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Freeing really rusty leg levellers?

I've stood them in coca cola for a day that sometimes works.
 
I've used WD40 and works OK.
Just scrap as much of the rust you can at the entrance of the thread and let it soak in.
Just give it time to do its job and work in.
If it starts to dry out add some more and give the bolt a bad and fwd twist.
 
I steeped mine for a day in WD constantly re applying, the next day I held each leg in a vice and using a suitable spanner managed to get the feet off. I then spent a couple of hours trying to clean up the feet and wire brush the threads to the point they didn’t look bad. Then I remembered I had some new bolts for them tucked away in my spares somewhere.
It was then it dawned on me that I not only had a big bag of brand new feet but also in the loft several sets of powder coated legs I thought I had used/moved on/sold.
So I promptly binned the way past it rusty ****e ones and kicked my self for all the wasted time and effort.
BTW the ones I had in the loft were old rusty ones that a local company shot blasted and powder coated for £20 a set so that may be an easier option and they do some amazing sparkling candy colours which enhance any pin.
 
Wd40 is not a releasing agent, it is an ok lubricant while it’s still ‘wet’ wd40 is a water repellent (wd = water displacement 40th version) and rust inhibitor/cleaner
Better with something like keno aerokroil or plusgas both far better than wd40 which is only a temporary fix

Keno aerokroil

Kano Aerokroil Penetrating Oil, 10 oz. aerosol (AEROKROIL): Amazon.co.uk: Amazon.co.uk:

Kano Aerokroil Penetrating Oil, 10 oz. aerosol (AEROKROIL): Amazon.co.uk: Amazon.co.uk:
www.amazon.co.uk

Plusgas

English Abrasives 801-10 Plusgas Aerosol 200ml: Amazon.co.uk: Amazon.co.uk:

Shop English Abrasives 801-10 Plusgas Aerosol 200ml. Free delivery on eligible orders of £20 or more.
www.amazon.co.uk
 
BigIan said:
Wd40 is not a releasing agent, it is an ok lubricant while it’s still ‘wet’ wd40 is a water repellent (wd = water displacement 40th version) and rust inhibitor/cleaner
Better with something like keno aerokroil or plusgas both far better than wd40 which is only a temporary fix

Keno aerokroil

Kano Aerokroil Penetrating Oil, 10 oz. aerosol (AEROKROIL): Amazon.co.uk: Amazon.co.uk:

Kano Aerokroil Penetrating Oil, 10 oz. aerosol (AEROKROIL): Amazon.co.uk: Amazon.co.uk:
www.amazon.co.uk

Plusgas

English Abrasives 801-10 Plusgas Aerosol 200ml: Amazon.co.uk: Amazon.co.uk:

Shop English Abrasives 801-10 Plusgas Aerosol 200ml. Free delivery on eligible orders of £20 or more.
www.amazon.co.uk
Click to expand...
Thanks!

Found larger, cheaper Plusgas on Amazon... so will give that a go

Plus gas English Abrasives 802-10 Plusgas Aerosol 400ml: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Free delivery and returns on all eligible orders. Shop Plus gas English Abrasives 802-10 Plusgas Aerosol 400ml.
www.amazon.co.uk

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Almost unhelpfully because it's still called a WD-40, under the 'Specialist' sub-brand they make a penetrating oil:

product-penetrant.png

https://www.wd40specialist.com/products/penetrating-oil/

I can vouch for this as being actually bloody effective. Got me out of a jam with some siezed bolts on a car's brake system (as in nothing on a 3/8 inch socket breaker bar was touching it, and moving up to a 1/2 inch bar was more likely to just behead the bolt,) and has worked really well on small nuts in pinball tables as well.

If you have rusted parts, give yourself every chance for success, get the proper chemicals or use the proper processes, don't waste time and effort using plain WD-40, it doesn't work on anything that's actually siezed. The rusting process expands the material like ice does to water, on a smaller scale so you don't see rusted fasteners exploding like cans of coke in a freezer - but you still need fluid with serious capillary action. Or you need to increase the size of the enclosure with a lot of heat. Or if you don't care about preserving the parts too much... use various forms of acid.

All else fails, get the grinder.
 
Had a set years ago where it looked like it was impossible to remove them. Super rusted.

By chance a guy was working here and he had a blow torch/heat gun.

He heated them up and amazingly they all came out.
 
Replay said:
Had a set years ago where it looked like it was impossible to remove them. Super rusted.

By chance a guy was working here and he had a blow torch/heat gun.

