Topic: Ever drilled out a brokn E-Z-Out ?

[754]

Working on an exhaust stud on a Buell head, of course the one in the corner, and there is a broken tip of an extractor stuck in there

The  guy said he got it good and hot and should be annealled.. but it wasnt ..

Anyway, I built a fixture to hold it and made a guide bushing and used a carbide masonry bit.. but it was too hard.

So we annealled it today with a 00 tip and it softened up a bit, and started to drill.. well maybe a 1/16 deep or so. Will have another go at it tommorow afternoon, need to sharpen the bit up again..

 Anyone got an idea of something else that may work, pretty slow going.. but looks like I will get thru it now...

[scunny]

I had the luck of breaking an easy out in the headbolt of my 650, that sucker is hidden about 3inches below working height. a friend made up a carbide drill on an extension that I tried using for ages, ended up getting out the hacksaw(junior engineers model)  and cutting thru the barrel and thru the bolt. hope yours goes easier

[Raul CB750K1]

I had the luck of breaking an easy out in the headbolt of my 650, that sucker is hidden about 3inches below working height. a friend made up a carbide drill on an extension that I tried using for ages, ended up getting out the hacksaw(junior engineers model)  and cutting thru the barrel and thru the bolt. hope yours goes easier

I ruined an almost new brake caliper when one ez-out broke trying to remove the broken bleeder. Not even with a cobalt drill did the bit bugger. Had to use a much bigger drill and the drill bit kept biting the soft aluminum instead of the EZ-out.


I swore to myself never again use an EZ-Out.

[rhos1355]

+1

[comp]

 i try to drill with a LH twist bit first

[Swoop]

I have had luck with a dremel and a carbide burr-bit.
Must be good quality though


Steve

[ohiocaferacer]

Only thing that ever worked for me was a dremel also.......ez outs....worst product ever!!!
Cause more problems than they are worth.

[Kwality]

I'm following this one with interest.  I've got an engine with a snapped easy out too.  It's in a bugger of a place: the cam chain adjuster locking bolt in the 400f.

Damn.

Leigh

[deerslayer]

Using an extractor on a bolt that broke during removal is not recommended. (drill it out)

If the bolt broke while torquing it or from stress (such as a cylinder trying to depart the bike) then the extractors work quite well.

For those of you with broken extractors, these companies supply very hard bits that may solve your problem (they're expensive though...)

http://www.baddogtools.com/

http://www.rodmanandcoinc.com/rodmanandcoinc.com/category69d6.html?UCIDs=1307321%7C1307323

Also, if there is access, I have had machine or tool and die shops burn out broken studs with extractors in them with an EDM. (electrical discharge machine) It is probably a 30 minute job so get a quote first...

[rbmgf7]

i remember talking to a student about removing broken bits and ez outs from aluminum, just can't remember exactly what it was. he told me there was some sort of solution (i want to say an acid) that you sat the part in and about a week later would've dissolved the bit and left the aluminum part. 

[750duo]

754

The solution is aluminum sulfate.

There is another way to get steel screws out of ALUMINUM parts.
by the use of aluminum sulfate (also used for sprinkling on your garden - can be had at a greenhouse or garden store).

The following is a quote from Dan's Motorcycle Repair Course:
[Quote:]
 If you break off a tap in some kind of non-ferrous metal, like an aluminum crankcase, you can try soaking it in a solution of Aluminum Sulfate. It works best if you heat it to 120+ degrees Fahrenheit and let it work for a few hours. Or you can just throw it in at room temperature for a few days and the iron will go away. Remember, this is good for NON-FERROUS metals. Be sure there are no other iron pieces on the workpiece. Use a plastic tray, Tupperware works too.[Unquote]

The rest of the article can be had at:
http://www.dansmc.com/stripbolt.htm

Good Luck to You

Tom

[rbmgf7]

754

The solution is aluminum sulfate.

There is another way to get steel screws out of ALUMINUM parts.
by the use of aluminum sulfate (also used for sprinkling on your garden - can be had at a greenhouse or garden store).

The following is a quote from Dan's Motorcycle Repair Course:
[Quote:]
 If you break off a tap in some kind of non-ferrous metal, like an aluminum crankcase, you can try soaking it in a solution of Aluminum Sulfate. It works best if you heat it to 120+ degrees Fahrenheit and let it work for a few hours. Or you can just throw it in at room temperature for a few days and the iron will go away. Remember, this is good for NON-FERROUS metals. Be sure there are no other iron pieces on the workpiece. Use a plastic tray, Tupperware works too.[Unquote]

The rest of the article can be had at:
http://www.dansmc.com/stripbolt.htm

Good Luck to You

Tom

THANK YOU!!! this always bugged me ever since that kid told me a way but i just couldn't remember what it was.

[754]

Thanks for the AL sulphate tip..

Well I got it out, drilled thru at least 4mm of the easy out, maybe more.. with my cordless.

Used the cordless mainly to turn the drill slow enough, and because the masonry bits are wider on the tip and cant pass thru the drill bushing I made (making it a bit difficult to dial in to the mill spindle)

So, anyway, it ccan be done, slow going and you better be able to sharpen carbide a lot.. or get a die drill.

Now back to easier stuff, like cutting splines for a shifter rod..


