Tricks getting out frozen screws & nipples from BP revolvers

[Fly]

OK my .36 remmie has a frozen screw & two nipples.Tryed WD-40, I,m out of Kcolls.
I heated the nipples with my torch.Still no good.Now what to do my friends?

Fly

[LUCKYDAWG13]

i would wait until i got some kroil and let that soak in a few days

[rhbrink]

Mix 50/50 Acetone and ATF Dextron and use that for a penetrating oil the best that I have ever used.

RB

[R.Ph. 380]

Light a fire in the stove and thaw out my nipples..........................................

Seriously, Penetrating oil is all that's going to have a chance. Kroil best in class.

[Bzcraig]

Key ingredient patients (and Kroil).......muscle will be your downfall.

[451 Pete]

Fly this will not help you get the stuck screws and nipples out but the next time you get to the auto parts store pick up a small tube of anti seize and put just a small dab on those threads when you put things back together again. It will provide a seal for the threads and keep things so that the powder residue can't bind them up.

Pete

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Remove the cylinder. Soak the nipples as suggested above. Keep them wet with penetrant. Tap them lightly periodicly for a few days. If they still resist a good fitting nipple wrench, or are to boogered up to grip well with the wrench, give that up. Carefully drill out the flashhole to a larger diameter using a series of drills not quite approaching the base diameter of the threads. Use an easy out as the drilled out nipple should have enough interior metal left to engage. Be cautious in the drilling out. The easy out should get the frozen nipple out.

I keep an easy out and two drills available to use this way on wayward nipples others bring.

Prevent the problem. Use something like wheel bearing grease, hi temp and waterproof, to grease nipple threads. Snug up with two fingers of pressure. Change nipples when the flash holes enlarge, venting too much gas. Buy them by examining the flashholes for uniformity to improve shooting. Make sure the caps fit the nipples correctly. Pinch a rifle cap if you will but not any revolver caps. They must fit to prevent chain fires.

BvT

[Outpost75]

Acetone and ATF actually works better than Kroil for frozen screws. Old trick learned working on John Deere tractors.

[Mike 56]

I have been through this many times fixing up old cap and ball revolvers. I like to use Eds Red bore cleaner to soak the parts (google it). You need a good way to hold the the cylinder you can use two wood dowels the biggest that will fit into your chambers. Put the dowels into two chambers across from one another use them as fixture to hold the cylinder. Make a good nipple wrench. Take 3/16 1/4 drive socket cut a slot on top of the socket with dremel tool with a cut off wheel wide enough for a small file to fit then widen the slot until it fits the nipple. These are the best nipple wrenches i have ever used. If you have to you can heat the cylinder up in a oven.

[DCP]

I have been through this many times fixing up old cap and ball revolvers. I like to use Eds Red bore cleaner to soak the parts (google it). You need a good way to hold the the cylinder you can use two wood dowels the biggest that will fit into your chambers. Put the dowels into two chambers across from one another use them as fixture to hold the cylinder. Make a good nipple wrench. Take 3/16 1/4 drive socket cut a slot on top of the socket with dremel tool with a cut off wheel wide enough for a small file to fit then widen the slot until it fits the nipple. These are the best nipple wrenches i have ever used. If you have to you can heat the cylinder up in a oven.

Now thats a nipple wrench

[Fly]

Fly this will not help you get the stuck screws and nipples out but the next time you get to the auto parts store pick up a small tube of anti seize and put just a small dab on those threads when you put things back together again. It will provide a seal for the threads and keep things so that the powder residue can't bind them up.

Pete

Pete I already do that my friend.But this WAS a new pistol two mouth ago & I never tore in down all the way to clean
it.I should have done that from day one.But I didn't, (dumb butt me).I ordered some Kroil this evening.I also have a
0-2 tool steel rod I,m going to make a nipple wrench from & heat treat it.The screw is what bothers me most.I really
don't want to drill it out.

I hope the Kroil,s will melt the **** holding it.Thank each & everyone of you guy's
Fly

[DIRT Farmer]

A 1/4 air drive impact is your friend, a cheap battery impact can work. I have a few nipple wrenches from 1/4 inch sockets. They work well. Install with fingers remove with any 1/4 inch tool.

[nhrifle]

A trick I got from a gunsmith buddy when parts are frozen together is to put the whole assembly in the freezer over night. Gives the stuck parts a chance to contract and break the bonds. Might work, might not -- hopefully something will!