He heated them up and amazingly they all came out.
Click to expand...
Yep. You can't defeat physics. Rust expanding the bolt a bit, threads rusting partially producing a big old siezed mess? Just heat the entire ring up and through the wonders of physics, the hole gets bigger. So counter-intuitive at first, but that's how it goes. https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/90405
 
I have always got them out with penetrating oil. Even if I have to break the foot odd and put the end of the thread in my work vice.... Most the time it just needs a 'crack' to get them started.

probably best to apply a few goes with the penetrating oil first.

On the WD40 thing - they have a brilliant range now. The WD40 switch cleaner is amazing!!!!
 
Update

Used the Plusgas and some WD40 penetrating release spray I found in the shed.

Good news after a short soaking and a bit of elbow grease I was able to get the leg levellers free and out of 3 legs.

Typically though the last one defeated me. As it was going so well I prob got a bit Popeye, and attempting to break the seal I sheared the foot off leaving the screw shaft in the leg! Can't see that coming out now. Bugger. Oh well - new leg needed [emoji16]

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Put the screw shaft in a vice if there's enough of it to grab and then turn the leg?

….Or say sod it life's too short and get a new leg!
 
Sgt GrizZ said:
Update

Used the Plusgas and some WD40 penetrating release spray I found in the shed.

Good news after a short soaking and a bit of elbow grease I was able to get the leg levellers free and out of 3 legs.

Typically though the last one defeated me. As it was going so well I prob got a bit Popeye, and attempting to break the seal I sheared the foot off leaving the screw shaft in the leg! Can't see that coming out now. Bugger. Oh well - new leg needed [emoji16]

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Click to expand...
Get a drill that's smaller than the bolt, and murder that bugger.

It'll either break free while drilling and the screwdriver will back out the bolt through the other side of the nut (we're lucky here in that we don't need reverse-thread drill bits to pull the bit out that way) or you'll leave so little material behind that the rest will just crumble away, leaving the nut nice and free.

If you're writing off the leg anyway, there's nothing to lose. You'll sort it really fast, or you'll knacker the threads really fast and know that you're out of luck without a drill/tap set real quick.
 
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If there's enough thread left showing, wind two nuts onto it, and back the first one off really tight against the second, with the 'flats' aligned, so that a socket can fit over them both. With luck, the head formed on the screw will be enough to get it moving.
 
Jay Walker said:
If there's enough thread left showing, wind two nuts onto it, and back the first one off really tight against the second, with the 'flats' aligned, so that a socket can fit over them both. With luck, the head formed on the screw will be enough to get it moving.
Click to expand...
Top advice if can be physically performed.
 
As @Jay Walker said. But as it's not been mentioned, a good wack on the end of the stud may be all that's needed to break the bond.

Two other options now you have a stud to work with.

Cut a slot in the end big enough to fit your biggest flat head screwdriver in. Sit the head of the screwdriver in the slot the use an adjustable on the remaining head of the screwdriver as leverage.

Second, file the sides of the stud flat and gets a spanner on it.
 
If you don't have a blow torch, use the oven grill. My dad has a blow torch but it never stops him using the oven.
 
Moonbus said:
As @Jay Walker said. But as it's not been mentioned, a good wack on the end of the stud may be all that's needed to break the bond.

Two other options now you have a stud to work with.

Cut a slot in the end big enough to fit your biggest flat head screwdriver in. Sit the head of the screwdriver in the slot the use an adjustable on the remaining head of the screwdriver as leverage.

Second, file the sides of the stud flat and gets a spanner on it.
Click to expand...
Honestly nowadays I prefer the drill for the same job, if destructive methods are required. More often than not the drill biting into the bolt will provide enough torque whereby the drill becomes a screwdriver and it backs out by itself. That's usually why you need reverse-direction drill bits for the job; but in this case it doesn't matter if the bolt backs out forwards or backwards.
 
PBrookfield said:
Honestly nowadays I prefer the drill for the same job, if destructive methods are required. More often than not the drill biting into the bolt will provide enough torque whereby the drill becomes a screwdriver and it backs out by itself. That's usually why you need reverse-direction drill bits for the job; but in this case it doesn't matter if the bolt backs out forwards or backwards.
Click to expand...
Agree 100%, just throwing my pennies in.
If a bench drill is available you may as well just drill it out as much as you can and tap out the rest.
 
Wow - thanks for all the advice!

Sorry to disappoint anyone awaiting the next thrilling installment of GrizZ Vs Rusty Leg Leveller..... but I can't be bothered mucking about anymore - I'm putting a big order of parts together and 1 extra leg is not gonna make much difference to the bill. [emoji3]

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Sgt GrizZ said:
With Popeye gone.... I just don't care anymore [emoji23]

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Click to expand...
I know it's hard, but at times like this, when your back is against the wall. Think what Popeye would have done?

Did he even have a wallet, only thing he seemed to pull out his pocket was a spinach tin. But he did have tools.

"Suck it up and muscle through soldiers"
Hugs
 
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