mushroom to act as my wrench. Like you, I sometimes needed to add heat from my "hot wrench" but in every case I've prevailed.
I'd need a calculator to figure out how many times I've done this but never knew about the 309. Broken ez outs and taps are a pain in the butt because they crumble or shatter when mixed in the puddle with the broken bolt material. Whatever it may be. Just goes to show you can always learn something new no matter how old you are or maybe I should have paid attention somewhere along the line hah. Thanks for the tip. Your vids are always on the money. One of the few youtube welding guys I would trust.
I have a great deal of respect for you, I am surprised you are not familiar with an EDM. I have used the local shop that has one of these machines way too many times in my three decades of machine shop repair work, welding and manufacturing. You should do a video on an EDM they are so slick and they have been around for a long time. Thanks for all the work you put into videos.
a lot of folks have commented or emailed me that they use mig or stick . they typically place a washer over the broke stud or bolt that has a hole about the same size as the broken bolt....then light up on the bolt and let the weld climb up to the washer hole and weld it to the washer. then they weld a nut on the washer. Lots of comments also about melting candle wax into the threads to help it come out....good luck
That's a great tip, ive lost track of how many exhaust boot we have problems removing at work. Also try loctite freeze spray, works wonders on O2 sensor removal
great job Jody, A broken EZ out is a real PITA. Even worse on a tight spot such as an Airframe as im used to. i can use heat due to temperment changes, we tend to use carbine drills. great tip for auto mechs. i have used this method before.
I was doing a video using the Dynasty 200 dx along with the ck flex loc torch when this job came in the shop...but the everlast 160sth with a foot pedal would have been fine also.
Drilled and retapped would likely have worked, but this is an alternative way of doing it, and an alternative way to do something is always fun! I sure as hell learned something from this. Btw, I found that hitting the bolt with some freeze spray often shrinks it a bit.
I used to use this method to remove broken taps at a machine shop I worked at, I've been welding since I was 15 years old, been to welding school & I have to say I always learn something from this guy! so much quality knowledge from him & for free! total quality videos & he is one "BADASS" welder for sure!
If a fastener is stuck tight enough to break, it is stuck tight enough to break an easy out too. I think easy outs are a waste of money. Don't break the bolt in the first place! With experience, you develop a feel for when a bolt will break. Use heat and a good penetrating oil such as Aerokroil. If the bolt breaks, there are two good choices. Choice one is to drill and tap. Choice two is extract. If you choose to extract, skip the easy out and go right to the method shown here. MIG works too.
Easy outs and Taps get ruined by heat. If you use them make sure and let it cool down first. My easiest times dealing with that same situation (in both cast iron and aluminum): Drill all the way through the stud, Use the cutting torch with smallest tip (00 or 000). Carefully blow right through the hole in the stud. Just up to the threads. Let it cool. Apply penetrating oil. Carefully run the correct tap right through there chasing out the remnants of the thread.
Used welding to remove broken studs and bolts , for almost 60 years still do when required after my Grandson’s strike the problem When I worked as foreman motor mechanic I removed many manifold flange bolts in situ never failed , and I only had a 240 v arc welder and no auto darkening mask . I only recently had studs that I could not remove by welding and had to resort to drilling them out I think they were manufactured in a cheese factory.they snapped like carrots directly below the weld ,
Excellent technique, next broken stud I'll give it a try. Mind you, with my (lack of) skill, likely the stud gets welded to the cast iron :-) Thanks for posting.
I was surprised, Jody, that you didn't try tightening it a fraction first. I suppose this works because of the probable fact that the stud was jammed against the outwards thread flanks when it broke, so that the first free-play direction is more likely to be inwards than outwards. If I get a tiny move in that direction, then I alternate, each time stopping as soon as there's any perceptible movement, What some other people do (and it works for me too sometimes) is to take a club hammer and smack the nut inwards (axially) a few times before trying to loosen it. Same principle. This method also works on countersunk screws BEFORE you attempt to loosen them, especially high tensile recessed hex head ones, which are notorious for not coming out (usually the hex strips). I use a steel punch a bit smaller than the OD of the head. If you have lots to do of the same size, it's worth making one with a cylindrical pilot (tit!) to fit in the hex recess
Awesome repair! Its amazing how MAsters make it look easy! when i do it it usually results in a headache after crashin and bashin my way through multiple compounding problems Slick!............ nice job Jody!
