Thread: drilling out a easy out. Help

Originally Posted by incisor

lime can be your friend if you have a broken tap, drill or ezyout in an object you can pack it around to slow down the cooling rate.

heat the tap drill or ezyout to cherry red then surround the item in a heap of lime.

leave a few hours and then using the hardest drill you can obtain and cutting fluid such as rocol or trefalex you can use the drill at a much slower than normal speed to erode / remove the object of your attention.

certainly not suitable for all occasions but it can be a life saver at times.

+1 on this. Tho a hell of a lot easier if the job can be set up in a drill press/mill.

Also had success (at times) using sharpened masonary drill bits to drill hard material when there is nothing else available.

Welder and a nut is the usual tool of choice for removing broken/seized bolts at work.

"Paint them green and throw them into long grass"... Now I like that! Sadly I'm with the majority here... Easy outs are about as much use as tits on a bull.. That said, once they've been heated to a dull red, they become reasonably soft. Funnily enough, I had to remove one from a Fendt tractor water pump last week. There's obviously not enough of it showing to grip it with vice grips, but remove the manifold if you can. Once removed, you need to find an M12 or M14 half nut. Have the spanner that fits said nut close at hand. Using pliers, place the nut over the hole with the broken easy out. Use a Mig welder (test on scrap steel first to know you have it set right), spot/puddle weld the top of the easy out to the inside of the nut.. (In effect now making a course left handed bolt). While the newly welded nut is still hot, turn it either clockwise to remove the easy out, or you might be really lucky and be able to turn it anti clockwise and remove the broken stud you were originally trying to extract.. If the nut breaks off, try again with another. This often works for me.
The other option if you don't have suitable nuts to hand is a small piece of 25x3 flat bar (approx 150mm long) with a hole drilled in it. Place this over the hole and try and weld the easy out to it. Then use it to unscrew the easy out.. Good luck!