Bolt removal tools - resources, tips, how-to videos

Gregger Man wrote:

Didn't need a puller tool today - all Triplex bolts. Two tips, tho:

• BD Cliffhanger hook is the perfect tool for getting behind a Triplex flange. 6 of them came out pretty easy.
• Installed a 1/2" 5-piece bolt at the anchor, then decided on a different hanger before we had tensioned the bolt - the cone wasn't inserted in the sleeve yet, so screwing the bolt back into it didn't work as planned - it kept nudging the cone deeper instead. Plug shaped 3/8-16 tap tool to the rescue: easy to screw into the cone because it is tapered, then gently pull the cone forward into the sleeve to sit squarely. Voilà.

Just curious, what was wrong with the Triplex bolts that required replacement?

The route has a history of the hangers falling off. Overhanging quartzite plus Fixe hangers with the three dots on the back- they don't bite the slippery rock and eventually spin. Anchor hanger fell off after 5 years and the third bolt hanger fell off a few weeks ago. Lead bolts are now glue-ins, and the top anchors are 5-piece w/Climbtech hangers. 

Gregger Man wrote:

The route has a history of the hangers falling off. Overhanging quartzite plus Fixe hangers with the three dots on the back- they don't bite the slippery rock and eventually spin. Anchor hanger fell off after 5 years and the third bolt hanger fell off a few weeks ago. Lead bolts are now glue-ins, and the top anchors are 5-piece w/Climbtech hangers. 

Gotcha, thanks!

Are people using a spinner tool and a doodad to remove 1/4" studs? I've only used mine on 3/8" and wasn't sure what kind of techniques are best for pulling out the old rusty tinies. Seems like the breakage rate could be high. Is a tuning fork a better option?

John Collis wrote:

Are people using a spinner tool and a doodad to remove 1/4" studs? I've only used mine on 3/8" and wasn't sure what kind of techniques are best for pulling out the old rusty tinies. Seems like the breakage rate could be high. Is a tuning fork a better option?

Tuning fork - don't try to spin.

Most 1/4 inch bolts are going to be rawl drive compression bolts. Tuning fork is the way for those. 

If you are sure its a 1/4 inch wedge stud you could spin it. I know where one is but its allready been replaced. Novelty relec.

timothy fisher wrote:

Most 1/4 inch bolts are going to be rawl drive compression bolts. Tuning fork is the way for those. 

If you are sure its a 1/4 inch wedge stud you could spin it. I know where one is but its allready been replaced. Novelty relec.

Makes sense. I don't have a tuning fork at the moment. Is a channeled out lost arrow still the prefered tool? I've heard of making them out of tile chisels too. Is a grinder the best tool to make one with?

John Collis wrote:

Makes sense. I don't have a tuning fork at the moment. Is a channeled out lost arrow still the prefered tool? I've heard of making them out of tile chisels too. Is a grinder the best tool to make one with?

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/116158404/yet-another-bolt-remover?page=9#ForumMessage-120137606

A 1" cold chisel is my preferred tool for removing 1/4" and 5/16" Rawl "Drives" aka: "buttonheads". Same concept as the Lost Arrow tuning fork, but a much bigger tool making the job easier. When removing several 5/16" buttonheads, it also helps to have a heavier hammer, such as, an engineer's hammer. 

The tile chisel is a good additional tool to have. Due to the additional width, not as effective when the bolt was placed in a concave surface.

I cut the slot with a 4.5" angle grinder, using the thinnest cutoff wheel. Make 2 longitudinal cuts 5/16" apart. Then make some cuts at an angle to intersect those cuts, removing chunks from the desired slot area. Switch to a thicker grinding wheel to clean up the slot and sharpen the tip to a more acute angle. Grind a groove around the circumference, near the butt end for a lanyard attachment. 15 minute job for the backyard DIY.