Busted off a very small bolt

[Fixed]

Removed the surface burner heads on a gas stove for cleaning. Unfortunately broke off one of the bolts.

It's the lower left one in the picture.

I've never tried to remove a bolt this small before... What is the smallest bolt I can use a 5/64 left-handed drill bit on? I think that's the smallest one that is readily available.

Any tips on not messing this up even more would be appreciated.

 

[BORING HOP YARD]

Hey Fixed.
Man you need to move slowly here in my opinion.
Do you have a good success rate at removing broken bolts?
It looks like the stove could function without the broken bolt.
Were you able to remove the last bolt on the right?
Here is what I do, turn to the left and then back to the right, back and forth while turning the bolt out.
Harbor freight has "easyouts" that may work better than left hander drills.
Hope for your success!
Greg

 

[Chateau Slate 66]

That looks like it is going to need more than a left-handed drill bit. I would get some type of EZ out and use the appropriate drill bit size that goes with it. I can't tell from the pic what size it is, but you can actually drill them out quite a bit before you get into the threaded area. As always, it's very important to start in the exact center and drill straight. Take your time. Breaking off a drill bit or EZ out in the hole will really wreck your day. After you drill, apply some heat with a mini torch and follow up with some penetrant before inserting the EZ out.

 

[rustytruck66]

Technically with a 5/64" drill you could go all the way down to a #3 screw. Its hard to get a sense of scale from the picture but i bet that would be a #8 or #10 machine screw. If it were me I would start by giving it a good soak in some penetrating oil. Heating it up a little before hand will help the oil **** down into the treads. Is it broken in a blind hole? If not, use a standard drill bit and it might break free and come out the opposite side. If its blind I would give the left hand drill a try and if it doesn't back out on its own, then you can give the easy-out a try. Personally. Ive never met an easy-out that was easy..

 

[sometoyotaguy]

I'd try to drill it out and retap it.

 

[Doug Arthurs]

ya I would run the lefty in there if it doesn't come out skip the easy out and just drill and retap.

 

[LXCam]

Looks like a thru hole to me. If so soak that thing, heat it up and use a right hand drill bit on it and run it thru.

 

[ADSR]

Drop a small nut over it and mig it to it. Let it cool and back it out.

 

[AJ.]

Have a look here http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6160880&postcount=8

Cheers Andrew

 

[sberry]

I would also weld it out.

 

[kkroger]

I'd TIG it up a bit use some Kroil or Parrafin on it while hot then use a vise grip to wiggle it loose then unscrew it.

 

[rockinacummins]

Drop a small nut over it and mig it to it. Let it cool and back it out.

This.

 

[claymont]

Removed the surface burner heads on a gas stove for cleaning. Unfortunately broke off one of the bolts.

It's the lower left one in the picture.

I've never tried to remove a bolt this small before... What is the smallest bolt I can use a 5/64 left-handed drill bit on? I think that's the smallest one that is readily available.

Any tips on not messing this up even more would be appreciated.

What size are the screws? That will determine largest drill size you can use. Search for tap drill sizes on internet. This is for if you're going retap, if you're going to use an easy out the drill size will be smaller. There is information on the internet as to sizing for this also. Heat the area around the screw with a propane torch, not the screw itself, and apply a little penetrant. Tap on the screw with small rod(smaller than the diameter of the screw body), preferably made out of aluminum. Even the end of a small philips screw driver will work in a pinch. The idea is to break the rust bond between the screw and the burner without mushrooming/expanding the screw into the body of the burner. Do the "heat and beat" a few times to see if that will loosen things up some. Then, if you have a very small center punch or a small chisle, try to rotate the screw out by applying force to the outside of the screw. If it doesn't move, center punch the center of the screw and drill for either an easy out or tapdrill size; which ever you want to try next. I'd do the easy out first because if that fails, you can then drill for tap drill size. This requires that you have these tools on hand or can borrow or have a friend that does. If not, it's probably cheaper to take it to a place that can do it for you.
Another option is to leave it alone if you're not getting the right flame pattern out of the burner, just use a drill that fits the holes in the burner to ream them out.

 

[trackwelder]

I would take a washer with a hole smaller than the diameter of the bolt and plug weld the hole. Set a nut over the plug weld and weld. Grab a wrench or socket and back it out. If it breaks off repeat the same steps again. I have never failed to get one out this way.

 

[Fixed]

Thanks a lot for the responses guys. I was in a rush, should have been patient and hit it with liquid wrench heat, etc instead of just using more force.

