# stupid me, broke a bolt in a cast plate.



## My Oslo heats my home (Sep 12, 2011)

Need some suggestions please. I soaked 2 rear heat shield bolts with wd-40 , in order to remove them the next day. One of them came right out the other did not. Last night I drilled out the broken bolt piece in order to use an "easy out". All went well to this point. I then heated the area with a propane torch and quickly cooled it. I then began to work the easy out and snap. Now the hole is filled with hardened steel. Any suggestions?


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## semipro (Sep 12, 2011)

I've had to use a cutting torch when this has happened before.  Usually you can blow the easy out away without damaging the casting if you're careful.  The castings is much larger so it doesn't get a hot as quickly as will the easy out.

Edit: BTW, WD-40 was probably not the best thing to use as a penetrating oil.  Its a water dispersant.  Its not a particularly good lubricant either.


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## WES999 (Sep 12, 2011)

I guess it's too late to say "never use a easy-out on a frozen bolt". If you can heat the easy out red hot and let it cool slowly you may be able to anneal it enough to drill it out. You could also try a carbide tipped masonry drill bit. WD-40 is not very good, try some PB blaster. Good luck.

In situations like it is usually best to just drill out the broken bolt and re tap the treads. If a bolt/screw is frozen enough to snap the head off it will likely snap the easy-out.


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## My Oslo heats my home (Sep 12, 2011)

definitely learned my lesson here. Do they make carbide bits other than masonry that will do the same thing? Funny thing was, when I drilled out the remaining bolt I had removed like 80% of the material, I thought for sure the easy out would have taken the remaining parts out. I can just hear it saying "not so fast mister". 

I think I'll try the carbide bit attempt first. I don't have access to heat that will get this anywhere near red hot. Worst case I will have to get the stove apart and get the panel to a local welding shop to burn it out.
Thanks fellas


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## Dune (Sep 13, 2011)

You can buy solid carbide bits for metal. The bit may cost more than the stove part you are trying to fix.

The last one I bought cost $95.

That being said, you can drill metal with a carbide masonry bit as well, and they are cheap.

That being said, this is how I would fix it; I would weld a nut to whatever is left in there, with a super-high strength rod such as MG600.

After allowing it to thouroughly cool in air, I would unscrew the bolt/whatever.

This method has never failed for me, but I use MG600. I know of no other similar rod.

Since you are on the south shore, and I am on the Cape I will be glad to help you with this for free, just to meet another member.

The last thing I fixed using this method was a harley cylinder head. The mechanic broke a tap off in a rocker cover hole.


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## raybonz (Sep 13, 2011)

My Oslo heats my home said:
			
		

> definitely learned my lesson here. Do they make carbide bits other than masonry that will do the same thing? Funny thing was, when I drilled out the remaining bolt I had removed like 80% of the material, I thought for sure the easy out would have taken the remaining parts out. I can just hear it saying "not so fast mister".
> 
> I think I'll try the carbide bit attempt first. I don't have access to heat that will get this anywhere near red hot. Worst case I will have to get the stove apart and get the panel to a local welding shop to burn it out.
> Thanks fellas



I would be hesitant to use that kind of heat on cast iron..If you can grab the bolt/threads with a pair of vice grips I suggest soaking with PB Blaster then clamp the vice grips (real peterson long nose type vice grips may be best) gently rock CW then CCW etc. until you can remove the bolt.. I used Never Seize on my CDW bolts and never had one seize.. I suggest you reassemble using Never Seize to save future headaches..

My 2 cents..

Ray


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## WES999 (Sep 13, 2011)

My Oslo heats my home said:
			
		

> definitely learned my lesson here. Do they make carbide bits other than masonry that will do the same thing? Funny thing was, when I drilled out the remaining bolt I had removed like 80% of the material, I thought for sure the easy out would have taken the remaining parts out. I can just hear it saying "not so fast mister".
> 
> I think I'll try the carbide bit attempt first. I don't have access to heat that will get this anywhere near red hot. Worst case I will have to get the stove apart and get the panel to a local welding shop to burn it out.
> Thanks fellas



Go to MSC and look for carbide tipped die drills. Solid carbide is more expensive and more likely to break in a hand drill.


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## nate379 (Sep 13, 2011)

Cobalt steel bit might work.  I have used them to drill through leaf springs and stainless steel, both aren't usually drillable with normal bits.


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## Dune (Sep 13, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> Cobalt steel bit might work.  I have used them to drill through leaf springs and stainless steel, both aren't usually drillable with normal bits.



No, you will not drill through an easy out with a cobalt bit.


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## fbelec (Sep 13, 2011)

there can't be to much of that easy out in that hole. it broke already. how about a sacrificial drift pin or punch and see if you can break some more of the easy out so that you can try drilling again. i hate easy outs. i would love to find the guy that name that one. drill one size at a time until you get where you can run a tap in there to clean it up.


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## nate379 (Sep 13, 2011)

Dunno never tried, never broke an easy out before.  If a bolt won't come out I bust out the torch or plasma cutter.



			
				Dune said:
			
		

> NATE379 said:
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> 
> 
> ...


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## ironpony (Sep 13, 2011)

if you need to do this again
soak bolt and use a left handed drill bit
usually by the time you drill it out
it breaks free and spins out


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## Cowboy Billy (Sep 13, 2011)

Dune said:
			
		

> That being said, this is how I would fix it; I would weld a nut to whatever is left in there, with a super-high strength rod such as MG600.
> 
> After allowing it to thouroughly cool in air, I would unscrew the bolt/whatever.
> 
> ...




   Welding a nut to the bolt is the best method. I've done it a lot with my old tractors with a lot of success.

Billy


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## My Oslo heats my home (Sep 13, 2011)

Thanks fellas, all kinds of great advice. Since the stove is double paneled on the rear I think I'm going to try and clean it out here before having to take it apart. Worst case I may take Dune up on his offer and take a nice ride to the sandy dunes of CC. Ray, theres not enough remaining bolt or easy out left to grab with any tools whatsoever. It's just about flush with the rear plate. I'm off to the dump (home depot) to see what they have. Will update when I get deeper into my mess. Thanks!


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## WES999 (Sep 13, 2011)

Another idea, use a dremel grinder and a small stone ( you will go through a bunch) to grind the easy-out away. Then drill.


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## peakbagger (Sep 13, 2011)

If the stove was apart, a machine shop can use a device called an "elox". It uses somehting called electrical discharge machining(EDM). It works great but is not portable.


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## WES999 (Sep 13, 2011)

Watch the video, this is the hot set-up.
http://www.electroarc.com/?gclid=CPae-IOlm6sCFQHf4Aodvgryiw

We used to have one of these in our machine shop,... until some pointy headed bean counter decided we did not need it :roll:


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## Corey (Sep 14, 2011)

You're probably interested in the part from about 1:16 on.


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## My Oslo heats my home (Sep 15, 2011)

The update to my original stupidity. As dunes suggested earlier, a carbide tipped masonry bit did the trick. I have to say I have never used masonry bits on steel before and to watch this bit go through hardened steel like it was nothing was incredible. The bit went through at a steady consistent pace that sometimes you didn't know if it was working or not. 
To do this right I took off the rear outside panel. Since the hole is slightly offset now I was able to clean it up and put it online for the burnplate holes. I can now use nut and bolt instead of rethreading.


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