Success - 3/8" wedge bolt removal

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Banquo

Trad climber
Morgan Hill, CA (Mo' Hill)
Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 1, 2010 - 10:01pm PT
In an earlier topic I fooled around with drilling out wedge bolts but I didn't manage it. I still think that a 1/2" hollow core drill would work if the 3/8" bolt was left in place to guide the core bit. I don't have a deep enough core bit to try this. If I was handy at brazing or silver soldering or some such thing, I could extend one of the bits I have and try it.
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1268908

This evening I decided to see if I could get a hold of the little sleeve and pull it out. I placed a 3/8" anchor in a 2-1/4" deep drilled hole to the usual depth and tightened it up. I then pulled out the bolt leaving the cone and sleeve. I used a punch and knocked the cone into the bottom of the hole. I tried several ways of getting a hold of the sleeve but most tended to expand the sleeve and I thought they would make it hard to pull. I tried various screws, lags and an ez-out. I felt that I needed to cut into the sleeve rather than expand it and dug through my junk until I found a tap that was about the right size - 8mm of all things from my VW repair days. I wound the tap in and yanked the sleeve out. I then fished the wedge out with a magnet.

I think it worked because i didn't expand the sleeve, it was surprisingly loose and started to spin after cutting less than a full turn of thread.

Prolly won't work with old rusted in bolts but a really stuck one might hold while you cut more threads then pull with bolt. I pulled mine out by hand with the tap.

I need a super strong rare earth magnet to fish out the wedge since it was balky.

Thorgon

Big Wall climber
Sedro Woolley, WA
Nov 1, 2010 - 10:11pm PT
Banquo~

Way to stick to it, Man!!


Thor
ionlyski

Trad climber
Kalispell, Montana
Nov 1, 2010 - 10:18pm PT
Banquo,
Did you make your bolt puller? Is it about an inch and a quarter bolt with the shaft drilled and tapped to 3/8"?

Impressive.

When I have pulled 3/8 wedge bolts they just broke off at about the half way point, not at the wedge.
Arne
adatesman

Trad climber
philadelphia, pa
Nov 1, 2010 - 10:52pm PT
He had a thread about the bolt puller a short while back, IIRC. Made from scrap he had on hand at the time and worked well. If buying the parts, using Acme threaded rod/nut would be nice since it would apply the force more efficiently and result in less force on the wrench, but it's all good.

EDIT- Here ya go... http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1268908&msg=1268908#msg1268908
mucci

Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
Nov 1, 2010 - 10:54pm PT
That looks like a useable rig....

How did you get the cone out? Tap?

Workshops rule.
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Nov 2, 2010 - 12:57am PT
Victory!
Stainless or non-stainless wedge bolt?
(I'm wondering about the magnetic attraction of the stainless).
Brian in SLC

Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
Nov 2, 2010 - 01:00am PT
Wow, I've always wondered if a system like that might work...neat!

Stainless or non-stainless wedge bolt?
(I'm wondering about the magnetic attraction of the stainless).


'Bout have to be non-stainless. I have a really strong rare earth magnet, and, it barely picks a stainless bolt up off the floor, much less out of a hole. Almost need pliers to get that magnet off the 'fridge.
Mighty Hiker

climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Nov 2, 2010 - 01:03am PT
You should have titled this one "New way of chopping bolts" - would've gotten dozens of posts by now.

Thanks for posting about your various endeavours with anchors, as they're quite interesting, and often relevant.
Larry

Trad climber
Bisbee
Nov 2, 2010 - 01:50pm PT
What're the details on this rare earth magnet? Something you can get at Ace Hardware, or not? Source?
Banquo

Trad climber
Morgan Hill, CA (Mo' Hill)
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 2, 2010 - 08:47pm PT
Just google shop for rare earth magnet. I have some I got by taking apart old hard disc drives. The really old drives had big ones in them.
SuperCow

Social climber
Cambridge
Dec 7, 2010 - 11:18pm PT
They are called Neodymium magnets. Dangerously strong !
randy88fj62

Trad climber
LA, CA
May 9, 2016 - 09:13am PT
I have be perusing the bolt removal threads and my current project requires removing old rusted 3/8 and 5/16 bolts. Not sure what hardware was used with the Leeper hangers. Threaded rod sticking out with a nut over the leeper hanger.

Tried using two piton tuning forks, a bosch chisel tuning fork (made one after reading its use here), and a crowbar.

I ended up snapping the bolt just above the rock surface creating an ugly scar on the rock.

I have roughly 20 of these bolts to remove so I'd like to make a puller as shown in the two main threads here.

My question is regarding the acme threaded rod which is best for loads. What are people using for the threaded collar / nut spacer?

Tapping threaded rod to accept the bolts I am pulling is easy. I am trying to avoid buying an ACME die and making my own collar.

Are there any long threaded ACME nuts with good tensile strength or other threaded fittings I could adapt to?

http://www.mcmaster.com/#acme-threaded-rods/=12c4xh6
tradmanclimbs

Ice climber
Pomfert VT
May 9, 2016 - 02:17pm PT
XDrill right next to the 3/8th in bolt w/ 1/2" bit. so close that you touch the side of the old bolt just barely. Hog it out, tap with hammer, yank out the old crapola. Hogg out a bit more and then place counter sunk 10mm glue in.
randy88fj62

Trad climber
LA, CA
May 9, 2016 - 03:15pm PT
The bolts at my disposal are not glue ins. My goal is to forcefully pull out the bolts.

The access fund website recommends modifying a C clamp which is an option I am considering.
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
May 10, 2016 - 10:22am PT
This is of great interest and I think it is the best thing to preserve bolted routes in their original holes.
overwatch

climber
Arizona
May 10, 2016 - 11:06am PT
I read somewhere probably on this forum about magnets that are so strong you have to have a special license to handle them? Like so strong that if you get your hand between the magnet and metal say goodbye to your hand?

I don't know about the license thing that may be bullshit
BruceHildenbrand

Social climber
Mountain View/Boulder
May 10, 2016 - 12:04pm PT
The access fund website recommends modifying a C clamp which is an option I am considering.

Actually, this is a two part process for removing 3/8" wedge bolts. First, you use an adapter with your power drill to spin the wedge bolt in the hole which effectively destroys the cone. Next, you hook up some sort of puller either something hydraulic or the C clamp thing to pull the stud out.

This process works very well for wedge bolts. There is a low weight, hydraulic puller which you can buy for $150 to do the pulling. That information should be available on the AF website of you can E-mail 'greggonator' here on SuperTopo.
G_Gnome

Trad climber
Cali
May 10, 2016 - 12:25pm PT
Great work but now someone needs to figure out how to remove Petzl long life bolts!
Chossboss

Trad climber
The GNAR
May 10, 2016 - 01:42pm PT
Why would you ever need to pull a long life?

I thought those things were good for, like, eternity.
tolman_paul

Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
May 10, 2016 - 02:23pm PT
Great work but now someone needs to figure out how to remove Petzl long life bolts!

It should be fairly easy. Drill out the center expansion pin and then it should pull right out.
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