I like Kroil more than WD40 although the new rust penetrating WD seems pretty good. I used these methods for years in a foundry removing bolts that were put in without Anti seize. Add to this a demo on removing a broken tap from the hole which usually resulted from trying to chase the threads that were hardened by the wandering arc and we could use it as a training film for our welders, and machinists. Good demo. I'm retired now, but, for some reason, I am drawn to watching your videos. They would have been helpful while I was working.
+papa Hajek the best stuff ive ever found is 50/50 acetone and automatic transmission fluid, its a diy mixture. i cant recommend it enough, it goes into pretty much anything, even works its way down into threads and dissolves/lubricates like a champ, 100% worth a try- just dont get it on any plastics, that acetone will melt plastic in seconds
Thanks for the tip I have a bunch that are broken off when I should have used heat to begin with but gonna give this a try tomorrow. I've got some broken bolts in a aluminum outboard block now don't care to much about the block just after another piece that is on the block but it will make for some good practice. Thanks
was that a chevy exhaust manifold. just the way the studs were made me think of that. removed a lot of broken studs from them, didn't always have the option to have it out on the bench, and usually never had a welder of any kind, sometimes I had a torch, other times just a flameless torch with a wire that would just heat around the stud.
I am surprised no one knew this. A trick I learned from a machinist. I had to use a head from junk yard. I broke 3 studs below the level of the head.....use a steel nut, place on top of the stud hole...,use 6011 rod...weld from the broken stud up through the stud hole and out through the nut....use appropriate wrench.... twist the stud out.....the reason.....mild steel will not Bond or melt into the cast iron.... I used more than once........it works
I have done this probably over 10k times over the past 20 years. Many times I can have it out in less than 1 minute, ,, but you never know how easy or hard it will be.
What would you suggest it you do not have a tig but I have a mig welder and a stick welder . Right now I have a head off my sons yamaha warrior atv and it looks like aluminum and I have already broke off a ez out it it.
f7ipper makes an interesting comment about EXPANSION. An old boss turned me on to this many years ago. I worked in the electric motor repair business for 10 years after I learned this and it paid off quite well with cast iron. If you can drill a hole clear through the bolt and then heat it rapidly with a torch, hit it with oil as it is almost cool, you will find that expanding the bolt into the threads crushes the rust and allows it to free up. No one method works on all broken bolts however
you don't want to heat the nut/broken stud as it will expand and just get tighter against the bolt hole, by heating the manifold the hole will expand and increase the odds of the broken stud breaking free from the manifold. I don't think the strength of the weld would be affected but I'm not sure !
Yeah, but with an open ended through hole like that why not just blow that broken stud out with a cutting torch? I've done dozens like it and used the cutting torch to heat the piece of broken stud to cherry and then pull the trigger and let the oxygen blow it right on through. Never once burned the manifold threads although I'd always run a tap through anyway.
yeppy lernt this tip at age 12!!! heat the area till beat red simmy circle . lift the torch pull the oxey and have at her. eye hand skills needed pretty sure lol
It was cool watching him do this, but the exhaust shop where I go just "blows" them out as you do. I watched one day as he did it on my pickup, I was amazed.
I tried this on a frame bolt of my truck - didn't have success because it was upright and I was laying under it on ground. Gravity made pooling the weld hard and I still dont have it off. Any tips for that type of orientation?
You could also grind another stud to a point and just weld that to the broken off stud.I had to do that once "in vehicle"---my own---worked like a charm.
I have some broken manifold studs I need to remove from a cast iron head, I'd like to try this but I'm worried about welding the stud TO the manifold... it's only 5/16 in diameter... 1/4" minor diameter... Is there some way to protect against this? I'd be using MIG. I'm amazed with how close you had the puddle to the cast iron that it didn't bond. And cast iron melts at a significantly lower temperature than the stud alloy or the 309...
thermal method is far superior in the cases where rust causes breaking of stud or bolt Arc, MIG or TIG does a good job as the expansion of the male portion of threaded assembly causes rust cristals to break and fall in a powder form and a benefit is to permit the welding of a nut that supplies a good grip to work back and forth the thread to be removed
Try this, heat up to cherry red spray with water till cold, if it doesn't come loose the first time repeat the prossess,and again and again untill it comes loose Works 90% of the time
I always get them out with my Lincoln 110 volt wire feed with flux core wire. weld a small puddle to the broken stud or nut, hit with a hammer, weld on a washer, hit with a hammer, weld on a nut (tack on the outside and weld complete in the middle of the nut), hit it with the impact. comes out almost every time, even cross threaded fasteners. If it doesnt come out the first time I weld to it again.
