Topic: dissolve a broken bleed nipple?

[kajtek]

I did it.. I broke the damn bleed nipple for the front brakes. doesn't everyone?

Anyway before I butcher my caliper trying to take the broken piece out and am forced to buy a new caliper.. I though I would slow down and look at some other options.

I read in another thread that aluminium sulfate can be used effectively to dissolve the steel of a bleed nipple while not reacting with the aluminium, sounds good to me and I found a source for it.

my only concern... the bleed nipple is a stainless steel speed bleeder (oh the irony), will the aluminium suplfate still dissolve the stainless steel?

Many thanks for any replies!!

Ashley

[bryanj]

Depends on the bike but for several it is cheaper to buy a new pattern caliper half from Dave Silver

[jlh3rd]

have you ever heard of " easy outs" . They are reverse cut bits that are similar to a drill bit but work in reverse. they usually come in a kit. You tap in the one that fits into the bleeder hole ,then use a wrench, or the tool it comes with, to turn the bit to the left and hopefully remove the broken bleeder.
     I use a heat gun , not a torch, to heat up the area and liquid wrench also. take your time. It may take multiple heat/ cooling ,liquid wrench applications to loosen the bleeder.....hope this helps and works .......

[bryanj]

DONT use an easy out, they are tapered, push whats left of the thread outwards and snap very easily being superhard like a tap so almost impossible to drill out.
You said it was stainless, that is also very difficult to machine and needs special tools, sorry but your most cost effectiveway is replacement.

[DaveBarbier]

Did it snap going in or coming out? If it broke coming out then yeah, that sucks and don’t use an easy out. Maybe left hand drill or go for the alum option. Be careful though because where the brake line goes there’s an internal flare fitting that’s also steel and will also dissolve. Those can be found too and you just press it in, so maybe not a big deal. I’d go for the easy out first (if the nipple broke going IN only). If that brakes off then go for the alum and dissolve the easy out and nipple all in one go, haha.

[calj737]

Did it snap going in or coming out? If it broke coming out then yeah, that sucks and don’t use an easy out. Maybe left hand drill or go for the alum option. Be careful though because where the brake line goes there’s an internal flare fitting that’s also steel and will also dissolve.

+1

Depends on the bike but for several it is cheaper to buy a new pattern caliper half from Dave Silver

+1

[dave500]

if youve never #$%*ed around with easy outs and gotta ask the question anyway just get a new unit,trying to dissolve it is very weird?

[jlh3rd]

your money, your bike...If the easy out doesn't work and snaps off like some say, what have you lost? You have to replace it anyway then. I've used them, sometimes they snap, sometimes they don't.
     then again,what if it does work.

[Bankerdanny]

If a replacement caliper was expensive or you had a sandcast with an original caliper then extra effort to salvage would be worth while. Since they aren't and you don't, spend the $55 (the David Silver price) and buy a replacement caliper half.

[754]

 It will get the steel ones out, not sure about  stainless.
 It takes time tho but you don't have to be there. 

[BenelliSEI]

You can also buy drill bits that cut in reverse. On occasion, I have been very lucky with them on studs etc.. Drill a very small starter hole in the broken part and then use a slightly larger LH bit. Sometimes, the heat and vibration will be enough to “catch” the broken part and back it out.

Like some of the previous posters, I’ve had bad luck with easy outs. In a small job, the tip often breaks off and you are left with an impossibly hard bit of steel, exactly where you don’t want it! A good quality set is useful in larger diameters, but the small ones usually snap......

[Don R]

 A mechanic buddy uses a torx bit, taps in whatever will fit and crank it with a ratchet. Worst case, you still need a caliper and a torx bit. 

[AwesomeCB]

I'd try to get it out, even knowing that there's a good chance the caliper is going to get messed up. The easy outs work for me more often than not. A few weeks ago, I needed to get a busted screw out and I put the part in my ultrasonic cleaner. I previously found that sometimes the combination of heat and vibration loosen things. It finally came out with the reverse bit after some drilling and swearing. Plan B was to heat it with a butane torch.

