Southbend broken bolt problem please help

[bhop]

So i had "friend" who helped me move to my new house decide that while I was at work he would assemble my old southbend lathe for me. Long story short he broke one of the headstock bolts off. I tried an easy out which broke off in the hole in the bolt then trying to shatter the easy out I managed to break the tip of a punch off on top of that ( still not sure how I managed that one) I've tried penetrating oil, drilling, using dremel grinding stones and diamond tip bits and have only made a small crater in it. The way that it is going into is a reverse v which makes me kinda nervous. Did I mention it's in a blind hole? I don't have any way to use a small carbide end mill which is the only thing I can think of that would get it out. How would you go about getting this bolt out?

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[lancem]

if it is a part you can remove and take some where I would look for a shop that does EDM and have them remove it, might be a little pricey but looks to me like you're choices are few now.

[Pipefitter]

Spring loaded center punch, use an adjustable force type. Keep working at it in a counterclockwise direction. I have removed more broken bolts this way than using easy-outs.

[country gent]

I use a dull prick punch and small ball peen to walk them out get a solid prick on the edge and work counterclockwise tapping with hammer on angled punch. I a big bolt a small chiesel can be used but the punch has normally worked better for me. Otherwise carbide tooling or edm is going to be needed. finding an edm big enough for the head stock is going to be hard and getting all the dielectric fluid out of the head stock may be a issue. If possible use a left hand drill as cutting may grab and back out also. Annealing the hardened steel may help depending where its at may help

[Grendl]

Try putting a bit of heat to the bolt and its surrounding metal, do not make it red hot , 300-400 hundred degrees is enough and touch a dab of beeswax to the bolt threads and let it penetrate and then use any one of the punch methods to remove. this trick has removed my bacon from the fire a number of times (it pays to watch old guys work on old machines,tractors and such). Try to remove the bolt before it cools back to ambient temp. Rinse and repeat as needed.
Rick

[oldred]

Wow, that's a tough one! That trick Pipefitter suggested with the springloaded center punch works really well, as does the suggestion of a bit of heat and the Beeswax. The problem here is this sounds like far more than just a stuck bolt and by now I would imagine the threads are a bit buggered up. Why did the bolt break in the first place? Did it bottom out and then break from over-torquing or did it just go in really tight and bind before breaking? Either way will mechanically lock the pieces in so if either is the case it's not likely penetrating lube or tapping it will loosen it and drilling may be your only option.

How big is this hole and how far below the surface is the broken bolt? I have had good success by welding a nut or another bolt onto the piece and get them out that way if the broken part is near flush with the surface but the welder had better know EXACTLY what he is doing if you try that one.

[bangerjim]

Before you broke off your entire tool collection in the bolt (!!), I would have just simply step-drilled it out, cleaned out the remains of the broke bolt, and re-tapped it to the same or larger size.

You are now in for some real fun!


bangerjim

[M-Tecs]

I have used these with good results


http://www.use-enco.com/1/1/56226-od...rill-sets.html

http://www.use-enco.com/1/1/96654-om...or-drills.html

http://www.mscdirect.com/browse/tn/T...vid=4287920392

[bhop]

The punch method was actually the first thing I tried I have not tried any heat because I figured that the ways were hardened and I didn't want to screw them up I just went and bought some left-handed drills to try that

[bhop]

[bhop]

This is the old southbend

[owejia]

You might try a magnetic base portable drill. Maybe a tool rental place has one for rent. I've used them as portable boring machines when I had my machine shop. If you can get your hands on a portable magnetic drill, a carbide drill bit will drill it right out. I believe the ways on those old lathes are cast iron so a little heat should not damage or warp it.

[oldred]

The carbide bit is a good idea but be warned that when using one with a hand held drill they can break like glass! Considering what this is and the need to keep damage to a minimum that mag drill is a darn good idea with a carbide bit. From that pic I can't tell is the piece of easy out is still in that thing or not, is that the piece of the broken punch tip that's visible there with the easy out hidden under that? If so then the punch tip should be "drilliable" (is drilliable even a word???) but it likely will start spinning as the drill grips it, most likely it's mushroomed at the end and rather tight so if you drill with one of those left hand bits it may spin out of there. The easy out however is not likely to drill with a regular HSS drill bit but probably a cobalt bit will do the trick, easy outs aren't nearly as hard as a tap.

[JSnover]

When all else fails carbide is your friend but go easy until you get the hole cleaned up. Oldred was right; they break like glass.
Buy more than one. You might even try to dress things up with a round carbide bur, first.

[bangerjim]

I gave a friend about 20 number size carbide drills with 1/8" shanks (circuit board drills).

Of course he immediately whipped out his trusty "Dremel tool" and broke all of the within a week!!!!!

As said, carbide is excellent tooling, but it MUST NOT be used in any hand-held drill!!!!

I have several sets of carbide drills 1/4" thru #70 and always use them in a sensitive drillpress. Have never broke one in many years.

Hope you get your stud out.

banger

[owejia]

Cheap concrete carbide drill bits work if you can spin them fast enough. A little heat up to about lead melting temp. will anneal the hardened easy out and after it cools down you should be able to drill it out, had a machine shop, manufactured and also repaired just about anything, so have had lots of experience with removing broken bolts. Also used a magnetic base drill as a portable boring machine, on heavy equipment mostley.

[Bent Ramrod]

I have sometimes been able to wear a sufficient sized hole in a broken bolt or tap with dental burrs in a Dremel tool. It was always a long, mean job with lots of dull burrs at the end, but eventually the hole was big enough to either get some kind of purchase on it, or to enable the rest of the threaded part to be collapsed into it and broken out.

The burrs come in little plastic boxes of six. I buy mine at gun shows.

[Artful]

Got Harbor Freight?
http://www.harborfreight.com/20-pc-c...set-62379.html

[bob208]

will the hole hurt any thing if it does go through ? if not can you get to the back side ? if you can lay out the hole and drill from the back side most times the bit will catch and spin it right out. I have used this method many times.


not trying to give you hard time but throw those easy outs away. they are not easy nor do they get the bolt out. you would be better served to have a set of left hand drill bits. another way we used to do it was a masonry bit and reverse grind it to cut left hand that works on old rusted and hard bolts.

another tid bit I learned was I you drill out a bolt and there is still some junk in the threads. do not use a starting or plug tap. chase the threads with a bottom tap. the bottom tap will push the junk out. the other two the junk will wedge in the taper and then you will have a broken tap to deal with.

[JSnover]

"tried penetrating oil, drilling, using dremel grinding stones and diamond tip bits and have only made a small crater in it."

The most tedious and important part is getting rid of all the broken pieces. Every time your drill catches one, there's a good chance of breaking it. The grind stones and burrs are probably best for that. After you get all the scrap metal out of the hole things should get easier. I wouldn't bother any more with hammers and punches if it simply will not budge. The more you pound, the more you work-harden the piece.