Once when I was a kid I saw some one using a forge to heat up frozen bolts and get them lose! It is a great way to do the job but the oxidation is jut plain impossible to avoid!
I use a similar method but will often weld a washer on to broken stud...then a larger washer, then weld nut to washer. you get a larger perimeter weld, more heat into the seized material and a small increase in leverage. when the machine down time is 20 grand a shift, replacement cyl head cost is 10-15 g, two weeks for delivery, no machine shop within 400 miles and the boss says "fix it"...well, you do your best. also will spray with oil, not only because of the lubricant but the cold oil causes a further shrink and expand of seized part giving you at better chance of success.
I was thinking about the economics of spending time fiddling with a manifold that could be replaced. Thank you for clarifying the kind of circumstances where the tinkering approach does make a lot of sense.
Welding a heavy piece of heavier L shape plate to the nut allows a simple cool down of of the broken of nut lowing it's temperature and thus diameter which is opposite way of shrink fitting
i always wondered why people even try to drill out or even put a socket on studs in cast manifolds, just put a torch to it stud will melt well before the cast
That's a slick trick... I probably would have welded the nut to the manifold... LOL That would have been a great time to add headers.... . Merrie-Merrie
Yeah, I thought it was something along those lines, but what I thought of the weld strength is maybe tempering the weld in an undesired way. No difference to me, I've been lucky enough to never break a stud!
' after welding then wait for cooling down,,, use a WD-40 on thread then use a vise-grip locking and turning left,,, that is easily remove broken bolt out
I'ts funny how many customers I've had, that will say that it's just a bolt ! when i ask them if anything like a tap, drill or easy out had been broken off in the bolt. As if I wouldn't know when I extract the bolt! If this method don't work I go to the plasma cutter, but will usually have to helicoil the hole
I am retired now, but in 45 years of welding/factory maintenance (GM) I can't even estimate the very many hundreds of broken bolts (at and below the surface) I removed using exactly the same technique. It was fun remembering and fun watching someone who knows what their doing!
old dog you miss it ? just like me
This is a top method for the task. I was taught to do it with a mig and have never been beaten. I think the heat 'growing' the now softened stud is the reason it works. After cooling the clearance is actually greater than before and the rust is powdered by the compression. Keep the tips flowing, it's a great series.
I did that the other day on a bolt on a crushing plant. I used a arc-air carbon arc torch. Your way is much " cleaner". I watch all your videos, keep um coming!
Well done! I wonder how many thousands (millions?) of people are better at what they do because of your work.
Just had to review this video, and do this technique today and worked to a Tee, removed a 1 inch bolt out of a tractor transmission mount, made some money on this job. Thanks again Jodie for another great video
I've made a lot of money removing studs from cast and aluminum. I never mess with easy-outs, I just go right for the MIG or stick and weld on a nut. Never failed me yet. (Sometimes takes a couple of tries) I have even blown studs out of cast with a torch without harming the threads. Slow and steady with lots of O2 control. Good vid!!
First off I have to say thanks for all the help you pass along to to regular working guys it's such a pleasure watch, listen and learn from a guy that goes to work every day and wants to pass along what he has learned in his trade Thank you! Now being a truck mechanic for a good number of years I have learned a trick or 2 . I don't have a tig set up yet but what I do in a case like this is to mig a flat washer to the broken stud first and then weld a nut to the washer ( since you can't weld down into the nut ) then all that heat from the welding is usually enough to walk the broken stud out . Half the time you can do this in the vehicle.
