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Update: That old trick for stubborn tube sheet bolts finally worked for me
Last week at the plant in Gary, we had a 2-inch bolt seized solid in a 3-pass boiler. I soaked it for a full day with the usual stuff, nothing. My foreman said, 'Heat the nut, not the bolt.' So I got my torch and put a real sharp flame on just the nut for about 90 seconds. It expanded, cracked the rust, and spun right off with a normal wrench. Anyone got other tricks for when you can't get a good swing with a slugging wrench?
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jenkins.wade19d ago
Yeah, that heat trick is a lifesaver. I had a similar fight with some flange bolts on a big industrial dryer last fall. Couldn't get a swing at all in the tight spot. What finally worked for me was using a long pipe wrench, a cheater bar actually, and just steady, increasing pressure. You let the tool do the work, no impact. It creaked and groaned but eventually broke free without stripping the head. Sometimes slow and steady beats the hammer.
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