metal epoxy resin – good for shifting rounded bolts?

ive managed to round off one of the HT2 pinch bolts on my slx crankset – basically its too far gone to ram another allen key in, and a torx bolt wont grip it.

ive seen a tip somewhere online about 'gluing' an allen key into the the bolt using good quality metal epoxy. has anyone else tried this? is it a waste of time?

ta

Ben

Not tried it but from my experience of glueing metal with epoxy I don't think it will be tough enough to remove a stuck bolt. If it's not stuck then it might be ok, yo've not got much to lose.

Have you tried trying to cut a slot into it so you can get a screwdriver in?

You tried cranking up the opposing bolt a little tighter to relieve some pressure on the rounded bolt first?

Hi Jon, the bolt isnt siezed i just didnt get the allen key in properly (working in the dark) and it totally rounded – so im hoping i dont need too much pressure.

i cant get to cut a notch in the bolt head – its recessed into the crank arm

V10 – so i tighten the other bolt and that relieves pressure? ive just taken the other bolt out thinking that it'd do the same?

An easy-out is what you need & everyone should have a set of them in their shed for such an occasion.

You will have to drill a small hole into the top of your bolt through the now defunct hex head. They basically have a left hand thread and bury themselves in your bolt and as you keep on turning the bolt is released. You can buy them from online workshop type places like axminster and maybe screwfix but Halfords will also have them.

Yup do what V10 says and give it a go, if not you can bodge a slot in it for a screwdriver with a small cold chisel and before you wreck the new slot, get yourself an impact driver on it.

convert with the easy out, do you drill into the body of the bolt? i.e. past the head of the bolt? and do you drill a hole the same size as the E-Z out?

then do you just screw the easy – out in?

You need a hole deep enough for the easy-out to take purchase; so yes into the actual bolt. They come in a variety of sizes so the small ones only need a small hole to get started especially as they a conical shaped. The tiny one I have in my wallet (that's how sad I am – no idea why its there!) only needed a 2 mm wide hole about 6-7mm deep in the top of a snapped off bottle boss to remove it. If the bolt is properly corroded in you might want a larger hole so more of the easy-out takes purchase.

cool – thanks convert. i'm gonna try the epoxy then go for the easy outs if that doesnt work.

thanks very much!

Be very very careful with the easy outs. I tried them on small bolts (4mm) and they just snapped. Absolute nightmare then as you have something even tougher in the hole.

yeah – i'll take it steady, the HT2 pinch bolts are only small

Saw through it at the slot. Threaded bit should then turn.

how do you mean? there's the plastic bit in the slot whihc is attached to the crank arm. and if i cut thorugh it wont that leave me with 2 halves of the bolt – both screwed in, wont it?

I wouldn't use those esay outs on a small bolt – they can expand the bolt as you wind them in being as they are tapered.
If you drill the bolt head off to relieve the tension them drill from the thread end of the bolt & your drill is turning in the right direction to wind the bolt out.

No only one side of the pedal arm is threaded, trouble with sawing it is you would have nothing to grip onto to remove that bit, dont do it… Have you nipped up the other one and tried again like v10 said?

Then if no go then sorry your best bet is still invest in an impact driver and try with that, after cutting the best slot into the head you can manage with the new little cold chisel you bought at the same time.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_530655_langId_-1_categoryId_165572

Trailseekers method might work but wander off the high tensile allen bolt (and you will) and your into the soft flesh of the pedal arm, unless your an experienced engineer dont try that for the first time either.

so with an impact driver – do you just get slightly bigger allen key bit and tw4t it in until it grips?

You could try it, but if its really rounded you might not have any luck, you would need to cut a slot accross the top of the allen head using a small cold chisel to give the normal slot screwdriver bit something to bite on, then yep, you **** it…. maybe one of the bits that come with it would jam in and do it without the slot though you would need to try them.

For £15 you will be glad you have one every time you get a stubborn screw for the rest of your life… A small price.

I still say saw it. Then araldite somthing to the remaining bolt-part (if it doesn't move) to turn it with.

NO way are you going to cut any kind of us-able slot in it with a chisel LOL.

ended up drilling it out – i couldnt find a cold chisel small enough to fit the recess. – all done!

al – if you cut it how are you going to get a grip on the remaining bit of bolt?

I had this problem, and started drilling from the other side to the head. The bolt came free as the drill bit took hold of the stump, and as it's t'other way round unscrewed itself automatically.

al – if you cut it how are you going to get a grip on the remaining bit of bolt?

I've done this before on something (I forget waht now, it could have been a car or motorbike though) and what happens is that as soon as you cut through the middle of the bolt, all the tension on it is released and it turns easily, and you can spin it out very easily by hand. In this instance, my first thought would have been to cut the bolt to be honest. 🙂

PP – yes for sure but in this case cutting the bolt will leave nothing to get hold of as its a pinch bolt so the cut end will be a cm down a hole that cannot be reached

Glad you got it sorted…

I had the same problem on the same part and solved the same way, with a drill. As you say, once the heads off and the tension is released the remaining bolt is easy to turn. I just pushed on the remaining burred bolt with a little screwdriver until it came out.

since then I've binned my old, knacked allen keys that were rounding the bolts off ! and bought a torque wrench to I'm not struggling with over tightened bolts

TandemJeremy – Member
al – if you cut it how are you going to get a grip on the remaining bit of bolt?

cynic-al – Member
araldite somthing to the remaining bolt-part (if it doesn't move) to turn it with.

Not needed in any case. I like Jenga's solution.