Jody, thank you for your time on this, some of us haven't seen this before. I have been working on vintage motorcycles for the past thirty years and have always used quality EZ-Outs and rarely have any problems but that's not to say this hasn't happened a few times.. It really sucks, usually then making a mess of it, drilling oversize and tapping that larger size. I have
Hey buddy. Good job. I'm a welder/fabricator in a scrap yard and many times the mechanics come to me with pieces that have broke studs. I kid them all the time cause I would think that a mechanic would be the king of removing broke studs. Not a dumb ole welder. I usually follow up that comment with "I guess mechanics are kings of BREAKING studs, not removing them." I don't have access to a tig but I do the same thing with a mig gun many times. I don't weld a nut on it since sometimes it breaks off and takes 2 or 3 and sometimes 4 tries but persistence and patience always wins. I use a vice grip and work it back and forth. The trick is to let the broke stud get hot and swell up and then let it cool to the touch cause when metal cools after being heated it shrinks and helps break the bond. But here's another trick. There's a company called Rockmount that makes "stud extraction" welding rods that work super well cause they're very strong. They're a little expensive but work really really well. Obviously they're not for every application but I use them when I can.
I told the mechanics to throw out their easyouts because as the name implies they are for broke studs that come out easy. Easyouts are not for rusted and damaged threads. I am their easyout. They always come to me when their ox is in the ditch.
Over the years I've removed maybe a dozen broken bolts, some of which I've saved as "trophies". I've never found one that I couldn't get out. I've always used mig to build up from below flush and then add a nut on it. On one I had to weld a piece of angle iron onto the mushroom to act as my wrench. Like you, I sometimes needed to add heat from my "hot wrench" but in every case I've prevailed.
I'd need a calculator to figure out how many times I've done this but never knew about the 309. Broken ez outs and taps are a pain in the butt because they crumble or shatter when mixed in the puddle with the broken bolt material. Whatever it may be. Just goes to show you can always learn something new no matter how old you are or maybe I should have paid attention somewhere along the line hah. Thanks for the tip. Your vids are always on the money. One of the few youtube welding guys I would trust.
I have a great deal of respect for you, I am surprised you are not familiar with an EDM. I have used the local shop that has one of these machines way too many times in my three decades of machine shop repair work, welding and manufacturing. You should do a video on an EDM they are so slick and they have been around for a long time. Thanks for all the work you put into videos.
I've never seen video of welding like this before, where you can actually see the metal melting and stuff, it's awesome. Thanks for uploading this.
a lot of folks have commented or emailed me that they use mig or stick . they typically place a washer over the broke stud or bolt that has a hole about the same size as the broken bolt....then light up on the bolt and let the weld climb up to the washer hole and weld it to the washer. then they weld a nut on the washer. Lots of comments also about melting candle wax into the threads to help it come out....good luck
I don't weld, have any interest in learning, and still was very interested in this video and watched all the way through. Well done.
Building that up from the broken end looks like a fine art when you do it. Very nice.
so humble and not above natural human mistake, hard working and smart. at 23 id be completely content to be in the same position as you in your age.
That's a great tip, ive lost track of how many exhaust boot we have problems removing at work. Also try loctite freeze spray, works wonders on O2 sensor removal
great job Jody, A broken EZ out is a real PITA. Even worse on a tight spot such as an Airframe as im used to. i can use heat due to temperment changes, we tend to use carbine drills. great tip for auto mechs. i have used this method before.
I've used the method of welding a bolt on top of a broken stud a couple of times. Great trick! Great video!
it had a broken ez-out stuck in it from a previous drill and tap attempt so it seemed to make sense to weld it.
Looks a lot easier and neater than using mig to do this.
Are you on the clock when you remove studs/bolts or do you have a fixed rate?
I was doing a video using the Dynasty 200 dx along with the ck flex loc torch when this job came in the shop...but the everlast 160sth with a foot pedal would have been fine also.
When you back the broken stud out I find it best to not pull all in one direction but back and forth until the broken piece loosens
Drilled and retapped would likely have worked, but this is an alternative way of doing it, and an alternative way to do something is always fun!
I sure as hell learned something from this.
Btw, I found that hitting the bolt with some freeze spray often shrinks it a bit.
I used to use this method to remove broken taps at a machine shop I worked at, I've been welding since I was 15 years old, been to welding school & I have to say I always learn something from this guy! so much quality knowledge from him & for free! total quality videos & he is one "BADASS" welder for sure!
If a fastener is stuck tight enough to break, it is stuck tight enough to break an easy out too. I think easy outs are a waste of money.
