Perfect screw extraction - GIF

**Jon** · Jun 15, 2021, 01:17 PM

A rare perfect screw extraction, on a conveniently large lag screw, that was soft and easy to drill, and that also looks like it could've been done with vise-grips anyway, if this were an ad for vise-grips, and not for a screw extractor.

Previously:

Bone screw with opposing threads - photo
Correct way to drive a screw - GIF
Giant ground screw - photo and video
Deck screw box with built-in deck board drilling template - photo
1871 automatic screw-making machine - video and photo

**Frank S** · Jun 15, 2021, 11:39 PM

Rare indeed Mechanics welders and a couple of machinist average once or twice a month bringing me something with a broken bolt or fitting in something they had attempted to extract and exhausted every means available to them.
There are possibly 100s of different screw extractor designs through out the world but I find that unless the person knows what they are doing before attempting the task they are better off leaving it alone.
Even in this video ad for the extractor it is clear the guy was not a professional at removing broken bolts or he would have ground or filed the bolt to have a flat surface enabling him to locate the exact center he very nearly drilled far enough off center to the point that had this been a broken bolt in hard material the swelling would have prevented its removal

**old kodger** · Jun 17, 2021, 04:47 PM

The only time I've been successful in using an "easy-out" was on a drywall fixing that had it's screwdriver lugs turned off. But hey, if push came to shove I could have cut out the whole damned thing and patched the hole.
My absolute terror is breaking an extractor bit in the hole, .......what then?

**Jon** · Jun 17, 2021, 05:51 PM

Originally Posted by old kodger

My absolute terror is breaking an extractor bit in the hole, .......what then?

If the screw is small enough, and the broken screw is in wood, then you try one of these and break it too.

**Frank S** · Jun 17, 2021, 06:07 PM

"" My absolute terror is breaking an extractor bit in the hole, .......what then?""
Then you make a trip to a really well stocked welding supply , ask for a few stud removal rods one great brand is AMTEC 264 thye are blue in color and have a tensil of up to 250,000 PSI . They have a heavy flux and are a straight arc type rod meaning the arc does not splay off to the sides at all and can with practice be used to weld out a broken stud a few inches below the surface . it works best if you can take a torch and burn off any oil and heat before welding if the stud is flush with the surface just get a washer with the same size ID as the OD of the stud weld it to the stud then Peen and peen until flat then weld a nut to the washer. while the stud and weld is hot from welding but not red spray your favorite penetrating oil around the hole until nearly cool then try to gently work the nut back and forth until loose and it come out sometimes this procedure may have to be repeated as few times before the stud is fully extracted as it sometimes will break off one thread at a time
If welding is not an option and you have already broken an extractor then a sacrificial end mill ran at very high RPMs using a pecking procedure may be your only option left to you

**old kodger** · Jun 18, 2021, 04:29 PM

Hi Frank,
What I actually do is not use an easy-out type thing at all. I meticulously find the center of the offending "bolt" and carefully drill down to the bottom with a drill marginally smaller than the tapping drill, take out the body of the bolt then run a tap back down to remove the threads.