[jlh3rd]

have you ever heard of " easy outs" . They are reverse cut bits that are similar to a drill bit but work in reverse. they usually come in a kit. You tap in the one that fits into the bleeder hole ,then use a wrench, or the tool it comes with, to turn the bit to the left and hopefully remove the broken bleeder.
     I use a heat gun , not a torch, to heat up the area and liquid wrench also. take your time. It may take multiple heat/ cooling ,liquid wrench applications to loosen the bleeder.....hope this helps and works .......

they work for me more often than not.....what has he got to lose?...simple enough.

[calj737]

I use a heat gun , not a torch, to heat up the area and liquid wrench also. take your time. It may take multiple heat/ cooling applications to loosen the bleeder

Ever wonder why this is? Because a "heat gun" won't get aluminum hot enough to make a difference. A propane torch at a minimum, a MAPP gas torch is better. Aluminum absorbs heat incredibly well, and the oxide layer melts at over 2700*F. You must effect that before any thread engagement is disturbed. And a heat gun doesn't have the stones to do it.

Heat the biatch up, and turn it out. Stop wasting time with multiple cycles... 

[jlh3rd]

I use a heat gun , not a torch, to heat up the area and liquid wrench also. take your time. It may take multiple heat/ cooling applications to loosen the bleeder

Ever wonder why this is? Because a "heat gun" won't get aluminum hot enough to make a difference. A propane torch at a minimum, a MAPP gas torch is better. Aluminum absorbs heat incredibly well, and the oxide layer melts at over 2700*F. You must effect that before any thread engagement is disturbed. And a heat gun doesn't have the stones to do it.

Heat the biatch up, and turn it out. Stop wasting time with multiple cycles... 

the nipple is steel, my honda caliper is aluminum. My heat gun goes to 1350..the metals expand at different rates..I would heat the whole small area ,concentrating on the nipple, and using a reducer attachment on the heat gun to focus the air on the nipple, ...i also used a cold shot product that lets me direct a cold shot of air to rapidly cool the nipple., causing it to shrink...and/ or. spraying liquid wrench on the area ( yeah, it smokes).....caliper off the bike? ...i could use a torch, Mapp gas..aluminum melts at 1221 F degrees, i think the gun gets hot enough....regardless, it's worked for me....sometimes it doesn't....

[DaveBarbier]

I use a heat gun , not a torch, to heat up the area and liquid wrench also. take your time. It may take multiple heat/ cooling applications to loosen the bleeder

Ever wonder why this is? Because a "heat gun" won't get aluminum hot enough to make a difference. A propane torch at a minimum, a MAPP gas torch is better. Aluminum absorbs heat incredibly well, and the oxide layer melts at over 2700*F. You must effect that before any thread engagement is disturbed. And a heat gun doesn't have the stones to do it.

Heat the biatch up, and turn it out. Stop wasting time with multiple cycles... 

the nipple is steel, my honda caliper is aluminum. My heat gun goes to 1350..the metals expand at different rates..I would heat the whole small area ,concentrating on the nipple, and using a reducer attachment on the heat gun to focus the air on the nipple, ...i also used a cold shot product that lets me direct a cold shot of air to rapidly cool the nipple., causing it to shrink...and/ or. spraying liquid wrench on the area ( yeah, it smokes).....caliper off the bike? ...i could use a torch, Mapp gas..aluminum melts at 1221 F degrees, i think the gun gets hot enough....regardless, it's worked for me....sometimes it doesn't....

Propane gets to triple that heat. You’re not going to damage the aluminum. Fire is better.

[jlh3rd]

I use a heat gun , not a torch, to heat up the area and liquid wrench also. take your time. It may take multiple heat/ cooling applications to loosen the bleeder

Ever wonder why this is? Because a "heat gun" won't get aluminum hot enough to make a difference. A propane torch at a minimum, a MAPP gas torch is better. Aluminum absorbs heat incredibly well, and the oxide layer melts at over 2700*F. You must effect that before any thread engagement is disturbed. And a heat gun doesn't have the stones to do it.

Heat the biatch up, and turn it out. Stop wasting time with multiple cycles... 

the nipple is steel, my honda caliper is aluminum. My heat gun goes to 1350..the metals expand at different rates..I would heat the whole small area ,concentrating on the nipple, and using a reducer attachment on the heat gun to focus the air on the nipple, ...i also used a cold shot product that lets me direct a cold shot of air to rapidly cool the nipple., causing it to shrink...and/ or. spraying liquid wrench on the area ( yeah, it smokes).....caliper off the bike? ...i could use a torch, Mapp gas..aluminum melts at 1221 F degrees, i think the gun gets hot enough....regardless, it's worked for me....sometimes it doesn't....

