Easy Outs

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Reminds me, until the place closed, I had a Engine reconditioning/refurbishing shop near me.
One of the best services the did was portable "spark eroding" at a good price.
Of course it would be cheaper if you took the part to them.

 

[V6BOY]

I don't actually need them yet just would be good to have in my toolbox. I got lucky on the weekend I snapped the head off a sump bolt on a partner van but managed to knock it loose with a punch.

 

[pedrobedro]

I've had some easy outs (stud extractors) for years and used them about 3 times. I've never broken one simply because I use the biggest one possible for the job.

 

[waddycall]

I've used easy outs a fair few times and only ever snapped one through misuse! As previously said use heat to free up the thread and the easy out to wind it out.

 

[arther dailey]

I have had a good set for the last 25 years, never broke one,so they were good, so good in fact some little scrote has nicked them.
So resorted to sticking an oversize nut over broken stud, weld inside to join the two, let it cool on its own,then spanner it out, never failed to work yet.Arther

 

[tinman123]

I agree with whats been said but there are times when they are very useful as long as you are aware of their limitations.

If a bolt/stud has snapped due to being seized then the easy will do nothing without some extra intervention. If you warm it first and then use a left hand drill. The key is knowing the feel of how much pressure you can put on and not drill the hole so big that the easy out expands what's left and makes the problem worse. If the remains don't move easily then take the easy out out and go for another heat cycle. I've had them come loose after several heat cycles, seems like a pain at the time but far less drama than redrilling/taping or trying to remove a broken easy out.

good advice there imo.

I don't actually need them yet just would be good to have in my toolbox. I got lucky on the weekend I snapped the head off a sump bolt on a partner van but managed to knock it loose with a punch.

a easy out will work very well in that case.

i have a few sets of easy outs here, of varying types from the tapered pig tail type to the straight fluted ones with splines.
ive removed studs that the head was wrung off because it was siezed but you have to know the feel of them, its a bit of an art but 9 times out of ten you need heat as well.

out of all the sets i have here this type is the most universal i find, for the smaller stuff at least.

not a cheap set but they tend not to swell the stud too much and will spin in the hole you drilled before they snap off so you have some hope if it goes wrong.
indeed ive never snapped one of this type but i have wore the splines down from use on the smaller ones in the set.
i have the sykes pickavant set which is similar to the facom one above for the best end of 20 years and they have served me well, i wouldnt be without them.

stay away from the cheaper easy outs, they will only make things worse.

 

[the snooper]

good advice there imo.

a easy out will work very well in that case.

i have a few sets of easy outs here, of varying types from the tapered pig tail type to the straight fluted ones with splines.
ive removed studs that the head was wrung off because it was siezed but you have to know the feel of them, its a bit of an art but 9 times out of ten you need heat as well.

out of all the sets i have here this type is the most universal i find, for the smaller stuff at least.

not a cheap set but they tend not to swell the stud too much and will spin in the hole you drilled before they snap off so you have some hope if it goes wrong.
indeed ive never snapped one of this type but i have wore the splines down from use on the smaller ones in the set.
i have the sykes pickavant set which is similar to the facom one above for the best end of 20 years and they have served me well, i wouldnt be without them.

stay away from the cheaper easy outs, they will only make things worse.

these are the only type ive ever had success with

 

[doubleboost]

I do loads of snapped bolts
I always use left hand drills (not cheap but they often screw out the stud)
I have a set of "Rigid" parallel easy outs (very good)
Often a nut welded on to a stud works (the heat from the weld makes a massive difference)
Once some one has "had a go" the price starts to increase

 

[tinman123]

Once some one has "had a go" the price starts to increase

that craic just maddens me, they try it themselves first, normally with a hand drill and a blindfold from what i see, then when they realize they havnt got a mission at what they are at it lands here, as you say, the cost goes up then because ten times out of ten they have tried to drill it a mile off center and far from straight.
last one i had in here they drilled half ways between the stud and the metal, FFs what were they thinking.
if you cant do it leave it alone and give it to someone who knows what they are at.

