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General Topics/Tech TipsDiscussion on break in periods, rider comfort, seats and pad suggestions. Tech tips as they become available will be posted here.
I picked this up from a video where it was mentioned in passing and am posting in case someone is having trouble getting a broken bolt out. I've repeatedly had success getting broken Grade 8 bolts with blue Loctite out using this method and have managed to avoid pulling anything apart or taking it to a machine shop. The bolt below is in my transmission but this should work about anywhere as long as you have a straight shot at the hole. What you need is a door hinge centering bit and the retractable 'sheath' of the bit needs to be as close to the same as the ID of the hole as possible. Pretty simple but has saved me hours of work and who knows how much money. It's especially helpful when the bolt breaks off unevenly which makes the drill bit want to wander at first.
Here's the step by step: Broken bolt deep in the hole. Door hinge centering bit Check the length of what's broken off inside against one that isn't broken if possible to make sure you don't go too deep. Adjust the bit in the centering tool per the measurement you just made. You need to use hardened drill bits for this job. If you have Left Hand bits more power to you. Either way, make sure you use a little cutting oil. I used WD40 because of the straw. Now you've got your centered hole, not perfect but close enough to work. Time to step up bit size. Once the bit is too big for the centering tool you can mark depth with tape. Be cautious and take it slow, you don't want to get sideways now that you're not using the tool. Once the drilled hole is big enough tap in your extraction bit with a hammer. Take it slow and turn it by hand. You'll feel it give when the extractor bites and starts turning the bolt. Don't use a drill for this step. There ya go! An extracted Grade 8 bolt. Now figure out why it broke so you don't have to keep doing this.
Anyway, I'm not any kind of expert but I like the DIY ethos and am always thankful for the tips and insights people around here give. Hope this helps you if you're having trouble.
Wish I'd since this a couple months ago but thanks for sharing! I actually didn't know these bits existed and they would have saved me some $$ and headache!
Totally right! Probably more important in a higher torque situation, but never wrong to do things the right way.
I've never heard of a door hinge centering bit. Thanks for the tip. I've drilled out a few broken bolts over the years, keeping the bit centered has always been a Pita.
That's one of my pet peeves. Like a grammar/punctuation AT types just have to say something or they'll explode, I get weird when somebody uses a wrench or god in heaven channel locks backwards...
OP, nice tip on the mortising bits, never thought about those, I've got a few drill bushings I use when I can.
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Easy(ish) broken bolt extraction method
