Need advice: Rusty/Rounded Bolt Tools

[MDK22]

So I currently have:

SO Flank Drive + Wrenches
Grey Pneumatic 6s 1/4" Sockets
Mac Tools Edge 3/8" and 1/2" Sockets (Will be buying them only 1 set so far)
Vise Grip that grabs the flats
SO BP Twist Sockets (Only 2 will be buying Turbo socket sets)

Looking for any other really good tools for removing nuts/bolts that are extremely rusty or rounded.

 

[Buckgnarly]

My main go to rusted removal tools are.....Snap on Pliers wrench, every and any turbo socket variety, Kroil... if they fail, then it's oxy acetylene and mini ductor.

 

[Adam.C]

nut splitter

 

[Jim Diesel]

Good quality twist sockets are the way to go. Also if there rusted and you manage to snap the head, a quality set of left hand drill bits and easy outs.

 

[Tim37]

A torch works wonders.

 

[bcradio]

My main go to rusted removal tools are.....Snap on Pliers wrench, every and any turbo socket variety, Kroil... if they fail, then it's oxy acetylene and mini ductor.

You own a mini-ductor? that's pretty nice.

I recommend the bolt out sockets for sometimes helping.

 

[gdocktor3]

I have the Irwin Bolt-Grip Extractor set. Probably same as SO twist sockets, but they work really well. I also have Proto & Matco ratchet wrenches with the spline box end as well as Kobalt pass thru spline sockets. I must say, that universal spline socket design actually works really well. I've even used the ratchet wrenches to remove rounded bolts and they dig in to the fastener so well you almost fight to remove them from the wrench. The Mac spherical sockets have good reviews on removing rounded bolts.

Good price right here with free shipping https://jet.com/product/detail/f43f...UtamZDKGkTuifPMIQJ4O1MRcMc6rQ_QuJgaAjED8P8HAQ

 

[Buckgnarly]

You own a mini-ductor? that's pretty nice.

I recommend the bolt out sockets for sometimes helping.

Yup, got it off CL for 250....probably the best score for me ever as I NEVER see them for sale used. Had my motorcycle at work the day I saw it, strapped it to my back/backpack and rode about 100miles round-trip highway to get it.... was not letting it get away!

Saved me many times working near gas tanks, plus easier to get out than the torch cart.

 

[sberry]

I don't have a single specialty tool for it. Had intended on a set of a thing or 2 but never did.

 

[sqaurelizard]

heat heat and more heat , fasteners that rusty tend to seized as well so all gripping the head does is give you the ability to snap the head of

 

[countryroad82]

Most of the time I rely on the good ol' smoke wrench on bolts that rusty. Because if the bolts are that rusty, the rest of whatever I'm working on isn't in much better shape. I'll also use a smaller size socket and hammer it on, or if it's just the bolt head that's rusted up turbo sockets come into play. It all depends on what it is.

 

[Ign]

This comes up all the time. Recently a member posted an incredibly impressive picture of an assortment of nearly every extractor available. I can't find it now though.

 

[TigerDude]

Knipex pliers wrench

 

[General Geoff]

Knipex Cobra pliers. Those things are no joke, they will bite down and hold onto even the most rounded, rusty bolt head. See Real Tool Reviews' video (skip to 2:30):

I've gotten some ludicrously corroded and rounded fasteners off with Cobras, even bent the handles on a 10" pair by slipping a cheater pipe on the top handle while standing on it. They're amazing.

 

[hautpot]

Swedish pipe wrench
Knipex cobra water pump pliers
Spline sockets

 

[WhiffySpark]

Knipex Cobra pliers. Those things are no joke, they will bite down and hold onto even the most rounded, rusty bolt head. See Real Tool Reviews' video (skip to 2:30):

I've gotten some ludicrously corroded and rounded fasteners off with Cobras, even bent the handles on a 10" pair by slipping a cheater pipe on the top handle while standing on it. They're amazing.

Nut buster/ parrot nose pliers grab even harder

I use my cobras to back up my impacts sometimes. I love them as well lol

 

[geartow]

ChannelLock NutBuster pliers "parrot jaws" or the Snap-On pwz line of plier/wrench . these are my choice of tough headed bolt removal tools.

 

[sberry]

I have never used a Channelock nut buster,,, evidently they do work?

 

[four.cycle]

Craftsman "bolt out" kit - $32

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-10-p...gclid=CPypo5bQ4csCFYdlfgodd70Msw&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[spotco2]

Never underestimate what a sharp chisel and a hammer can do. An automatic center punch will also walk out a rounded off bot or bolt very easily if it is not rusted in place.

 

[MDK22]

Got the pwz set from Snap-On also bought some Mayhew driving end screwdrivers. I have use the Nu-Busters from Channel Lock forgot about them thank you for the reminder.

I own the Irwin Bolt Grip things they are not worth their salt compared to turbo or blue point spiral sockets. They work if there is only surface rust or if the threads are perfect. Otherwise grade 8 or 10.9 bolts just eat the flutes right off of them.

I use the sharp chisel/center punch on occasion but, in most cases as with the pwz pliers accessibility is normally an issue. I also use propane, map, and/or acetylene when needed.

I keep thinking about those Bolt-Out sockets from craftsman they are usa made so i will have to giv ethem a go.

Keep the tools coming i want to have just about everything.

 

[skruft]

Others have named about everything I know of. Of course there are all kinds of screw extractors or "ezy-outs" and drills. Some people will chisel a slot into a nut and then hammer it counter-clockwise.

Someone makes an air hammer attachment that bangs on the area around the bolt to loosen rust.

I had a real problem recently, a large flat head machine screw, with a hex drive to turn it that was too small for the size of the bolt. Being flat-head, it could not be gripped with anything. I thought I would never get it out. The lesson from that was never to install one without anti-seize all over it.

 

[sberry]

Looking for any other really good tools for removing nuts/bolts that are extremely rusty or rounded.

A torch and a welder. A welder can do something a non welder just absolutely cant do and often its a fast first option vs a last resort.

 

[four.cycle]

I keep thinking about those Bolt-Out sockets from craftsman they are usa made so i will have to give them a go.

should have included pics:



^ that's a Grade 8 3/8-24 blade bolt that was frozen in a lawnmower crankshaft.
fought with that blade bolt for a whole day before I drove over to Sears and got that kit. did the trick - mission accomplished.

 

[abvw]

Grip-Tite sockets are one of my last resort before the air hammer or torch comes out, it will grab a fastener rounded by a turbo socket, since it works on the flats not the corners.

You can never have too many extractors!

 

[Pipe]

I use my small 110 mig for extracting and shrinking races more than I weld with it. Absolutely invaluable. Otherwise vise grips, pwz pliers, and blue point twist sockets do the trick for rounded but not necessarily rusted stuff.

 

[MikeF2316]

Grip-Tite sockets are one of my last resort before the air hammer or torch comes out, it will grab a fastener rounded by a turbo socket, since it works on the flats not the corners.

You can never have too many extractors!

I second the Grip-Tite sockets. Around here a bolt head can be rusted to near roundness while the threads are still OK. Grip-Tites excel in these situations