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Thread: Frozen Bolts

  1. #1

    Frozen Bolts

    Can someone quickly remind me? I am restoring an old fighting chair and need to remove frozen stainless steel bolts from an aluminum frame. Tried Aero-Kroil and PB Blaster to no avail. Have access to heat. Do I heat the bolt or the frame. Have concerns about getting the frame too hot and annealing(?) the aluminum. May have answered my own question there. Any help or other ideas is appreciated. Thanks...

  2. #2

    Re: Frozen Bolts

    I would be very careful not to heat the aluminum base. I would hit the bolt with a bit of heat let it cool down and hit with penetrating oil and see if you can work it free.

  3. #3

    Re: Frozen Bolts

    Bite the bullet and drill it out.SS and AL damn near welds itself together and heat on AL it touchy. Can you replace it if it melts or cracks?
    "DON'T BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU READ OR HEAR AND ONLY HALF OF WHAT YOU SEE" - BEN FRANKLIN




    Endless Summer
    1967 50c 12/71n DDA 525hp
    ex Miss Betsy
    owners:
    Howard P. Miller 1967-1974
    Richard F Hull 1974-1976
    Robert J. & R.Scott Smith 1976-present

  4. #4

    Re: Frozen Bolts

    The expansion coefficient of alum is greater than the SS bolt and it takes very little heat to do it. I would use an electric heat gun on the alum. Apply the heat around the entire circumference of the bolt but not on the bolt. When you think it's uniformly warmed up (alum), give the bolt head a hit with a hammer, but be careful not to bugger the allen head or slot in the process. It is probably a large allen head screw (like mine) so have the proper allen wrench with a length of pipe on it ready to go before it cools otherwise you may have to wait for it to completly cool and start over. It's a pita job but it should work. Years ago when I owned a firearms manufacturing company we routinely heat shrunk 4140 pre hardened chrome moly steel billets into 7075-T6 aircraft grade alum sleeves by cooling the steel with liquid nitrogen and heating the alum in an electric furnace to 700 deg F. The size differential was about 5 or 6 thousanths of an inch at ambiant temp. The temperature changes during the process was less than necessary to alter the temper and hardness of the metals.

    Walt

  5. #5

    Re: Frozen Bolts

    Take an expendable (read EXPENDABLE) screw driver or allen wrench, whichever is needed for the fastener type, and make it red with a torch and immediately insert it into the fastener head and turn. The thermal shock should give you the edge you need. Have some PB blaster at the ready as well. Have a pipe or vice grips already attached to the wrench as seconds count. If that doesnt work, get a "pocket torch" from harbor frate and heat the bolt head directly. rebel

  6. #6

    Re: Frozen Bolts

    As noted, I heat the AL. This process is a daily thing if you work on old Brittbikes! The way you insert/remove bearings or any press-fit item in the AL cases is to heat the case/whatever in an oven to around 400 degrees. The bearings can dropped in/out. Same deal with bolts - just heat the AL with a propane torch or heat gun to the point where water sizzles on the AL and unscrew the bolt. It will be quite easy IF you get the temp up to the proper level. I have found that 350 in an oven was not enough but 375 did the job.
    Mike P
    San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Kent Island MD; San Antonio TX
    1980 53MY "Brigadoon"

  7. #7

    Re: Frozen Bolts

    once you get it apart use a tap to clean the threads and before reassembly coat the bolt threads with 'tef-gel' from ultra safety systems to prevent the cold welding thing from happening again.

  8. #8

    Re: Frozen Bolts

    Thanks to all! The heating of the aluminum, accompanied by two days of PB Blaster seems to have done the trick. Only broke 1 of 4 bolts, and was able to drill and tap the broken one. Kinda tricky drilling the stainless bolt when the soft aluminum is so close. Worked out. Again, thanks...

  9. #9

    Re: Frozen Bolts

    Tef gel when u put them back in.
    "DON'T BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU READ OR HEAR AND ONLY HALF OF WHAT YOU SEE" - BEN FRANKLIN




    Endless Summer
    1967 50c 12/71n DDA 525hp
    ex Miss Betsy
    owners:
    Howard P. Miller 1967-1974
    Richard F Hull 1974-1976
    Robert J. & R.Scott Smith 1976-present

  10. #10

    Re: Frozen Bolts

    Quote Originally Posted by rsmith View Post
    Tef gel when u put them back in.

    Will do...

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