A different twist on soaking a head stud.

1crosscut

1crosscut

Well-known member
I've used clay to build a dam around stubborn studs in the past for soaking them but yesterday I started tying something a bit different. (at least to me)

I placed a deep 1/2" drive socket over the stud sandwiching an o-ring between the bottom of the socket and the block. Squirted some penetrating oil in the socket and weighted it down to create a seal. Seems to be holding the penetrant well.
 

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I’ve done a similar thing in the past with a large hollow spacer. Held the oil just fine. I’ve stopped using that tactic in general since I got an induction heater though, I don’t think it does more than the heat can do.
 
I will second the use of heat to remove a stud. I think the heat expands the stud which then deforms and shrinks on cooling. It has to be red hot. Try the penetrating oil first.
 
alexiskai said:
I’ve done a similar thing in the past with a large hollow spacer. Held the oil just fine. I’ve stopped using that tactic in general since I got an induction heater though, I don’t think it does more than the heat can do.
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How are those? They seem quite pricey. Where did you get yours? How many watts?
 
Gene F said:
How are those? They seem quite pricey. Where did you get yours? How many watts?
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I got mine on Amazon two years ago. It was 1000W and $205, and I just checked now and the same company (Solary) is selling a similar unit rated at 1100W for $180. Must be the one thing in this hobby that's gotten cheaper.

It is not as powerful or compact as the Mini-ductor, which the pros use; it takes longer to heat studs, which is meaningful because it's bulky and you have to hold it quite still while it works. But it's a lot cheaper and for the limited hobbyist needs I have, it works great.
 
alexiskai said:
... Must be the one thing in this hobby that's gotten cheaper.
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In 2016 I purchased a small rechargable LED "tactical" flashlight on the river store. Paid close to $50 for it, including rechargable battery and charger. It held up fine, but I recently lost it and need to replace it.

The same unit is no longer available, but there are a bunch listed for about $10 for a two-pack. Add in the rechargable battery and charger for $15/2, that's $12.50 each for what I paid about $50 for 10 years ago. Including tariffs...
 
Dan McEachern said:
Heat the stud and then melt a kids crayon on the base of the stud and the block. Let it cool. Works well for me.
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You can also do this with Gulf Wax – made of paraffin wax, just like crayons, but it's clear. Plus it's useful around the shop/house.
 
Hello,


I've had good experience with <Loctite 8040>. It's a shock freeze spray rated to -40°C, includet petroleum with MoS2. When you afterwards heat the screw with a heat gun, the kerosene penetrates further into the capillaries.

You have to repeat this celebration several times.


I also use an impact wrench on top for several minutes with only very light pressure. This vibrations loosens d the brittle connections and support the penetrations.


What you also need is a lot of patience!






(This is particularly interesting to me personally, given the application Dave described at the beginning ...)

 
alexiskai said:
I got mine on Amazon two years ago. It was 1000W and $205, and I just checked now and the same company (Solary) is selling a similar unit rated at 1100W for $180. Must be the one thing in this hobby that's gotten cheaper.

It is not as powerful or compact as the Mini-ductor, which the pros use; it takes longer to heat studs, which is meaningful because it's bulky and you have to hold it quite still while it works. But it's a lot cheaper and for the limited hobbyist needs I have, it works great.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Sometimes I just don't want to use a torch.
 
there was a whole thread on induction heat, by I believe Mr Ayers of NJ.
I was so impressed I bought an induction htr. but havent used it yet........

that was about 2 yrs ago.

the chinese models, which I have ran about 150. though the better ones were in the 500. range. everyone swore by them. makes sense.
 
It wasn't my intention to start this thread as a debate on weather one should use penetrants, heat or the combination of both but just to present another option for soaking a seized head stud.

I was out of town for 5 days and used the socket and O-ring to hold the penetrant in place while I was away.. After getting home and removing the socket there was an ample supply of penetrant still in place around the seized stud.

That said I was able to get the stud removed today by cutting it off just above the top of the block and welding a washer and nut onto it.
It took three tries but it came out fine.
You can twist them off instead of cutting them off but when that happens they tend to twist off just below the surface of the block making it tougher to get a strong weld on the stud.

The use of penetrants has worked to get some studs out in the past, some have taken heat and came out while others have taken heat and penetrants to do the trick.

On some occasions such as this one after trying all of the above mentioned techniques I ended up needing to resort to the washer, nut and welding method.

So far I have gotten all the studs out that I have put my mind into getting out. Hope that my winning streak continues into the future.
 
Good morning, Dave.


Please, what kind of rust-loosening penetrating spray did you use?


I might not have quite understood your working. You welded a nut onto the stud end just above the cylinder face for a better force grip with pliers or wrench. This is to prevent the stud from breaking off at the flat edge. But if the loosening force is too high, wouldn't the stud break off even with the nut attached? The same would happen if there were no auxiliary nut welded on?
 
Werner, as you know, the torque is better on something shorter and more direct then longer, where it can twist and snap. I believe that is what is conveyed.
 
katy said:
The heat from the welding helps.
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Definitely - my experience also. Welding a nut, twisting it off, repeat several times runs the bolt through several expansion/contraction cycles and helps break it loose. I had a stubborn one that took four times before it came, but once it broke loose it came out smooth as glass. Don’t forget to run a thread-restoring tap down the hole to clean up the threads, and use anti-seize when you install the new studs.

I like crosscut’s idea of cutting the stud proud if it won’t come. Much easier to weld that way. I’ll try that next time.
 
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