hi all
Ive come into some difficulty when trying to disasemble my takuma v100. I'm new to foiling and I made the mistake of over tightening the allen key when I set up and then rounding it when I went to loosen it. I was wondering if anyone knows any tips or tricks when it comes to removing rounded bolts. Do you think a screw extractor would work or is it likely to damage the thread in the hole?
Cheers
fergus

Fergus,
I just helped a mate remove three bolts from hi aluminium setup.
Get the suttons Bolt extractor set and matching drill bits and cutting oil. Find a propane gas torch.
Method: secure the mast so you can drop into the Bolt without the mast moving. Drill 1 inch deep, heat the madt carefully for around 5 mins. Put the extractor in (watch you tube clips) then wind out.
If your not handy with tools, head to your local engineering work shop.
Good luck
Horey

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horey69 said..
Fergus,
I just helped a mate remove three bolts from his aluminium setup.
Get the suttons Bolt extractor set and matching drill bits and cutting oil. Find a propane gas torch.
Method: secure the mast so you can drop into the Bolt without the mast moving. Drill 1 inch deep, heat the madt carefully for around 5 mins. Put the extractor in (watch you tube clips) then wind out.
If your not handy with tools, head to your local engineering work shop.
Good luck
Horey

Thanks heaps
ill give it a shot this weekend.

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FergusMartin said..
hi all
Ive come into some difficulty when trying to disasemble my takuma v100. I'm new to foiling and I made the mistake of over tightening the allen key when I set up and then rounding it when I went to loosen it. I was wondering if anyone knows any tips or tricks when it comes to removing rounded bolts. Do you think a screw extractor would work or is it likely to damage the thread in the hole?
Cheers
fergus

I just solved the same problem by drilling a small hole either side of the rounded off Allen key hole, then drilling slightly horizontally to create a groove - undid the bolt easily with a big flat blade screwdriver. Spray with WD40 before drilling.
Worked easily for me - might be worth a try

I've drilled to hex head off then drilled the bolt out successfully with the thread winding out as it's drilled out but it needs to be done right or you'll screw the thread..

Maybe use a Dremel to cut a slot in the head and try a flat screwdriver.

Thanks for all the ideas, I reckon at just about all of these will work. You're all legends

If its seized and not just rounded then you might also try the heat and candle wax trick (though you'll need something to grip to turn the bolt so might need to saw a notch).

Worked for me when I broke the head off a bolt attaching the rear stabiliser (so could grip the bolt thread with a pair of stilsons) and wd-40 wasn't doing anything even when left to soak for several days. In my case I had access so made a notch with a hack saw but even then it wasn't coming free and just bent the part of the bolt that I had cut.

Basically you heat with a hot air gun. Apply wax to end of bolt so that it drips into the thread. Repeat for about 15 minutes. Don't know why it works but it did for me and I was more or less ready at the point of paying a welder to tack a bolt onto the end.

The full fall back solution would be to weld something to the top to grip. Sometimes just the heat alone is enough to free the corrosion but there is a danger of ruining things further if you don't have a lot of space to make the weld.