# Removing a stripped & threadlocked bolt **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 20, 2005, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-stripped-threadlocked-bolt/327038 "2005-10-20T04:25:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-stripped-threadlocked-bolt/327038/21 "2005-10-21T01:15:12Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > OK, I got a set of Easy Out extractors. > > I’m still not sure which size to use, and how deep I need to drill. Since the head of this bolt is so thin, I assume I need to drill into the shaft of the bolt? So I’d choose an Easy-Out that’s somewhat smaller than the bolt itself, correct? Correct. The easy out should indicate what size drill to use. You want to use the biggest one you can, but you don’t want it to be so big that you drill into the threaded part of the bike. Take care and drill as straight as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Fridgemagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@Fridgemagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fridgemagnet)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-stripped-threadlocked-bolt/327038/22 "2005-10-21T11:26:38Z")
If the worse\* happens, and you have to drill out the bolt stud entirely and take some of the female thread with it, then all is not lost. Something like a [recoil/Helicoil kit](http://www.threadedinserts.net/) will restore your nice threaded hole and it will be even stronger than before in most cases. \*Really the worse that can happen is that your Easy Out will snap off. They really are harder than any known drill bit, as **Schuyler** noted. ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-stripped-threadlocked-bolt/327038/23 "2005-10-21T12:32:32Z")
> [@Dag Otto](#): > > Correct. The easy out should indicate what size drill to use. You want to use the biggest one you can, but you don’t want it to be so big that you drill into the threaded part of the bike. Take care and drill as straight as possible. I found it also helps when the hole has been drilled to tap the ezy-out in fimly with a hammer to get it to bite into the sides of the hole. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-stripped-threadlocked-bolt/327038/24 "2005-10-21T14:07:50Z")
I’m a machinist and drilled lots of holes in lots of materials. When you slowly drill as straight as possible into the bolt to use the ez out please use some oil. 3-in-1 or any general purpose oil will be fine, use DW-40 if nothing else. It’s not so much for lubricity but heat is the enemy for cutting tools. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-stripped-threadlocked-bolt/327038/25 "2005-10-22T03:26:13Z")
Success!! 🙂 The Easy-Out worked beautifully. Thank you for all the advice. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-stripped-threadlocked-bolt/327038/26 "2005-10-22T03:51:17Z")
I guess the job is already done… However, just for completeness, back in my machinist days we would use a center punch to remove stuck fasteners. Just pound it straight in (parallel to the axis of the bolt) as close to the edge as you can get while still having some meat to dig into, and then start pounding it at a tangent to the fastener head. This was particularly useful on machinery where our boss had gone for the elegant approach and had fairly beefy (1/2" thread) countersunk flathead allen bolts holding things together. Since the flat heads were flush with the surface, there was no way to grip them. Even after snapping off a few allen keys (with pipe cheater attached), we were able to successfully back them out using the center punch approach. ---
**Author:** ![Fridgemagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@Fridgemagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fridgemagnet)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-stripped-threadlocked-bolt/327038/27 "2005-10-22T10:03:30Z")
Nicely done **scr4**. Also, phew! Allen bolts aren’t my favourite female fastener. I much prefer Torx. The main troubles with allen bolts come from allen keys. They should really only be used in an emergency, as their shape and sloppy tolerance mean it’s easy to round out a stiff bolt. For low torque bolts I prefer an allen bit in a fat handled screwdriver - it’s easy to apply some downforce to help prevent the tool camming out of the head, and the turning moment isn’t off-axis slightly like it would be with an allen key. For larger allen bolts, it’s a 3/8" drive allen bit every time. Another thing to look out for when removing allen bolts is dirt inside the head. This prevents the bit seating properly, and makes it easy to cam out and chew up the hex faces. Clean out any head before tackling. Worries over legal liabilities should a “Jesus bolt”\* shake loose means that many top-end MTB companies use excessively strong threadlock compound on key bolts. This is often unnecessary, and can be a real pain in the arse. Medium strengh threadlock is all that is required on an MTB, and even then only in key areas like the crank bolts or suspension pivot bolts. I had the freewheel on my Marin break, and shamefully I couldn’t work out how to remove the sealed bearings without recourse to a potentially damaging big hammer, so I swallowed my pride and took the rear wheel in to a Marin dealer. They told me that the freewheel is a pig to get off anyway, as Marin have cemented the bastard on. To remove it required heating it up to about 800 deg C, and though this did the trick with the freewheel bolt, it’s completely fucked the cassette side of the hub. It’s been heat-softened, and the spokes on that side are starting to pull through. Grrr! - A bolt that does something crucial, and whose failure would be catastrophic. I think the name comes from the single large nut that holds on the blades of a particular model of helicopter. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-stripped-threadlocked-bolt/327038/28 "2005-10-22T13:33:43Z")