Don't break the bolt in the first place! With experience, you develop a feel for when a bolt will break. Use heat and a good penetrating oil such as Aerokroil. If the bolt breaks, there are two good choices. Choice one is to drill and tap. Choice two is extract. If you choose to extract, skip the easy out and go right to the method shown here. MIG works too.
Easy outs and Taps get ruined by heat. If you use them make sure and let it cool down first.
My easiest times dealing with that same situation (in both cast iron and aluminum): Drill all the way through the stud, Use the cutting torch with smallest tip (00 or 000). Carefully blow right through the hole in the stud. Just up to the threads. Let it cool. Apply penetrating oil. Carefully run the correct tap right through there chasing out the remnants of the thread.
Used welding to remove broken studs and bolts , for almost 60 years still do when required after my Grandson’s strike the problem When I worked as foreman motor mechanic I removed many manifold flange bolts in situ never failed , and I only had a 240 v arc welder and no auto darkening mask . I only recently had studs that I could not remove by welding and had to resort to drilling them out I think they were manufactured in a cheese factory.they snapped like carrots directly below the weld ,
@CoolasIce2 the truth is it wouldn't budge either way...but I am capable of making some pretty dumb mistakes.
i have done that many times,sometimes they are a real pain,good video.
Jody, I'm just curious... Did you not want to heat the nut and weld-area because the heat could effect the strength?
Excellent technique, next broken stud I'll give it a try. Mind you, with my (lack of) skill, likely the stud gets welded to the cast iron :-) Thanks for posting.
I was surprised, Jody, that you didn't try tightening it a fraction first.
I suppose this works because of the probable fact that the stud was jammed against the outwards thread flanks when it broke, so that the first free-play direction is more likely to be inwards than outwards. If I get a tiny move in that direction, then I alternate, each time stopping as soon as there's any perceptible movement,
What some other people do (and it works for me too sometimes) is to take a club hammer and smack the nut inwards (axially) a few times before trying to loosen it. Same principle.
This method also works on countersunk screws BEFORE you attempt to loosen them, especially high tensile recessed hex head ones, which are notorious for not coming out (usually the hex strips). I use a steel punch a bit smaller than the OD of the head. If you have lots to do of the same size, it's worth making one with a cylindrical pilot (tit!) to fit in the hex recess
Awesome repair! Its amazing how MAsters make it look easy! when i do it it usually results in a headache after crashin and bashin my way through multiple compounding problems Slick!............ nice job Jody!
I like Kroil more than WD40 although the new rust penetrating WD seems pretty good. I used these methods for years in a foundry removing bolts that were put in without Anti seize.
Add to this a demo on removing a broken tap from the hole which usually resulted from trying to chase the threads that were hardened by the wandering arc and we could use it as a training film for our welders, and machinists.
Good demo. I'm retired now, but, for some reason, I am drawn to watching your videos. They would have been helpful while I was working.
+papa Hajek the best stuff ive ever found is 50/50 acetone and automatic transmission fluid, its a diy mixture. i cant recommend it enough, it goes into pretty much anything, even works its way down into threads and dissolves/lubricates like a champ, 100% worth a try- just dont get it on any plastics, that acetone will melt plastic in seconds
+lordmcted Thanks. I'll try it at home. OSHA and insurance reps have all but eliminated undocumented chemicals in the shop.
+papa Hajek tell me about it, and yet i can eat a lunch that would be fenced off if they treated food the same way.
+lordmcted I keep mine in a dollar store plastic sprayer. The plastic bottle is all distorted (looks like a 3 way crush) but it sprays fine.
+lordmcted I keep mine in a dollar store plastic sprayer. The plastic bottle is all distorted (looks like a 3 way crush) but it sprays fine.
An impact wrench can help also, instead of the twisting action of the manual wrench. Good job!
Thanks for the tip I have a bunch that are broken off when I should have used heat to begin with but gonna give this a try tomorrow. I've got some broken bolts in a aluminum outboard block now don't care to much about the block just after another piece that is on the block but it will make for some good practice. Thanks
thanks never thought of using s.s.to broken drill bits and ez outs good tip keep up the good work
thick plate with the same bevel and done in all positions...but it aint quite the same
I've seen this method to remove broken studs using a sacrificial nut and welding it in. It's quite clever.
was that a chevy exhaust manifold. just the way the studs were made me think of that. removed a lot of broken studs from them, didn't always have the option to have it out on the bench, and usually never had a welder of any kind, sometimes I had a torch, other times just a flameless torch with a wire that would just heat around the stud.
