Captain Candle Wax method

[Lil Foot]

While checking settings & adjustments on my front axle, I found the "roll angle" bolts set about 1/8" shorter than the book says. I promptly twisted off a 12mm x 1.75 stop bolt in an attempt to re-adjust it. It left about a 3/8" stub, so I tried vise grips, (no way) then about 16hrs of Phabulous Blaster, (no way) then heat & acetone & atf. (no way)
Then I tried the Captain Candle Wax method- I heated the stub to cherry red, then, as it cooled, I melted canning parafin into the interface between the bolt & the casting. I could watch bubbles coming out, so obviously wax was going in. When the bubbles stopped, I left it to cool completely. Came back in an hour or so, snapped on the vise grips, and it screwed right out like it was greased.
I'm impressed. Maybe it was a combination of everything, but the wax method was the only thing that yielded immediate, visible results.

 

[Diydave]

While checking settings & adjustments on my front axle, I found the "roll angle" bolts set about 1/8" shorter than the book says. I promptly twisted off a 12mm x 1.75 stop bolt in an attempt to re-adjust it. It left about a 3/8" stub, so I tried vise grips, (no way) then about 16hrs of Phabulous Blaster, (no way) then heat & acetone & atf. (no way)
Then I tried the Captain Candle Wax method- I heated the stub to cherry red, then, as it cooled, I melted canning parafin into the interface between the bolt & the casting. I could watch bubbles coming out, so obviously wax was going in. When the bubbles stopped, I left it to cool completely. Came back in an hour or so, snapped on the vise grips, and it screwed right out like it was greased.
I'm impressed. Maybe it was a combination of everything, but the wax method was the only thing that yielded immediate, visible results.

Glad it worked for you. Might have been the cherry red heat. I normally only go to about 4-500 degrees, but with a busted off bolt, you had nothing really to lose...

 

[Shadow]

Weld a nut on the what's left of the bolt, then turn it right out. Works most times.

 

[Daren Todd]

I have to use a lot of heat most of the time. I have some bolts that have to have hi strengh lock tite. Had a guy send me some equipment to rebuild. Idiot uses hi temp/ hi strengh lock tite. I would have to cut the head off the bolt. Remove an impellor. Then hit the shaft with a torch for around ten minutes to loosen the lock tite. Then usually I can just spin it out. Usually have to chase the threads with a tap to remove the rest of the lock tite.

Have had good luck with welding a nut to busted studs and stripped drain plugs that some bone head hammered in with an impact.

Haven't tried the wax yet. Gonna have to give it a shot

 

[Tooljunkie]

Has been a go-to solution for many people. I just silicone the nut back on and pretend it didnt happen. Not true, but have seen it.

Brake lines are a difficult thing to convince to release. A little heat and cold water. Rinse and repeat. After three heat cool cycles i then put a wrench on it.
83.5 success rate.
Never heat fittings near a rubber hose. Heat softens hose,and it blows apart with some velocity. Good for shop entertainment,heat and step back. Goes off like a gun shot.

 

[ShaunRH]

At the end of the day, it's all about break up the rust bonds that form down thread channels. You can lubricant yourself to death and make no headway if the rust doesn't have something else to break it loose. That's when the lubricant comes in. That lubricant can be paraffin or whatever, but the rust has to break loose first.

You only have a few choices at that point:

Heat: Breaks up the rust with differential rate expansion/contraction
Impact: Uses physical force to move the threads about inside the cavity
Rotational Force: What normally ends up breaking the bolt or stud to begin with, the lowest chance of breaking the threads loose but it's what we all try first... until we break the bolt/stud! Doh!

All semi-permanent/permanent forms of thread locker require heat to break it down. So heat should be your go to for threads known to have it. The issue is with those we don't know about.

So, pick your spread of poisons here, but that will likely be situation dependent.