If you attempt to do this on like the headbolt mentioned, make up a fixture to hold a drill bushing..

[crazypj]

I have had luck with a dremel and a carbide burr-bit.
Must be good quality though


Steve

+1
PJ

[Raul CB750K1]

A good friend from the Sanglas forum posted this pictures of a set of extractors he has been using for years without ever failing. As he says, the regular extractors press the broken bolt while they go in, while he uses cilindrical extractors. There is no pressure against the walls, just turning force. You have to do the drill with the diameter adecuate to each extractor. Then, hammer the extractor in, and use the nut to turn it out.

http://picasaweb.google.es/jumbosanglas/SacaTornillosRotos


I recently had a broken bolt while replacing the water pump in my wife's car. As I had given up on extractors, I just decided to drill and helicoil. Problem was that the drill couldn't get into such a confined space. Many times the problem is not the extractor, but to drill it out.

Following my signature's, I knew it was stuck but I remembered a flexible device I once saw for hand drills. For 24 euro I got out of the stuckness.

[olds-cool]

754

The solution is aluminum sulfate.

There is another way to get steel screws out of ALUMINUM parts.
by the use of aluminum sulfate (also used for sprinkling on your garden - can be had at a greenhouse or garden store).

The following is a quote from Dan's Motorcycle Repair Course:
[Quote:]
 If you break off a tap in some kind of non-ferrous metal, like an aluminum crankcase, you can try soaking it in a solution of Aluminum Sulfate. It works best if you heat it to 120+ degrees Fahrenheit and let it work for a few hours. Or you can just throw it in at room temperature for a few days and the iron will go away. Remember, this is good for NON-FERROUS metals. Be sure there are no other iron pieces on the workpiece. Use a plastic tray, Tupperware works too.[Unquote]

The rest of the article can be had at:
http://www.dansmc.com/stripbolt.htm

Good Luck to You

Tom

Thanks for that link!  I've broken off one of the starter bolts and am having a hell of a time with the easy outs.

[754]

I must say, the only extractor I like/had great luck with is the spline type.. ie Snap-On..Ridgid sell them.


But order left hand drills and try them first..

At my shop, I always get them after everyone has buggered/gave up...on them

[deerslayer]

+1 on the spline extractors. I always drill completely through the bolt. If you don't you will have a time getting the extractor out of the bolt once it's removed.

Regarding the snake drill, they also have these in a 90 degree and 45 degree versions. They are very common in the aircraft industry and places like Aircraft Tool Supply, Avery and many other distributors have a large selection. Many of these take threaded bits and with some of them you can get into a place with only two inches of clearance. The 90 degree air drills in good quality are expensive ($400 to $600) but the cable operated ones are considerably less. This is one of those tools you don't need often but when you do....

[Artfrombama]

I must say, the only extractor I like/had great luck with is the spline type.. ie Snap-On..Ridgid sell them.


But order left hand drills and try them first..

At my shop, I always get them after everyone has buggered/gave up...on them

I have a set of Ridgid extractors I've had for years, the best I've used.
I'm a machinist by trade and I would get parts with broken e-z outs or drills or BOTH. The fastest way to get them out is chip them out with a sharp center punch.
My general rule of thumb; if the broken bolt can be moved then use the bolt extractor. If the bolt won't move, carefully centerpunch, then adjust the center with a center drill and drill motor. When you're satisfied the center is exactly in the center of the bolt, carefully drill a pilot hole ALL THE WAY THROUGH the bolt. Then drill with a tap drill, then remove the remaining bolt with a tap.
It's easier for me to drill out a broken bolt than fool around with extractors.

Next time you have a broken bolt, try this;
Place a flat washer over the broken bolt. Weld the washer to the broken bolt, now weld a nut on top of the washer. Now you can get a tool on the nut.
Before anything cools, work the nut back and forth. Straight pressure will almost certianly pop the nut/washer off the bolt. Work the bolt back and forth until the bolt loosens. A little penetrating oil helps.

Another reason why I don't like spiral fluted eze-outs, you can only apply pressure in one direction.

[754]

Re last sentence/ last post.. that and if you have enough drilled out, and srike the spiral one hard enough, it may expand the thread.

One think I have used, but cant always find.. ether in a plastic container, with a tube that pulls out.. works very good.

If you cant soften it up with heat and you use carbides, I find that having 2 drills with different angles helps, each one cuts only the inner or outer portion, reducing load & effort on the drill.

[comp]

754

The solution is aluminum sulfate.

There is another way to get steel screws out of ALUMINUM parts.
by the use of aluminum sulfate (also used for sprinkling on your garden - can be had at a greenhouse or garden store).

The following is a quote from Dan's Motorcycle Repair Course:
[Quote:]
 If you break off a tap in some kind of non-ferrous metal, like an aluminum crankcase, you can try soaking it in a solution of Aluminum Sulfate. It works best if you heat it to 120+ degrees Fahrenheit and let it work for a few hours. Or you can just throw it in at room temperature for a few days and the iron will go away. Remember, this is good for NON-FERROUS metals. Be sure there are no other iron pieces on the workpiece. Use a plastic tray, Tupperware works too.[Unquote]

The rest of the article can be had at:
http://www.dansmc.com/stripbolt.htm

Good Luck to You

Tom

Gotta save this info