I am surprised no one knew this. A trick I learned from a machinist. I had to use a head from junk yard. I broke 3 studs below the level of the head.....use a steel nut, place on top of the stud hole...,use 6011 rod...weld from the broken stud up through the stud hole and out through the nut....use appropriate wrench.... twist the stud out.....the reason.....mild steel will not Bond or melt into the cast iron.... I used more than once........it works
I have done this probably over 10k times over the past 20 years. Many times I can have it out in less than 1 minute, ,, but you never know how easy or hard it will be.
What would you suggest it you do not have a tig but I have a mig welder and a stick welder .
Right now I have a head off my sons yamaha warrior atv and it looks like aluminum and I have already broke off a ez out it it.
it was a favor for a friend. jobs like this would be easy to lose money on if you charge because they are so unpredictable
f7ipper makes an interesting comment about EXPANSION. An old boss turned me on to this many years ago. I worked in the electric motor repair business for 10 years after I learned this and it paid off quite well with cast iron. If you can drill a hole clear through the bolt and then heat it rapidly with a torch, hit it with oil as it is almost cool, you will find that expanding the bolt into the threads crushes the rust and allows it to free up. No one method works on all broken bolts however
hey Jody were you using that everlast tig welder to do this??
much respect and thanks
you don't want to heat the nut/broken stud as it will expand and just get tighter against the bolt hole, by heating the manifold the hole will expand and increase the odds of the broken stud breaking free from the manifold.
I don't think the strength of the weld would be affected but I'm not sure !
Do you have any cheap ways on practicing on heavy wall pipe (2 inch plus wall thickness) without spending a fortune on actual pipe?
Yeah, but with an open ended through hole like that why not just blow that broken stud out with a cutting torch? I've done dozens like it and used the cutting torch to heat the piece of broken stud to cherry and then pull the trigger and let the oxygen blow it right on through. Never once burned the manifold threads although I'd always run a tap through anyway.
That would have been my first shot but it was nice to see Jody do it this way. Often they don't go all the way through.
yeppy lernt this tip at age 12!!! heat the area till beat red simmy circle . lift the torch pull the oxey and have at her. eye hand skills needed pretty sure lol
It was cool watching him do this, but the exhaust shop where I go just "blows" them out as you do. I watched one day as he did it on my pickup, I was amazed.
great vid! would it be possible to do this with a mig welder?
I tried this on a frame bolt of my truck - didn't have success because it was upright and I was laying under it on ground. Gravity made pooling the weld hard and I still dont have it off. Any tips for that type of orientation?
That's amazing. Did you go to welding school or self-taught?
never thought of that but old timers would heat up a stubborn stud with a torch and run a candle on it. the wax sucks in and lubes it free.
You could also grind another stud to a point and just weld that to the broken off stud.I had to do that once "in vehicle"---my own---worked like a charm.
Oops... I just wanted to say thanks to everyone that have posted some of these remedies, they will be great to know now that I'm retired...
I am very familiar with the edm. But I dont have one so I just make do.
I have some broken manifold studs I need to remove from a cast iron head, I'd like to try this but I'm worried about welding the stud TO the manifold... it's only 5/16 in diameter... 1/4" minor diameter... Is there some way to protect against this? I'd be using MIG.
I'm amazed with how close you had the puddle to the cast iron that it didn't bond. And cast iron melts at a significantly lower temperature than the stud alloy or the 309...
Super!!!! Wonderful work. But, I heat manifold from propane torch.
thermal method is far superior in the cases where rust causes breaking of stud or bolt
Arc, MIG or TIG does a good job as the expansion of the male portion of threaded assembly causes rust cristals to break and fall in a powder form and a benefit is to permit the welding of a nut that supplies a good grip to work back and forth the thread to be removed
so its all about knowing expanding and contracting did hundred s of these .pipe fitters loved me on flanges
Try this, heat up to cherry red spray with water till cold, if it doesn't come loose the first time repeat the prossess,and again and again untill it comes loose Works 90% of the time
Nice work. I wish I had the equipment and skill to do achieve results like that.