Propane gets to triple that heat. You’re not going to damage the aluminum. Fire is better.

fire is always better....but depending on location, i'll use the heat gun...i'm not trying to melt corrosion, i want to create a crack between the two parts so the penetrate can get in........it's not a debate, different methods to get a result. I don't get in a hurry, especially if it was my caliper, it's unreplaceable, unless an NOS one popped up .

[DaveBarbier]

I use a heat gun , not a torch, to heat up the area and liquid wrench also. take your time. It may take multiple heat/ cooling applications to loosen the bleeder

Ever wonder why this is? Because a "heat gun" won't get aluminum hot enough to make a difference. A propane torch at a minimum, a MAPP gas torch is better. Aluminum absorbs heat incredibly well, and the oxide layer melts at over 2700*F. You must effect that before any thread engagement is disturbed. And a heat gun doesn't have the stones to do it.

Heat the biatch up, and turn it out. Stop wasting time with multiple cycles... 

the nipple is steel, my honda caliper is aluminum. My heat gun goes to 1350..the metals expand at different rates..I would heat the whole small area ,concentrating on the nipple, and using a reducer attachment on the heat gun to focus the air on the nipple, ...i also used a cold shot product that lets me direct a cold shot of air to rapidly cool the nipple., causing it to shrink...and/ or. spraying liquid wrench on the area ( yeah, it smokes).....caliper off the bike? ...i could use a torch, Mapp gas..aluminum melts at 1221 F degrees, i think the gun gets hot enough....regardless, it's worked for me....sometimes it doesn't....

Propane gets to triple that heat. You’re not going to damage the aluminum. Fire is better.

fire is always better....but depending on location, i'll use the heat gun...i'm not trying to melt corrosion, i want to create a crack between the two parts so the penetrate can get in........it's not a debate, different methods to get a result. I don't get in a hurry, especially if it was my caliper, it's unreplaceable, unless an NOS one popped up .

You can say that again

I understand the words you’re saying, but it just doesn’t make sense to me. Heat gun is just simply less effective and propane will not damage anything so it’s a better option. But it’s your caliper

[calj737]

My heat gun goes to 1350..the metals expand at different rates..I would heat the whole small area ,concentrating on the nipple, and using a reducer attachment on the heat gun to focus the air on the nipple, ...i also used a cold shot product that lets me direct a cold shot of air to rapidly cool the nipple., causing it to shrink...and/ or. spraying liquid wrench on the area ( yeah, it smokes).....caliper off the bike? ...i could use a torch, Mapp gas..aluminum melts at 1221 F degrees, i think the gun gets hot enough....regardless, it's worked for me....sometimes it doesn't....

Aluminum melts at 700* and above depending upon the alloy. The oxide layer melts at 3x that. Oxide is not “corrosion” like you find on steel, it’s a protective layer that forms instantly.

Attempting to use a heat gun with air blowing on a nipple is like using a fork to drink water. The surrounding area of aluminum absorbs all the heat, reducing the effectiveness of the heat you’re applying. If you scanned the caliper with a thermal image, you’d see the area of the caliper suck all that precious hot air away from the nipple faster than you can blow it. People think you’ll damage the aluminum with propane or MAPP; you won’t, you can’t. They don’t get hot enough. Simple as that.they do get hot enough to actually cause the ally to expand, which is what creates the separation in the rusted thread engagement.

[dave500]

 like using a fork to drink water

or chopsticks to drink beer!

[Can550]

In similar situation, multiple methods and days of disappointment and after braking a torn bit inside, bought a used caliper had it powder coated and completed the bike


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[2wheels]

I have had good luck drilling the old bleeder out.
edit 

[Don R]

 Now that Ashley's been scared away, I hope he comes back and tells us what happened. Either way he'll be subjected to I told you so.

[Zunspec]

One method not mentioned is "spark erosion".  You will need to find a specialist engineering outfit with the appropriate equipment but his method can remove stubborn sheared off items.

Cheers  Geoff