Am I the only one who used to just hammer at rusted bolts until they snapped? I switched to doing it smarter.

For years I'd just grab the biggest wrench and crank on a rusted bolt under a car, praying it wouldn't break off. Nine times out of ten it'd snap and I'd be drilling out the remains, cussing up a storm in my garage in Denver. Then about a year ago a buddy told me to start using a torch to heat the bolt first, just enough to expand the metal, then hit it with penetrating oil and let it sit for ten minutes. I honestly thought he was wasting my time until the first time I tried it on a seized caliper bracket bolt. That thing came loose with barely any effort, no broken bolt, no hammering, no crying. Now I do that method every single time, and I swear it saves me like half an hour per rusted fastener. Has anyone else found a trick that made you feel dumb for not trying it sooner?

3 comments

3 Comments

jessem5914d ago

Yeah, it's a bolt, not open heart surgery.

spencer_gonzalez114d ago

My dad always called it a bolt and then handed me a screwdriver.

amyh1214d ago

Actually @jessem59, I gotta push back a little on the "it's a bolt" part. A bolt is threaded and usually needs a nut, while a screw has threads that cut into the material itself. Different tools, different jobs. You wouldn't use a bolt to hang a shelf bracket into drywall, you'd grab a drywall screw. But yeah, I get your point about it not being super complicated. Just wanted to mention that tiny detail so nobody grabs the wrong thing and ends up frustrated.