Do you think anti seize works better than wax??
Great video, Jody. Thanks for posting.
You sir, are the MAN! That was amazing! Do you have any tips for a guy who only has a MIG to do this with?
I always get them out with my Lincoln 110 volt wire feed with flux core wire. weld a small puddle to the broken stud or nut, hit with a hammer, weld on a washer, hit with a hammer, weld on a nut (tack on the outside and weld complete in the middle of the nut), hit it with the impact. comes out almost every time, even cross threaded fasteners. If it doesnt come out the first time I weld to it again.
...get yourself a TIG welder- and learn how to use it(?)
Once when I was a kid I saw some one using a forge to heat up frozen bolts and get them lose! It is a great way to do the job but the oxidation is jut plain impossible to avoid!
What kind of ratchet spanner is that that you use towards the end?
LOVE ALL YOUR CLIPS KEEP IT UP
CAVEMAN AUSTRALIA
I use a similar method but will often weld a washer on to broken stud...then a larger washer, then weld nut to washer. you get a larger perimeter weld, more heat into the seized material and a small increase in leverage. when the machine down time is 20 grand a shift, replacement cyl head cost is 10-15 g, two weeks for delivery, no machine shop within 400 miles and the boss says "fix it"...well, you do your best. also will spray with oil, not only because of the lubricant but the cold oil causes a further shrink and expand of seized part giving you at better chance of success.
I was thinking about the economics of spending time fiddling with a manifold that could be replaced. Thank you for clarifying the kind of circumstances where the tinkering approach does make a lot of sense.
Anything to do with exhaust manifolds usually ends with something like this.
Hey, it can't be tight if its liquid.
Good video I work in a small machine shop this video will be useful
Welding a heavy piece of heavier L shape plate to the nut allows a simple cool down of of the broken of nut lowing it's temperature and thus diameter which is opposite way of shrink fitting
had a few ov them too deal with pain in the ass but good basic way to do it same as wee usaly do good tip for people who have no idea how to remove
Would this be possible with a good MIG welder?
man that is cool! i need to get a tig! i just drill the hole out and put a bolt though and put a nut on! thanks!
heat up and apply candle turn a little and repeat the process
Could you just drill through it and use a nut and a bolt if you didn't have welding equipment?
i always wondered why people even try to drill out or even put a socket on studs in cast manifolds, just put a torch to it stud will melt well before the cast
That's a slick trick... I probably would have welded the nut to the manifold... LOL
That would have been a great time to add headers....
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Merrie-Merrie
Yeah, I thought it was something along those lines, but what I thought of the weld strength is maybe tempering the weld in an undesired way. No difference to me, I've been lucky enough to never break a stud!
Impressive skills!
how do u drill a tap they r about as hard as it gets?
That was crazy awesome to watch ..Excellent !! Pure Skill :)
Nice work, I learned from this video. Thanks...
could you do this with a stick welder?
Can actually be a fun game and rewarding when you "win" one.....
Odds are, with this approach you WILL WIN.....which is COOL ...yea!
It seems like after awhile it would be easier to just drill out the broke bolt or simply replace the manifold.
i would go for the drill you need a super steady hand to do that
That's some nice welding you did. :THUMBS UP:
'
after welding then wait for cooling down,,,
use a WD-40 on thread then use a vise-grip locking and turning left,,,
that is easily remove broken bolt out
I work mine in and out ( tighter and loosen) once I get the nut welded on.
That's VERY wise- especially if you add a shot of penetrating oil while you're working the bolt back and forth...
Excellent video
Been there, done that...all most all ways works...
Jody....don't take this in a gay way....but I love you man!
I learn so much from your videos.
Fun and useful! How could there be any dislikes? Hope you find something useful on my channel. I'm adding this video to my "Welding" playlist!
I wonder if that can be done with fluxcore.
great video and very helpful thanks
I'ts funny how many customers I've had, that will say that it's just a bolt ! when i ask them if anything like a tap, drill or easy out had been broken off in the bolt.
As if I wouldn't know when I extract the bolt!
If this method don't work I go to the plasma cutter, but will usually have to helicoil the hole
Fantastic vid