[Hellgate]

On the stuck screw: A well fitting screwdriver tip is imperative. After using the penetrating oil/ acetone & ATF, Kroil give the screw a torque while gently tapping on the screwdriver with a light hammer. I sometimes turn to tighten a bit to try to break the seal before turning it out. As you unscrew it is taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap while bearing down and turning on the screw. Have the part snugly in a padded vise while doing this.

[10 ga]

For penetrating lube testing by the machinests guys and published results show atf/acetone(what I use) at 50/50 best, second was Liquid Wrench penetrating, 3rd was Kroil and PB Blaster about equal and WD 40 last. Soak thouroughly and use that rig pictured. I'd put the "socket" (I've done the same to get sockets to fit breechplugs) on the end of an extension and lock that in "vice grips" for torque and then bang the extension with a hammer while applying pressure with the vice grips. I've done the same to get nipples, breedhplugs and ventliners out. Only thing better would be one of them NASCAR airwrenches used to get lugnuts off of racecars. Good luck,

10 ga

[fouronesix]

For best results when using penetrating oil- whatever it is- is to heat the parts first, then apply the penetrating oil, then cool the parts down before trying to nudge the screw loose. Heated parts expand in all directions thus the best chance of breaking loose any rusted bond between. As the parts cool down, the oil is more likely to be drawn into the joining surfaces. This time of year for smaller parts or smaller guns the freezer or fridge will cool down the most before attempting to unscrew. Plus the parts are all at their most contracted state. The best method, as described already, is to use the correct tool and taptaptap lightly as pressure is applied to unscrew.

[IridiumRed]

Lots of good info here. I work on firearms a bit, and vehicles quite a bit, and I run into similar issues sometimes with frozen / rusted / corroded fasteners

The tip about atf / acetone is a good one. It IS pretty darn good for frozen bolts / nuts.

The mentions about heat are good too. Like warming up, then putting in freezer, cycling the temperature a few times (each time adding more penetrating fluid, whichever kind you prefer -
kroil is rarely a BAD choice.... and often a great one....). One thing I'll add is that if you are in a humid area, that if you freeze the part, it will most likely get a bunch of water condensating on it
when you pull it out of freezer. This is one place where I really LIKE WD40, and it works well - if I get a bunch of condensation on a part after cleaning it, or freezing it, I'll hose it down with WD40 & then airhose it off

WD40 is an OK solvent, and poor lube, but it DOES displace water well - heck, that whats its made for!

I deal with issues like that with engine parts sometimes. Inside nice air conditioned house, say 70 degrees, then go outside and its 90+ degrees and 60%+ humidity. Those parts will want to get some moisture built up on them from the temperate difference, but if I spray those parts with say brake cleaner, now they're even colder (due to the evaporation of the cleaner itself, plus the lower temp that comes out of a spray can as the gas inside expands on its way out). With the super bone dry surface (from the brake cleaner or similar cleaner), and even bigger temp difference now, that's a perfect setup to get flash rust. Which on a precision fitted part, like a crankshaft, or cylinder, could be a big problem.... flash rust turning into deeper rust if not attended to quickly...

Oh, I also like what was mentioned before about sometimes TIGHTENING (even slightly) a stuck part before trying to remove. Rust, other corrosion, can make the two parts bond together. And, we all know how easy it is to strip/round off the head of a fastener trying to get it out. Well, tightening it, just a bit, can sometimes break the bond, which means it then comes out pretty easily (its not stuck anymore). Plus, you're working on the other side of the fastener, turning opposite way, so you're not just putting all the load of removal on the same spots. Spreading out the load, or damage, depending on how you look at it...

Oh yeah, anti seize can really be your friend. Amazing how well some of that stuff works!!!

Sorry for rambling, I don't post much here, but saw some things I thought worth commenting on.... good luck to everyone involved...

[Boz330]

Had a 6-48 broken tap in a barrel, tried everything, but the freezer trick along with some kroil did the job, and it came out really easy.

Bob

[mazo kid]

One more thing to try on a frozen screw....after soaking a couple of days in your favorite penetrating oil, put the best fitting screwdriver tip in a drill press chuck. Bear down on the quill handle while trying to turn the chuck back and forth. Maybe use a small strap wrench on the chuck for a little more torque. Good luck!

[Beagle333]

Dixie Gun Works.... part #NW0204 RATCHET NIPPLE WRENCH REVOLVER $18.50
It works great. You might even find it elsewhere at a diff price. But it is super strong and you will not twist the "ears" off of it like most nipple wrenches.