> Would anyone have any tips on how to remove rusted nuts and bolts
Depends a lot on the situation, but here's some thoughts :
All penetrating oils are not created equal, IMO PB Blaster works much better
than Liquid Wrench, with Kroil being a close second. WD-40 is absolutely
worthless for this. Also, it frequently helps to try to tighten the
bolt/nut just a bit before removing it, helps break things loose. Once it
moves a little bit, keep wiggling it back and forth, don't just try to force
it off.
'Slight' heat is no good, get that thing as hot as you can without setting
something on fire. Somewhere around dull red, almost anything will come
loose. I've had nuts that would only turn when they were near red heat, I
had to reheat several times to get them off.
A grinder with a cut-off wheel can be very handy. I use a 4" cheapie angle
grinder from HF (frequently on sale for $20) with cut-off wheels from Home
Depot. (HF no longer sells them, perhaps for liability reasons.) In tight
quarters, a die grinder (again with a cutoff wheel) may work better, and you
can even use a Dremel if you have to (but they sure cut slow !) Be sure to
wear eye protection, those wheels sometimes break and throw shards at you.
After you've cut the head off and removed whatever part was being held,
frequently a pipe wrench or a pair of vice grips will turn the stub left
behind.
Drilling is strictly a last resort, but if you do, use the grinder to create
a flat surface as much as possible, then center punch the center of the
bolt. Drill as straight as you can, with a drill slightly smaller than the
minor diameter of the threads (ie one that will pass through a nut of the
same thread). If you're careful, you may be able to pick out the leftover
bits of bolt and save the threads in the part. I've seen left-handed drills
(in a reversing drill motor obviously) suggested for this step, but never
tried it myself. If you don't save the threads of course, you'll be looking
for thread repair inserts. But that's a whole 'nother topic.
For nuts, there is a tool called a nut splitter that will usually break the
nut open without damaging the bolt/stud threads. For example, go to
www.harborfreight.com and search for item 40929.
Randall
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