Bolt Removal Advice

Hi I live in a region with generally good quality hardware but there are a few 3/8" non-stainless wedge bolts around that are rusty and our local access society would like to replace. Rock is generally good quality gneiss. There's a lot of info out there on bolt removal and it's a bit overwhelming... I'm just looking for some advice on what would be our best option for removing these 3/8" wedges? Would the YABR tool be the best way to go? Thanks!

Dan The Man wrote:

Hi I live in a region with generally good quality hardware but there are a few 3/8" non-stainless wedge bolts around that are rusty and our local access society would like to replace. Rock is generally good quality gneiss. There's a lot of info out there on bolt removal and it's a bit overwhelming... I'm just looking for some advice on what would be our best option for removing these 3/8" wedges? Would the YABR tool be the best way to go? Thanks!

YABR would work great or you could build your own removal tool for cheap. Believe it's called a doodad, lots of instruction here in the proj to build one. I found an oil can is great for injecting water into the hole, I use a cheap plastic one I bought at an auto parts store. 

I went with a yabr when I started. 

Get a practice rock or a concrete footing block and practice placing and removing the bolts you plan to remove so you don't have to make beginner mistakes on the wall.

It's pretty simple:

1 Remove the nut and hanger

2 Put the nut on to tap the bolt in making sure not to bury it in the hole, this disengages the bolt and cone

3 Remove nut and screw on the spinner tool  

4 Lube the bolt with water

5 Spin the spinner tool by hand with a wrench, they are normally rusted in place. This breaks  that rusty seal between the parts without taxing your drill.

6 Attach the drill to the sds fitting on the spinner tool, spin for 10-15 seconds pushing and pulling on the bolt to damage the cone enough to prevent it from engaging while pulling

7 Remove spinner tool and pull.

8 If it doesn't pull readily, repeat the process or you can snap the bolt off

9 Sometimes the process fails and you need to drill a new hole

10 If your successful pulling, redrill the hole for whatever hardware you are upgrading to.

Andrew Jackson wrote:

It's pretty simple:

1 Remove the nut and hanger

2 Put the nut on to tap the bolt in making sure not to bury it in the hole, this disengages the bolt and cone

3 Remove nut and screw on the spinner tool  

4 Lube the bolt with water

5 Spin the spinner tool by hand with a wrench, they are normally rusted in place. This breaks  that rusty seal between the parts without taxing your drill.

6 Attach the drill to the sds fitting on the spinner tool, spin for 10-15 seconds pushing and pulling on the bolt to damage the cone enough to prevent it from engaging while pulling

7 Remove spinner tool and pull.

8 If it doesn't pull readily, repeat the process or you can snap the bolt off

9 Sometimes the process fails and you need to drill a new hole

10 If your successful pulling, redrill the hole for whatever hardware you are upgrading to.

Thanks for the reply! What are you using for a spinner tool?

Dan The Man wrote:

Thanks for the reply! What are you using for a spinner tool?

This is a spinner tool- sds adapter with 1/2 x 20tpi, and a reverse threaded insert to butt up against the bolt head:

You also need a coupler to mate from the 1/2 x 20 threads to 3/8 x 16 threads (or whatever size bolt you're extracting):

These came with the yabr when I bought it, i think you can also order them separately from mcmaster carr

Check in with ASCA and Access Fund. If you are planning on making bolt replacement a regular part of your stewardship plans, they will likely provide you with a puller and spinner tool.