How to Remove Rusted in Machine Screws?

[Stew Denton]

Hi All,

A few years ago I bought a plane with a frozen in machine screw, rusted in, and one of the creek folks got it out for me, and I said "never again." Well I messed up again, not asking a seller on the auction site to check to see if all of the machine screws were free, and ended up buying a plane with 3 rusted in screws. I was in too much of a rush when I bid on it. Bad deal.

At any rate, what advise do you all have for removing such a beast. I have some ideas, but appreciate any advise.

Thanks and regards,

Stew

[Bill Houghton]

Sometimes you can work penetrating fluid in past the screw head. Repeated applications over time.

Put the plane in a plastic bag, put it in the freezer for a couple of days, bring it out and take it out of the bag, then set it where it can warm up with as little condensation as possible. Give it time to get to room temperature. The difference in movement between the two metals can sometimes break the bond.

Support the part in such a way that you won't break anything, set the screwdriver in the slot, and strike the back end of the driver's handle sharply with a hammer. Don't use your best wood handled screwdriver for this; you want something with a plastic handle. This is the same principle as banging the jar lid on the floor to remove it.

[Charles Guest]

Hi All,

A few years ago I bought a plane with a frozen in machine screw, rusted in, and one of the creek folks got it out for me, and I said "never again." Well I messed up again, not asking a seller on the auction site to check to see if all of the machine screws were free, and ended up buying a plane with 3 rusted in screws. I was in too much of a rush when I bid on it. Bad deal.

At any rate, what advise do you all have for removing such a beast. I have some ideas, but appreciate any advise.

Thanks and regards,

Stew

Try a penetrant first. Let it sit for a few days. If it doesn't work then heat the head of the screw with a propane torch with a fine flame. Wipe the plane down before you do this to make sure you don't ignite any of the penetrant that may have run down onto other parts of the plane -- but you're going to wait a few days before resorting to the torch, remember that.

[John K Jordan]

Put the plane in a plastic bag, put it in the freezer for a couple of days, bring it out and take it out of the bag, then set it where it can warm up with as little condensation as possible.

Cycles of heat and cold can break almost anything loose.

An old photographer trick to eliminate problems from condensation when coming indoors from the cold is to let the equipment warm up while inside a plastic bag - moisture from the warmer air then condenses on the outside of the bag instead of the equipment surfaces.

The best penetration fluid IMO is PB Blaster. Apply, tap, wait, repeat.

When attempting to loosen a slotted screw where I don't want it to slip and mar the surface I like to grind one with parallel sides that fits tightly into the full width of the slot, or use a gunsmith screwdriver if I have the right size.

JKJ

[Mike Lemon]

Wire brush off loose rust then chuck it into a bucket of kerosene and let it sit for a week or two. I have never had a screw that wouldn't come loose after that.

[lowell holmes]

You might try slightly heating it with a small propane torch or with a hair dryer.

[Tom M King]

Sea Foam DC-14 Deep Creep, and a left handed Cobalt drill bit, if the screw is not to small to find such a drill bit for. I just removed some broken off 5/8", and 3/4" Grade 8 bolts today with such a combination. They were holding a front end loader on a tractor. By the time I got up to the 3/8" bit, they all came right out on the drill bit.

[Kim Gibbens]

50/50 mix acetone and automatic transmission fluid, best thing I've ever used.

[Lon Crosby]

Second acetone and ATF mix. Best by test.

[Joe Rogers]

Kano Kroil.
Joe

[Tom M King]

I've used acetone, and ATF, wd40 brand penetrant, Kroil, and the Sea Foam. All of it seems to work fine. The WD40 type has the fold down bendable metal straw, which is nice sometimes, but the straw is a larger diameter than the typical spray can red straw. The Sea Foam stuff has the little red straw, and foams up so it goes all around even a large hole on its own. For the large screws, I drilled a small hole all the way through the bolts, and sprayed some in behind the broken bolts, as well as on the outside.

Hitting the broken bolt with a center punch is theoretically supposed to shock it enough to make some difference, but you need to use a center punch anyway. For large bolts that have some useable threads on the outer part of the hole, drilling a hole through a cap screw to use as a bit guide helps a lot to center the first drill.

The trouble with those old plane screws is that the threads are a non-standard tap size, so you need to be careful drilling to not screw up the threads in the hole, or the plane may have to be junked anyway if you can't tap up to the next larger size.

[Jim Koepke]

[edited]

The trouble with those old plane screws is that the threads are a non-standard tap size, so you need to be careful drilling to not screw up the threads in the hole, or the plane may have to be junked anyway if you can't tap up to the next larger size.

The threaded holes are also shallow. My solution was to buy an extra tap and grind off the end to make a bottoming tap.

The odd threads used by Stanley for most of the frog, tote and knob screws are 12-20. This tap is often available from Victor Machinery:

https://www.victornet.com/subdepartm...-1-2/1260.html

They have a $25 minimum order.

jtk

[lowell holmes]

The removal process will likely involve several steps. I would start with gentle heat. You won't know until you try it.

[Tom M King]

Jim, That's a great resource. It would be nice for someone with a cold saw to chop the ends off to make bottoming taps. I don't have a cold saw, or I would offer to.

edited to add: I just checked ebay, and there are plenty of choices in 1/8" left hand cobalt bits. 5/32 is a tiny bit smaller than the hole size for a no.12 tap, but doesn't allow much of a margin for getting the hole off center. The 1/8" will give a little more room for error, but I'd make sure the center punched hole is centered the best you can. If it's going to come out, the 1/8" left hand bit should grab good enough to back the screws out as it goes into the screws.

[lowell holmes]

I would try heat. The expansion and contraction of the metal should break the bond. Heat it to 300 degrees in the oven.