Broke a bolt that has loctite on it - now what

[woodlandfarms]

I snapped the head off a grade 8 bolt (I think it is grade 8, will check tomorrow) that I put loctite on. I know how to easy out it, but how do I deal with red loctite? I remember someone saying hit it with a torch, is this correct?

Thanks for all the advice in advance...

[CurlyDave]

Originally Posted by woodlandfarms

... I remember someone saying hit it with a torch, is this correct?

Sort of.

Depending on what the bolt is stuck in, how heat resistant that part is, and the cost of replacing it, you may want to get a little bit more sophisticated.

The specs for blue Loctite say its temperature range is -65 to 300 degrees F. red Loctite says "high temperature" but doesn't say how high.

Sooner or later I am going to have to take a broken bolt out of a JD 4410 front wheel hub casting. The piece of metal looks like it would cost $500, so they will probably want $1000-1500 for a new one.

My plan of action is to heat the casting with a torch until the broken bolt hits 350 degrees F. I went to a welding shop and bought 350 degree and 425 degree temperature crayons for $9 each. These contain a material which melts at the indicated temperature, so I can heat the casting just enough and not get it too hot.

I highly recommend this slightly more sophisticated approach over just "hitting it with a torch".

[Scooby074]

Heat it with the torch. Red loctite almost always requires heat. Maybe you'll get lucky and the broken piece will be able to be removed with a chisel after heating. Otherwise drill and use an extractor.

[MrJimi]

I don't think you will be drilling out a grade 8 bolt They are very hard steel, try a new strong drill bit and best of luck

[Treemonkey1000]

Not sure if it will be effective or not but I have heard that get it hot and put some parrafin wax on the threads to let it wick down there. At that high of a temp though the wax may combust.
Can you heat up what the bolt is broken off in much? Get it to expand away from the bolt.

[ampsucker]

one vote for propane soldering torch like the ones plumbers use to sweat copper pipe. it doesn't get nearly as hot as a regular torch, but you can still break the loctite bonds with it. if it doesn't come right out, then let it cool and soak it with penetrating oil. once the locktite is burned out, the penetrating oil can get in and do it's thing.

as a last resort, try spot welding a "handle" onto the bolt. then let everything cool. then use your propane torch to heat up the metal around the bolt and use a heat sink like a bag of ice to cool the "handle" on the bolt. this makes the bolt shrink relative to the surrounding metal which is hot. grap the handle with vise grips and turn it right out.

amp

[Soundguy]

Sometimes you can weld a big hex nut to the broke off bolt.. if so.. the heat fromt he weld may just break the loctite bond.

soundguy

[John47]

I've had to drill high tensile sheared off bolts out of flameproof, (explosion proof) parts in a workshop years back. Not easy! Just required lots of patience and sharpening the drill bit hundreds of times!
Now we have coated drill bits that are probably a lot more adapted to cutting harder steels.

As for getting sheared off studs from axle castings, I'd file or grind the "lapped" over end on the back of the casting. Then just unscrew the section of stud out as normal. I'm assuming it's a stud and not a bolt?

As for getting hard steel sheared off bolts out, good luck!

[Wayne County Hose]

Carl, as long as you won't damage anything around it with heat, heat it with a propane torch. Propane will heat it enough to destroy the loc-tite but not damage any housings. Then center punch it dead in the middle. Make sure surface of bolt is flat, file it if you have to. If the bolt surface is crooked, the bit will want to walk off center. Get a cobalt drill bit, and drill away. I have drilled grade 8 bolts with cobalt bits before, they cut real easy. Cobalt bits are usually gold colored and can be had at Home Cheapo or Lowes.

Good luck, Andy

[akajun]

If you can get the part angled to where the hole is flat, you can weld it out. They sell a rod for this , I think its called easy out or somthing and sold by Fourney at most hardware stores. You use the rod to build up metal to the top of the hole,chip out the slag( it will be heavy) then place a washer around the hole and weld with 6011 rod the washer to the bolt, then weld on a nut. Try to twist it out, I may break the nut off at the weld and you will have to repeat this 3 or four times but it will work.
The heat from welding will break the loctite, will localize the heat to the bolt rather than the whole part like heating with a torch will, and it will not damage the threads. I have even used this on a aluminum trolling motor mount with a stainless steel bolt that was saltwater corroded. No damage.

I have heard of people using a mig welder for this also.