Jim McGill wrote:

snip Yes, I knew the bolt was left hand thread. I think what I probably
need it a tougher allen wrench than my wimpy off shore ones.

Time to buy Bondhus. Really.

When you have the screw removed from down the throat, chuck the short end of a
big hex key and give the other end a smart smack to crack the threads open. I
believe the threads that hold the chuck on are RH, probably 3/8-24, but I could
really be wrong about this and you will likely only get one chance. The guy who
taught me this move worked at Tool Town in Interbay; you could call them in the
morning right after they open (when the guys are just sitting there drinking
coffee) and ask them how to remove a keyless chuck from a cordless drill.

Scrounged chucks can be used for a lot of things. If you make an adapter, you
can fit a chuck over the end of the ram on a press, to hold pins vertically, for
example.

GWE