 

[Kram]

I have used a HSS lathe blank. Chuck it in drill and use grinder to put a slight taper. Then cut some straight, shallow LH flutes, like a carbide burr but not so many.

Ive used easy outs. They dont work, but when they break the tip can be removed quite easy. Carbide drills or burrs will also go straight through them.

 

[Pete.]

Just recently I had to remve a broken exhaust stud that not only had a snapped easy-out in it, but someone had also tried to chain-drill around the outside to remove it and broken off several 2.5mm drill bits in the process.

I made a tool that looked like this

And a guide for it to keep it on location

Then went on to drill over the top and melt back the easy-out with my tig in several steps (not to mention several broken tangs on my tool

After that I built up the end of the stud with weld

Then welded a nut on a turned the remains out with a spanner

The guide worked perfectly and there was enough left behind to use a longer stud

 

[Bill Edwards]

Just recently I had to remve a broken exhaust stud that not only had a snapped easy-out in it, but someone had also tried to chain-drill around the outside to remove it and broken off several 2.5mm drill bits in the process.

I made a tool that looked like this

View attachment 83223
And a guide for it to keep it on location

View attachment 83224

Then went on to drill over the top and melt back the easy-out with my tig in several steps (not to mention several broken tangs on my tool

View attachment 83225

After that I built up the end of the stud with weld

View attachment 83226

Then welded a nut on a turned the remains out with a spanner

View attachment 83227

The guide worked perfectly and there was enough left behind to use a longer stud

View attachment 83228

View attachment 83229

That's excellent thinking, with your special drill...

 

[Cobbler]

It amazes me the lack of feeling & the butchery that some people will go to, I've just been trying to remove a 3/8 UNC high tensile bolt in an alloy head that my sons got. Whoever built it up last time bottomed out a bolt that was too long & broke it off just proud. I welded a nut on the remains & ended up with 15 inch Stilsons on the nut to get enough purchase. I ended up with as much force as I could get on the Stilsons before the bolt broke off again & I had to drill it out. The torque that must have been put on that bolt original must have been huge to break it off, you would have thought it would have told them something was wrong & it wasn't going to go & the bolt was wrong.

 

[pedrobedro]

I lent my stud extractor set to a friend the other day to get a broken bolt out of a flywheel. I told him to use the biggest possible and he brought them back unused. As he was drilling the bit stuck in the piece of bolt and unscrewed it out the back of the hole. Jammy sod.

 

[Robotstar5]

As he was drilling the bit stuck in the piece of bolt and unscrewed it out the back of the hole. Jammy sod.

I've had that happen a couple of times, couldn't believe my luck

 

[brewdexta]

I had a stud broken on the dexta timing case, it was a PITA to remove so I have just bought a set of 5 Irwin M42 steel (supposedly 8% Cobalt) left handed drills from the bay of evil (Irwin item code 30520, flea bay 152038209157). They seem to get a good review unlike some other left handers I've looked at.

Unfortunely its from the US, I could only find one UK supplier but minimum order of 5 units, the seller sends it via the global shipping programme so allegedly no import taxes however not sure if I will escape from any royal mail handling charges. I shall let you know.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

I got my left handers from my steel suppliers, not the most expensive, but served me well.
I saw a set today in a decent fastener supplier set of 10 for £20, plus VAT. 5 imperial and 5 metric.

 

[ronan]

I have never been defeated removing stuck studs or sheared bolts, by tig welding on a t-bar to the head of it, it has always worked for me, probably due to the heat involved.

 

[Shox Dr]

Just recently I had to remve a broken exhaust stud that not only had a snapped easy-out in it, but...

Most excellant result Pete. I trust you charged acordingly.


I won't touch, broken studs anymore. At least other peoples woe. They don'tunderstand the grief they cause, so are unwilling to pay a reasonable amount to get the damn thing out.

 

[the snooper]

I think those that sell the extractors and label them, easy outs want prosecuting for the description of the things, nothing easy with them, the tapered type ive never had success with on a stubborn snapped bolt, I think they make things worse by expanding whats left as you wind them in