Thread: The restoration of Wombat

Hello Crackers,

I belong to a tractor forum that has a number of engineers that contribute to the thread. There has been discussion about tests conducted using a 50/50 mix of acetone and either WD40, or automatic transmission fluid, or vegetable oil to make your own penetrating oil. There was also a study done by the Machinist's Workshop magazine in their April 2007 issue - their results are mentioned in the YouTube clip...

Yes, acetone is a highly flammable and toxic chemical - definitely not a "green" option = handle with care.

https://www.engineeringforchange.org...enetrating-oil

There is a Youtube clip about ATF and acetone mix - [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WuVBFTzoKc[/ame]

Another forum that mentions the article is http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb...ing-oil-196347

Some people swear by the mix and others claim that it makes no difference at all. It seems that you might like to include this option in your arsenal against the bolt.

Could you turn the part of the chassis around so the bolt was vertical and you could use some type of cylinder with a seal on the bottom. This would make a well and fill it up with the penetrating mix so that it soaks in overnight? Otherwise if the chassis is too awkward to rotate just use multiple applications over a couple of days - weeks.

Kind Regards
Lionel

Started whaling on the welded on bolt with a hammer - near the join of course. Thought I saw things change. 'Nah,' I thought, just the bolt bending.
Whaled away some more. 'Definitely looks like movement'.
Got a small cold chisel and put an index mark on the tube and bolt at the other end.
Whaled away.
Now un-welded bolt goes flying across the workshop floor.
Check the index mark - small movement, waaaaayyyyy less than a mm but the two lines no longer lined up.

Right. Weld on another bolt, the hi-ten jobby from the other side. Leant on it with the extension tube. Bolt comes off. Obviously my welding skills again.

Heated up the works.
Whacked away with the hammer and dolly again. Could convince myself there was some minuscule movement... but maybe it's just blind optimism.

Anyways, I had a good worry and think AND...

decided to drill the brute out.

I've only got two bits worth anything (yup, once again, I get into this after the hardware stores have shut), a small one and one that just happens to be the same size as the tube.

Started drilling the pilot hole. This actually went pretty well - take it quietly, lots of WD40 for lubricant. I stopped at half an inch in and switched to the big drill. This too went surprisingly well. Drilled for about half the pilot, reattacked the pilot, went at it again with the big bit. Stopped short of the bottom of the pilot of course.

This was obviously going to take a looooonnnnnng time and besides, my small bit isn't long enough to go right through (would have to come in from the other side). The other problem is that I'm slightly widening the end of the compression tube. So I heated everything up, lubed it and, using the bolt from the other side as a dolly, started belting away in the hope this bolt would pop free.

It didn't.
Maybe the crack behind the washer opened a poofteenth.

Either way, it's going to be more of the same.
So I came inside for a cup of tea

Originally Posted by Lionelgee

Hello Crackers,

I belong to a tractor forum that has a number of engineers that contribute to the thread. There has been discussion about tests conducted using a 50/50 mix of acetone and either WD40, or automatic transmission fluid, or vegetable oil to make your own penetrating oil.

Yes acetone is a highly flammable and toxic chemical - definitely not a "green" option = handle with care.

There is a Youtube clip about ATF and acetone mix -

Some people swear by the mix and others claim that it makes no difference at all. It seems that you might like to include this option in your arsenal against the bolt.

Kind Regards
Lionel

I've tried it

I've even got a bottle of it - I used acetone and ATF.

I'm not sure if it worked or not. It certainly does the job but I wouldn't like to say it's better than WD40. I've been wondering whether to give it a go for this job or not, guess I wasn't convinced enough to, especially seeing I've been squirting the WD40 onto hot and very hot metal (so the stuff gets sucked in as the metal cools).

The big problem is that the bolt either sheers off or comes free and you really do not know if it would have done it with the other goop or not.

Got the recalcitrant little sod out



So what did it?

I drilled the pilot hole right down to the chuck of my drill. Then started attacking it with the big bit. After one break, I suspected I was going off line, so I heated things up, and assaulted it with the dolly and hammer. No luck.

So I went inside for a cup of tea.

Bashed again upon return. No luck, so I carried on drilling, trying to keep on line. Did a lot of drilling, to the point where I was at or past the half way mark.
I was sure I was off line so rather than use a dolly that fitted the hole, I used a skinnier one. Heated it up and bashed, and bashed, and missed and whopped my hand - do that with a baby sledge (the size of my fist) and you know about it.
So I heated everything up and renewed the assault.
It started to move. Not much, but it moved.
Bashed some more, sweat providing an almost constant stream to cool the work area. I wear glasses so standing over the job with my glasses now swimming pools of sweat just made it all more 'interesting'.

The bolt moved a bit - by now, it'd moved a couple of mm (yeah, it doesn't take much to get me excited).

Put a pipe wrench on the head of the bolt and by using all my generous body weight, I was able to twist the bolt by about one flat.

Still wary of clouting my hand, and with the dolly being shorter than I felt comfortable with, I dug out an old pair of multi-grips to hold the dolly, and resumed my assault.

Heat. Pour on penetrene.
Bash like mad.

Repeat.

The bolt began to move.
I got the thing about 2cm clear of the tube before it really started to shift, then suddenly... PING, that happy sound as it landed on the floor.

Now look back to the photo. You can see that I'd drilled at least halfway through the bolt but also that for much of that distance, I was going off line. This is what I feared with drilling the bolt out. I'm also concerned about my drill which got very hot and actually smoked when I put it down. Still, what's done is done.

Hopefully the slightly enlarged compression tube isn't going to be a problem.

Thinking back to Lionel's suggestion, I got out my bottle of acetone/ATF mix and was using that at the bolt end. The question is, did this stuff make a difference or was the bolt ready to give way anyway? I don't know.

But the brute's out now. Now I can go onto something basic and straight forward - removing the engine and gearbox.

Yes Haw!

Wow, what a saga. I bet you'll be glad to move onto something else now. Maybe a smear of never-seize or similar on the new bolts.

G'day Crackers,

Good to read and see that the bolt is out.

There could be another suggestion it relates to the possible letting of blood as a result of your hammer blow to your hand. Sometimes I think there is a gremlin of DYI that requires a blood sacrifice for things to go right. Or alternatively you have to reach a certain level of insanity, that is brought on by frustration until it considers that you are worthy enough to proceed with the job. Maybe you provided sufficient levels of both tokens of sacrifice to appease the twisted little sod that is the DYI gemlin!

Kind Regards
Lionel

Hmm, I had a model aeroplane engine that wouldn't start unless you swore at it. I was never sure whether it needed the offering or if by the time you were cranky enough to swear, you were flicking the propellor that little bit harder.

Can't say I was swinging that hammer any harder, I was (and still am) knackered

well done.


I don't think there's any harm in offering a libation either.


Is there a patron saint of seized bolts? There should be, I ought to have a word with the Pope. Set up your drilled out bolt on some kind of altar in your shop so next time (hopefully there wont be one) you can make some kind of offering ahead of the task.
cheers,
D