of bolts and nuts

[hanj]

what's the best way to remove a broken bolt which is lodged in one of those plastic plug in a concrete wall?

we're talking abt a M6x50 galvanized bolt....

am sure neighbour heard me cursing when that happened just now.

[Hank W.]

Well... ummm... I'd remove as much of the plug as possible, plaster over and hang a picture over it... Usually total removal results in a bigger hole...

[hanj]

thanks for the suggestion but that's not the solution i am looking for.

the holes are freshly drilled for a bracket..and its near a painting.

anyone else tried anything else before? use a smaller metal drill bit and drill the bolt into oblivion? or some magical tool that will coaxed the thing out?

[Mook]

Well, you could dig away enough of the wall to get a hold of it with a pair of pliers which you can use to turn it. Other options involv drilling holes just beside so that you can pull the bolt straight out.

The really complicated way is to drill a thread for a left-handed bold/screw inside it, screw it in and then it'll screw out, but...

[Hank W.]

Or then, if the bolt has snapped just about level, you take an angle grinder and make a deep enough... darn... loosing words... well what you do with an angle grinder so you can coax it out with a screwdriver. Problem is the wall will look like crap and the grinder might easily run off... thats about the only way you I can fathom you can save the hole.

Or then you apply a bunsen burner to the bolt. Concrete and metal don't burn, the plug does. No fire alarms allowed and I just hope you didn't paint the cieling.

[karel]

drill a hole in the bolt, twist screw-thread in it, put in a screw, grab a pair of tongs and pull out everything.

[hanj]

think i will try the left-turn screw thing....just have to find a place to get the thing......

thanks for the suggestions!

[Hank W.]

Try from the nuts&bolts specialist stores, the threading inserts and lefthanded screws are a bit specialized stuff.

[hanj]

any stores you have used before?

i got these bolts after asking the sales 'specialist' in the pienrauta dept in bauhaus...so much for being specialist...when the thing just twist off after torquing them.

clas ohlson's catalog shows vastakierretappi....is this the correct thing?

[Hank W.]

Yup, thats the thing. I was going to suggest C&O but more to the likes of Helsingin Ruuvi or Kilopultti and the likes. Problem is the last time I used them they might have moved I know there was one in Tikkurila where the car dealer went bankrupt across from Anttila... and then in Ring I and Vihdintie crossing across from the Chrysler dealership under Hoghaus HD is one...

[Keke]

anyone else tried anything else before? use a smaller metal drill bit and drill the bolt into oblivion? or some magical tool that will coaxed the thing out?

Yes, I've tried this before and it worked well. I had a long screw stuck in a plastic plug in the wall and I easily got it out after drilling into it.

I bought a good qulaity drill bit designed for drilling into metal/steel. The drill bit was a few mm smaller in diameter than the screw that was stuck in the wall. This meant I was drilling a hole into the screw. By the time I had drilled the length of the screw, it was easy to pull out of the wall.

I wouldn't risk it with a cheap drill bit, though, as the drill bit might snap off!

[davin]

If you can't remove it, might make less damage leaving it there. Get a large screw or nail, flat face against the bolt/washer/plug then tap with a hammer until its just below the wall surface then fill with fine filler.
worth a try

[DMC]

I would have thought most car spares shops or tool suppliers would stock stud extractors which would do the job. It is really just a tool with a left-hand thread. Usually they come in a set of 3 or so, different sizes. Just don't ask me what it is in Finnish!

[hanj]

got a few metal drill bits to try tomorrow. hope they're good enough.

as for the left-hand thread thing, it seems to be too big for the 6mm diameter bolt in the wall.

let's hope this work...cant leave the hole as it is, the 4 holes is to carry a weight of 10kg, not sure if 3 would do the job.

[davin]

Just another thought.could you glue another m bolt into whats left of the old one. ie use a drop of mitre glue or even evo stick type glue on the end of a bolt, leave it to set then hope that its strong enough to bring the old out with it?