[PhilG57]

I have several bolts which I need to remove and which don't want to budge. These are 1/2 inch or so, probably stainless steel, and are threaded through a finished (painted) plate and then into either another metal plate or through that second plate into a nut. They are also covered in bedding compound which is probably as old as the boat which is 30 years.

I've soaked them in PB Blaster and WD40, banged on them with a hammer, all to no avail. I really do not want to heat them as that will discolor the painted plate through which they are fastened.

I've looked at Sear's 'hammer drill' but that seems to just either drill or hammer but not both at the same time.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

[Marmot]

Originally Posted by PhilG57

I really do not want to heat them as that will discolor the painted plate through which they are fastened.

You didn't say what material the plates are made of and how thick they are or if you can access the back side or if they are tapped, all very important considerations.

Fire is your friend, paint is a passing acquaintence.

[NYCAP123]

Sounds like you're talking ablout deck hardware which i'm guessing means that the plates are on fiberglass. If that's the case heat won't be good. Forget paint, that's easy to replace, but your deck is another story. Are you able to get to the nut from the underside? If no try drilling them out. Another though might be to chill the bolt. You could try something like (I know this will sound funny, but...) Dr. Sholl's wart remover which should allow you to freeze only the bolt. That may be enough to break it free.

[FISHTIGUA]

An impact driver should start them moving, smack the driver with a hammer and it turns a little bit.

http://en_wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_driver

[Savasa]

Greetings,
Rent an electric one of these?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_wrench
Peter

[Savasa]

Rats! Fish, you beat me to it!!!!!

[FISHTIGUA]

Sorry buddy, good to see we are working on the same wave length.

[Marmot]

If the bolts are stainless steel and are threaded into stainless or have stainless nuts, using an impact wrench may be all they need to gall and weld themselves together permanently.

The solution depends on the installation, be careful what advice you offer a novice.

[FISHTIGUA]

As the OP said the nut and bolt pass through 2 plates, similar to a bolt holding down a windlass or similar. They are only 1/2 inch stainless and 30 years old, so even if they shear off and fail, job done.

My first option would have been to heat them up but if there was something like an electric motor next to the heatspot, its not an option, pretty paintwork or not.

I think we've given the OP a few good options.

[Marmot]

Originally Posted by FISHTIGUA

As the OP said the nut and bolt pass through 2 plates ...

Sounds like you know more about the thing than the OP who wrote:

Originally Posted by PhilG57

These are 1/2 inch or so, probably stainless steel, and are threaded through a finished (painted) plate and then into either another metal plate or through that second plate into a nut.

[K1W1]

Hi,

You might be able to get one of these guys to get the bolts out for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRxljmABXL4

[Marmot]

Originally Posted by K1W1

Hi,

You might be able to get one of these guys to get the bolts out for you:

Fun but overkill. Best reserved for removing broken taps and such from high value parts.

If there is a nut holding the sandwich together and it is inaccessible I would just take a mini-grinder and whack the head off the bolt and drive it through. How you deal with the reassembly is another issue but the OP didn't provide enough information to make any valid judgment on how to deal with the problem.

[K1W1]

Originally Posted by Marmot

Fun but overkill. Best reserved for removing broken taps and such from high value parts.

Hi,

That was exactly what I was trying to achieve when I found out about this system.

Approx 25 yrs ago I had broken a 4mm tap in the top of the stainless steel barrel of a rifle I was installing a scope mount on. A Toolmaker friend of mine put me in touch with a guy who operated one of these and for $20 it was all taken care of nicely.

I agree with your words that until more is known about the exact arrgt it is not easy to give a one method to solve it answer, the goo the OP refers to could be 5200 or the Sikaflex equivalent which makes the usual removal of anything rather different.

[PhilG57]

Thanks - lots of good ideas here. Yes this is deck hardware (large winch) which I'm trying to remove. Everything is stainless but I don't want to heat is due to the collateral damage. The winch is circular and the bolts are fastened into a stainless steel plate via a threaded hole. What is driving me crazy is the head of the bolt is a slotted screw type, not a hex bolt or something I can actually get a wrench on. I've been using a monkey wrench to apply torque to a screw driver; next I was going to have my wife bang on the top of the screw driver while I twisted... The bolts are about 3 inches long and the slot on the the top is at least a haf inch across. The bolts just laugh at the little hand held impact wrench I have.

[Marmot]

Could you post a picture of the assembly? Make sure there is a ruler or coin or something in the picture to provide scale.