I'm going to try some of the stuff suggested, and I'll post the results here.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[EdT]

It's likely that the other end of the broken screw extends out the other side of the piece it's screwed into.I don't know how your stove is made, but it might be possible to get ahold of the protruding part of the screw from the back of the panel. That may also be impossible or unreasonable to do, but it's worth looking at and you might be able to avoid welding which, BTW, works very well if you're careful.

 

[kkroger]

If it is just a #10 take a plasma and just blow straight through it, I've done that before, knock the dross out of the hole run a drill through it and re-tap, did it even with a broken tap...

 

[matt_i]

If you can remove the larger assembly, oxyacetylene heat is the most powerful tool in the shop. If you have a milling machine and can set the part up to use a spot drill and then core a small hole thru even better with the LH bit. I prefer the ez-outs with 4 flutes as they will slip and not expand a thin sleeve even tighter with their powerful wedging action.

 

[Fixed]

Hi guys. Been busy with school so have been putting off this PITA.

Soaked the thing in PB Blaster for 72hrs, then hit it with a propane torch, drilled a hole and tried using an extractor.

Could just be my incompetence, but that bolt was REALLY seized, and I busted the extractor off in it.

Threw it in the scrap bin, ordered a new assembly.

Lesson learned, I will definitely try a different technique next time I come across something like this, I wasn't confident that I could precisely weld a nut to such a small area, but next time I think I'll take the risk!

Thanks again for the advice guys.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I have a big assortment of easy-outs that I don't use anymore. Now I go directly to drill and heli-coil. In the case of too small for the heli-coil assortment I have on hand I would drill and tap, oversize if I had to.

 

[danbuff]

Hi guys. Been busy with school so have been putting off this PITA.

Soaked the thing in PB Blaster for 72hrs, then hit it with a propane torch, drilled a hole and tried using an extractor.

Could just be my incompetence, but that bolt was REALLY seized, and I busted the extractor off in it.

Threw it in the scrap bin, ordered a new assembly.

Lesson learned, I will definitely try a different technique next time I come across something like this, I wasn't confident that I could precisely weld a nut to such a small area, but next time I think I'll take the risk!

Thanks again for the advice guys.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Practice weld on the scrap one.. You know the future holds at least one more snapped screw/bolt.

 

[ww_big_al]

My take on this is if the screw breaks off because it is rusted in place, eazy outs are the worse things to use. They will normally break off leaving you into a mess. If you drill a hole and can heat the part up red, then they may work, or it may expand the screw tighter in the hole. Best luck I've had has been welding a nut onto it then penetrating oil. The heat from welding expands the screw thread causing micro cracks in the rust for the oil.

If that don't work then drill and tap.

 

[IndyGarage]

PB blaster works fine sometimes, but it is a first option, not the last.

That would have been a 5 minute job with a mig welder and a couple small nuts.

As others have said - just place a nut over the broken bolt, run the mig wire through the center of the nut and hit the broken off bolt first, then fill the center of the nut with weld. This does two things, first it heats up the broken bolt and breaks the rust, then it welds the nut to the end of the broken bolt. Let it cool a couple minutes then turn it out with the nut.

Sometimes it takes multiple tries with that method - especially the first couple times you try it, because you are timid - I just grab my box full of random surplus hardware and go at it.

You might think you are going to damage the part, but I never have - it has worked every time for me, and I've done it hundreds of times.

 

[CoogarXR]

I don't think I have ever had an ez-out actually work, lol.

 

[Professur]

My first thought looking at that would have been Dremel. Slot it, warm up the piece, give it a good smack with an impact driver and drive it out the far side.

 

[NASTYZEN]

I get **** like this all the time. If the break is at an angle, grind it flat. next center punch it in the MIDDLE. Use a good quality drill bit of the proper size for the thread needed and drill it out and tap. done!
I use a hand drill. when the bit wanders off center I angle it in the opposite direction a little until it centers and usually once your down over an 1/8th of an inch it stays centered.

 

[pepi]

Drop a small nut over it and mig it to it. Let it cool and back it out.

That's a joke right?

 

[Tig Master]

No not a joke i have never been stumped with the weld washer and nut ever.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=weld...4JXSAhUX_mMKHUqXCYMQ_AUICSgC&biw=1536&bih=720

Tig

 

[rustyjames]

I gave up on EZ outs and small screws/bolts. I just carefully drill and retap, worse case scenario Heli-Coil.

 

[Milton Shaw]

Most of those screws are seized in the hole and will brake off or round out the head. When you do get it out make sure you use anti seize on the next one so it will come out 5 years from now. Seen them break off on brand new cooktops when taking them off to replace broken glass. They are really a ***** to work on, small and delicate into pot-metal.