I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts on the
boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the heads now.

What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver?

Daniele

On 25/10/2012 14:19, D.M. Procida wrote:
I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts on the
boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the heads now.

What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver?

Daniele


Are these structural, ie holding a pressure vessel together? Or they
just stop bits rattling around?

On 25/10/2012 14:19, D.M. Procida wrote:
I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts on the
boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the heads now.

What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver?

Daniele


If you didn't manage to loosen them with an Allen key, I rather doubt
that a screwdriver in a cut slot is going to fare a great deal better.
You need to apply a penetrating oil, I would use PlusGas. Once that has
had a chance to work, start off by trying to tighten the screws. That
way, unless you have rounded them off entirely, you should be working
against undamaged faces on the head. Once they move, even just a little,
you should then be able to unscrew them without too much trouble.

Colin Bignell

On Thu, 25 Oct 2012 14:19:06 +0100,
(D.M. Procida) wrote:

I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts on the
boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the heads now.

What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver?

Torx bit, preferably with 3/8" drive hammered in as square as you can. If that
fails then Dremel cutoff tool, split the head like a chocolate orange, then
remove completely.


--

In article
,
D.M. Procida wrote:
I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts on the
boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the heads now.

What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver?

Drill them out. Easy with allen heads as you already have a centre. If an
allen key won't budge them, I doubt cutting a slot will either.

--
*Never miss a good chance to shut up *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 25/10/2012 15:55, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article
,
D.M. Procida wrote:
I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts on the
boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the heads now.

What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver?

Drill them out. Easy with allen heads as you already have a centre. If an
allen key won't budge them, I doubt cutting a slot will either.


+1

I have to say that would be my solution to this. It does assume that
the bolts are in the same plane!

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article
,
D.M. Procida wrote:
I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts on the
boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the heads now.

What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver?

Drill them out. Easy with allen heads as you already have a centre. If an
allen key won't budge them, I doubt cutting a slot will either.

If I do drill them out, what next? Do I need to recut the thread in the
hole, to the next size up?

Daniele

On 27/10/2012 12:51, D.M. Procida wrote:
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article
,
D.M. Procida wrote:
I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts on the
boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the heads now.

What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver?

Drill them out. Easy with allen heads as you already have a centre. If an
allen key won't budge them, I doubt cutting a slot will either.

If I do drill them out, what next? Do I need to recut the thread in the
hole, to the next size up?

Daniele


Remove the allen bolt head, and then use a gripping device to remove the
rest of the bolt sticking out after removing the "bolted item".

In article ,
Fredxx wrote:
Remove the allen bolt head, and then use a gripping device to remove the
rest of the bolt sticking out after removing the "bolted item".

Snap. ;-)

--
*Time is what keeps everything from happening at once.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article
,
D.M. Procida wrote:
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article
,
D.M. Procida wrote:
I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts on
the boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the heads
now.

What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver?

Drill them out. Easy with allen heads as you already have a centre. If
an allen key won't budge them, I doubt cutting a slot will either.

If I do drill them out, what next? Do I need to recut the thread in the
hole, to the next size up?

With the head removed and the part the screws are holding removed too, you
should be able to get grips of some sort on the remaining part and screw
it out - unless the thread is seized, it shouldn't be tight once the
clamping pressure is removed.

--
*If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"D.M. Procida" wrote in
message
...
I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts on the
boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the heads now.

What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver?

Daniele

Can you apply heat to the bolts, with a decent soldering iron/gun or
similar, without wrecking surrounding material?
This in combination with penetrating oil (as Nightjar's post) might give you
a bit more chance.
It's also worth giving them a thump with hammer & punch if this will not
damage the machine.
Trying to tighten first is V good advice.
Nick.

On 25/10/2012 14:19, D.M. Procida wrote:
I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts on the
boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the heads now.

What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver?

Daniele

Years ago I sold a hot water pressure washer to a firm that revamped
industrial coffee packaging machinery.

Coffee is an incredible adhesive - they used to use breakers to get the
bolted down feet off the floor.

Cleaning it off was a nightmare - 150 c water at 70 bar just about did
the job.

--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Thu, 25 Oct 2012 14:19:06 +0100, D.M. Procida wrote:

I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts on the
boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the heads now.

What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver?

Daniele

If there's enough of the socket left, it might be worth trying an impact
driver (12V will be plenty) I had a stuck-and-almost-nackered Pozi screw, no
amount of pressure and force would move it. Used the ID (if the head had
sheared it saved drilling) and in about 1.5s the screw was out!
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway

On Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:42:08 +0100, PeterC wrote:
If there's enough of the socket left, it might be worth trying an impact
driver

Definitely. Or failing that, even a good whack with a hammer might free
things up.

On 25/10/2012 14:19, D.M. Procida wrote:
I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts on the
boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the heads now.

What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver?

You might be able to hit a torx bit into the hole - I've recovered allen
bolts in that fashion before.

Clive George wrote:
On 25/10/2012 14:19, D.M. Procida wrote:
I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts on the
boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the heads now.

What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver?

You might be able to hit a torx bit into the hole - I've recovered allen
bolts in that fashion before.

try this.

http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/p...?src=T12WNSHP1

On Thursday, 25 October 2012 14:19:07 UTC+1, D.M. Procida wrote:

What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver?

Biggest Torx bit you can hammer into the chewed hole.

Other than that, angle grinder.

On Thursday, October 25, 2012 2:19:07 PM UTC+1, D.M. Procida wrote:
I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts on the boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the heads now. What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver? Daniele

Everyone seems to be assuming they are countersunk with no sides accessible. If they are cheeseheads you might be able to get a grip with a mole wrench.

Robert

RobertL wrote:
On Thursday, October 25, 2012 2:19:07 PM UTC+1, D.M. Procida wrote:
I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts
on the boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the
heads now. What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed
screwdriver? Daniele

Everyone seems to be assuming they are countersunk with no sides
accessible. If they are cheeseheads you might be able to get a grip
with a mole wrench.

Indeed. Or any other form of abuse to the heads.

--
Adam

On 26/10/2012 16:01, RobertL wrote:
On Thursday, October 25, 2012 2:19:07 PM UTC+1, D.M. Procida wrote:
I'm cleaning up a coffee machine. Two of the four 5mm allen bolts on the boiler are well and truly stuck. In fact I've damaged the heads now. What next? Cut a slot, and use a large flat-bladed screwdriver? Daniele

Everyone seems to be assuming they are countersunk with no sides accessible. If they are cheeseheads you might be able to get a grip with a mole wrench.

I assumed they were socket cap screws, but I would not expect a Mole
wrench to provide better torque than the original Allen key,
particularly if they are small. OTOH, a Mole wrench in combination with
one of the other suggestions might help if the head is large enough to
be gripped properly.

Colin Bignell