OT: stuck bolt/nut combo

[Mike Price]

Bobbie,

Please read my previous reply again. Using a tiny grinder to remove the remnants of the hexagonal plastic recess, (rather than any of the metal nut) will not cause heat damage to the unit, while any attempt to grind or hacksaw any metal part will cause heat damage to the plastic.

You simply need to grind out what is left of the damaged plastic hexagonal recess which held the nut from turning. Then enlarge the diameter of the recess until a thin-walled socket can be fit over the nut. There is no need to grind any deeper than the depth of the original hexagonal recess.

The only problem is that you have already used super glue, which will likely not hold the metal nut to the plastic housing, but probably has managed to lock the nut securely to the screw. I recommend obtaining a bottle of CA glue Solvent and soaking the nut thoroughly several times before using a socket wrench of the appropriate size to hold the nut while turning the screw.

If I had it in my own shop it would take easily less than an hour to grind the plastic housing as suggested above, and remove the nut. I would also replace the nut with a "nyloc nut" which is a metal nut with a nylon shoulder which acts as a lock washer.

This assumes that the screw and nut are not "cross-threaded", which could be the reason the plastic stripped in the first place. (Hopefully not).

PS: I do not recommend trying to drill out the head of the screw, because the drill could bind and spin the screw/nut more, possibly creating more damage to the plastic. In addition, if the screw head is damaged, rather than drilled out successfully, you will have no way to unscrew the nut even if you can get a socket wrench over the nut.

Let us all know how you fare with your problem.

Mike

[Mike Price]

Bobbie,

One more caution: be careful not to grind away any of the corners of the metal nut, as it is the corners of the nut that the socket needs to grip the nut.

MIke

[Bobbie Mayer]

Mike: I did not put glue on the bolt, just on the outside of the nut.

I don't think the plastic is thick enough to risk grinding away- I started doing that but am wary of it. My major point is that I can use the wheels that are on there now, and I can't use them if I break something. I'm trying to put better wheels on, but not at the cost of breaking anything. If it were unusable now I wouldn't mind taking chances. The part doesn't detach easily in any way that I can see and the whole assembly is expensive.

How thin do sockets get? I only have standard ones, I don't think I've ever seen a thin-walled one. I'll pop by the hardware store and see about grinding wheels and sockets, though at this point I'm not sure I'm willing to try any more grinding.

[Daniel V.]

I'm trying to put in the original sized wheel which is a bit bigger than the pink ones shown. The other wheel was fine.

Suppose you do manage to take it out somehow, you'll also have to figure out how to hold the nut when you put the bolt back in.
I would probably consider replacing the caster myself.

However... How about drilling a small hole into the plastic, perpendicular to the nut, and into the nut, then pinning down the nut with a finishing nail through the hole?

[Mike Price]

Bobbie,
Remember, you do not need to grind any deeper than the depth of the existing recess, just slightly larger in diameter that the current diameter of the point-to-point diameter of the nut. Actually, if you look closely at your first photo, at the bottom of the damaged depression, where the debris from the tearout is the worst, the tearout at that point is probably already as wide as you need to use a thin-walled socket, so you only need to widen the rest of the depression to match that clearance.

As for the "thin-walled" socket, that term is superfluous today, as virtually all sockets sold today are thin-walled, compared to the old ones...and I don't want to hear any cracks about my apparent age because of the "old ones" remark ;-). The cheap ones are thicker because they don't use good steel and would break in use if they were made as thin as the high quality ones. Craftsman, Proto, or any name brand should work.

How thin do sockets get? I only have standard ones, I don't think I've ever seen a thin-walled one. I'll pop by the hardware store and see about grinding wheels and sockets, though at this point I'm not sure I'm willing to try any more grinding.

Remember, you need a VERY TINY grinder bit. The diameter of the grinder bit must be less than the desired width of the clearance needed. If you need a 1/8th inch wide clearance, you should use a 1/16 inch bit or smaller, so you can nibble away at it a little at a time. You can always make it bigger, but you can't make it smaller. Dremel sells such small bits, and probably others as well.

The only other way I can think of would be to use small carving knives to nibble away at the clearance. However, most carving tools are very, very very sharp.

Good Luck!

PS: Ar you going to be at the spring or fall NOG, or the big Oregon Gathering at Bandon, or the Mary Hill mini gathering, or the WA state gathering? If so, let me know and I'll take a look at it at any of those events.

Mike

[Bobbie Mayer]

Well, what I have done most recently is go to the hardware store to see if they had any thin-walled sockets (they didn't) and decided the best bet was replacing the caster as there is a company in town that sells nothing but. I'm going down there tomorrow to see if I can get a pair that will work.

And no to any gatherings... my dog has a degenerative disease similar to ALS and it is cramping my camping style at the moment. I'm going to a corgi campout at Grayland Beach only because I know I can easily use the stroller or his cart there on the smooth blacktop and even on the beach if we drive onto it, and that's it for camping this summer.

[Joe Z]

Well, what I have done most recently is go to the hardware store to see if they had any thin-walled sockets (they didn't)

Snap-On sell thin walled sockets.
Joe

[Bobbie Mayer]

Fresno Ag Hardware referred me to Industrial Caster and Wheel in Fresno, and they were able to help by finding a replacement caster and changing its stem to match the one that was stuck. So I'm all set, and thanks for all the ideas!

[Tamid]

Good idea Alf,
Makes me think of using 2 thin flat screwdrivers vice gripped onto a similar sized nut so the blades stick out a bit and tapping it into place between the plastic and nut.

You beat me to it. I would suggest an old flat blade screw driver. Put it on a grinding wheel and thin it down so that you can insert it between the plastic housing and the nut. Perhaps try 2 of them. This should hold the nut from spinning and you can unscrew from the other side.

[Dale A Smith]

Glad you got it done... From the number of responses, I can see that everyone here likes a challenge... I had to remove several headless screws from the battery area behind the rear seat... the previous owner had placed a board over them with holes drilled in the underside to protect the battery from the jagged posts... I finally "worried" them out with a combination vice grips and perserverence.
For your problem I was going to suggest carefully applying glue in the outside crack between the nut and the housing to hold it enough to unscrew it... probably wouldn't have worked, but like I said... you definitely got the group thinking...
Best Regards
Dale