> [@Fridgemagnet](#): > > Worries over legal liabilities should a “Jesus bolt”\* shake loose means that many top-end MTB companies use excessively strong threadlock compound on key bolts. This is often unnecessary, and can be a real pain in the arse. Medium strengh threadlock is all that is required on an MTB, and even then only in key areas like the crank bolts or suspension pivot bolts. > > - A bolt that does something crucial, and whose failure would be catastrophic. I think the name comes from the single large nut that holds on the blades of a particular model of helicopter. Not heard this term before, its a good one! Another area on the MTB that can benefit from locktite is the disk brake rotors. I have had bolts back out from the disk a few times, once leading to the actual rear rotor falling off. This could be catastrophic, it would wreck the wheel in a worse case scenario. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-stripped-threadlocked-bolt/327038/29 "2005-10-22T23:01:54Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Success!! 🙂 > > The Easy-Out worked beautifully. Thank you for all the advice. Wild cheering, stomping of feet and whistles! It’s because we were all pulling for you. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-stripped-threadlocked-bolt/327038/30 "2005-10-22T23:09:24Z")
Did you manage to keep that pretty paint job pristine? ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-stripped-threadlocked-bolt/327038/31 "2005-10-24T04:31:04Z")
> [@Myler Keogh](#): > > This could be catastrophic, it would wreck the wheel in a worse case scenario. Your worst case isn’t close to what I would call a catastrophy. If my worst crash only involved a trashed wheel I’d be happy. Uh, how does a dropped rotor ruin the wheel? Other than a crash? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-stripped-threadlocked-bolt/327038/32 "2005-10-24T05:31:39Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Did you manage to keep that pretty paint job pristine? Yes - thanks to your advice. I actually tried cutting a slot first. I stripped that slot as well :smack: But as I hoped and expected, I was able to use the extractor even after this method failed. Did I mention this was a brand new bike? :eek: It’s a [recumbent touring bike](http://www.hpvelotechnik.com/produkte/ghp/details_e.html). The luggage rack is designed to mount to this suspension pivot bolts, so most owners would have to remove these bolts. You’d think they could make it easy to remove, but no… ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-stripped-threadlocked-bolt/327038/33 "2005-10-24T07:27:21Z")
[Apologies for slight hijack] > [@Dag Otto](#): > > Your worst case isn’t close to what I would call a catastrophy. If my worst crash only involved a trashed wheel I’d be happy. > > Uh, how does a dropped rotor ruin the wheel? Other than a crash? Catastrophe is a melodramatic word here, I agree, but its merited I think. A dropped rotor will in many cases just spin around making noise, slightly damaging the hub and cause you to stop. But if it falls off under significant drivetrain torque it can (worst case scenario) be driven into the wheel and completely mash it up - broken spokes, rotor and hub. If this happened at high speed you would have yourself a violent, completely unexpected MTB crash - definite potential for catastrophe. Let’s face it, instantaneous failure of back wheel is a serious problem on any bicycle, let alone one that gets ridden at speed over rocks. Actually, when I posted I was thinking about when it happened to me, I was riding in a remote part of the Scottish highlands. A broken bike in this situation can lead to its own form of disaster, ie a twenty mile walk to the nearest road in cold weather wearing cycling shoes. Fortunately the rotor was thrown off in a separate crash before it fell off of its own accord, and just meant riding with no back brake. ---
**Author:** ![Fridgemagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@Fridgemagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fridgemagnet)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-stripped-threadlocked-bolt/327038/34 "2005-10-24T10:48:20Z")
> [@Dag Otto](#): > > Uh, how does a dropped rotor ruin the wheel? Other than a crash? It could wedge between the spokes and frame and lock the rear wheel. I’ve done something similar on an old MTB - powering up a hill one day, I completely torqued the rear axle out of the frame dropouts, jamming the wheel in the frame and causing a testicles/top tube impact scenario. I took to using a little diamond grip paste on the inside of the skewer faces, and it has been OK since. > [@Myler Keogh](#): > > A broken bike in this situation can lead to its own form of disaster, ie a twenty mile walk to the nearest road in cold weather wearing cycling shoes. I had a 2 hour walk home in cycling shoes this summer after a unridable bike breakage, and it took all the skin off both my heels. Add a longer walk, more serious injuries, hypothermia or dehydration into this scenario and you’ve got yourself a nasty situation indeed. Like the recumbent BTW **scr4**. Respect for riding one, because although I’ve been riding assorted bikes so long now they’re a natural extension of my body, the only time I’ve ever tried a recumbent I did shamefully badly. It felt so alien. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-stripped-threadlocked-bolt/327038.md?page=1)