DIY! How to Remove Stripped Bolt by Nut Twister

If the rusty bolts and nuts are stripped by forcibly loosened with the wrench, the first step is to try to turn them with locking pliers or the chisel. When the corner of bolt head or nut is stripped and rounded, the only thing you can rely on is a special tool called a "nut twister" which is different from a standard socket.

The nut twister has six sharp edges so that even rounded bolts can be securely loosened!

1. Rusty bolts are easy to strip and break. Well, what do you do?

It is a common situation that when I took out a motorcycle that had been parked in the location where it is exposed to the rain for many years, the screws and bolts on all parts of the motorcycle were covered with red rust. When loosening such bolts, first, spray a lot of anti-rust lubricant without turning it suddenly by a tool.

If there are no parts affected by heat such as rubber or resin around bolt or nut, it is effective to heat the area with the heater. By doing that way, the lubricant penetrates the gap between the male and female threads that make the bolts and nuts loose easily even without forcibly turning it by the tool.

However, if you try to turn the stuck bolt firmly by the tool, the bolt head may be stripped. If the corners of the hexagonal bolt became collapsed and rounded, it can not be turned by the spanner or wrench anymore./p>

There is also a hand tool called locking plier (Vise-Grip), but even using it, bolt or nut does not loosen, the final option is a nut twister.

2. Holds firmly with the 6-point contact like a socket wrench

The nut twister manufactured by KOKEN (Yamashita Industrial Research Institute), Japan's leading socket tool manufacturer, has a flower-like design with six petals. These petals are twisted shape with a twist from the six vertices toward the inside of the socket, and the inner diameter is narrowed towards the depths.

The universal socket contacts the hexagonal part of the bolt, but the nut twister has sharp edges at six vertices of the opening, and its strength is to bite into the bolt when turned counterclockwise in the socket.

In "grip tools" such as locking pliers, only two or three points of contact between the tool and the bolt can be secured, but the advantage of the socket shape is that the force can be dispersed by contacting the bolt in six locations.

Also, by narrowing the inner diameter toward the depth, it can bite into the bolt and hold the bolt firmly that is the unique feature of nut twister specializing in loosening the stripped bolt.

3. Gentle for hollow bolts with low strength

▲ A bleeder plug that rusted black after passing red. The evidence of a previous attempt to remove that have been found on numerous wounds.

The cool sample we prepared to know is the power of nut twister in the bleeder plug of the brake caliper that is already rusted and has already stripped corners. Since the brake fluid is hygroscopic property, it is easy to adhere to the moisture that causes rust, and if the rubber cap to be attached to the plug remains removed, rainwater enters the inside of the plug with a hole in the center, which also causes rust.

This structure, which is hollow and has low strength, is troublesome when loosening the stuck bleeder plug. With a gripping tool such as locking pliers, the force is applied from a position perpendicular to the plug, even if you work very carefully, you will have the power to break it.

However, with a socket type nut twister, the bleeder plug can be turned directly from above. In addition, since there are six points of contact with the plug, the turning force is equally applied.

Insert an 8mm nut twister from just above the bleeder plug and slowly turn it counterclockwise. When the edge of the petal bites into the rounded plug, there is a clear response.
 

4. Use lubrication spray to further improve the loosening effect

▲It can be seen in the photo that the rust extends to the deep part of the screw. If the corrosion is so bad, even if you replace it with a new bleeder plug, a problem may occur. However, it is a great success that it could able to remove without breaking.

Having a nut twister doesn't mean you don't need to prepare in advance. It is also effective to heat and apply highly permeable spray lubrication on the fixed screw.

In the first place, the bolt that should be turned with a 10mm spanner spins off due to rounding corners, So bolts and nuts with stripped corners are often blurred in the width of the two sides.

Therefore, even in the case of nut twisters, the size notation of the socket does not always match the size of the bolt.

The original 10mm bolt in contrast with the 10mm nut twister, the bite may be shallow. Therefore, KOKEN, the manufacturer prepares a 9.5mm socket under 10mm.

The breeder plug has a two-sided width of 8 mm, but the corners are stripped that's why both the 8mm wrench and socket are idle, and when the 8mm nut twister is turned counterclockwise and there is a clear response to the top of the crushed corners of the bleeder plug.

Then, when the ratchet handle was set and the force was applied gently, the plug that had stuck loosened safely with a dry response called "snap". It worked well, but it is necessary to understand in advance that if the bite of the bolt is even stronger, the bolt may break in the middle.

However, the "nut twister" is not a loss to remember as a reliable tool in case of emergency.

5. It is ideal if you can buy a set, but it is also a smart way to buy only the sizes that is frequently used.

▲ Set of 8 pieces with an insertion angle of 3/8 inch, the set size of RS3127 / 8 is 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16mm. As explained in the article, by purchasing a single socket that fits the head of a damaged even though there are different sizes of bolts it can reduce costs.
 

Eight pieces of socket set can handle any occasion, however, there is an aspect that the price is expensive due to the special shape. The easy to strip in the maintenance of motorcycles is the bolts and nuts that are 8,10, and 12mm with across side width, so, If you want to get a certain effect on a limited budget, it is better to narrow down the size.

 

Click here for Nut Twister set

 

Click here for single Nut Twister