Remove a broken bolt using a left handed drill bit 

Show me with a rusted bolt that's totally inaccessible up in the rear frame of my land cruiser...

This is the best video I've ever seen on this method. Thank you!

These are great! They've worked every time I've used them.

The first method shown was spot on and saved me hundreds of pounds, after overtightening an M6 fastener that snapped on my egr valve. thanks

I Snapped A Spindle On My BMX, This Video Is Awesome, And I'm Blessed To Say That My Broken Bolt Is Leveled With The Entrance Of The Crank.

Thank you!!! Bought a rifle with a broken stud in the rear sight!!! You saved me the fee to have the gunsmith do it! Thank you! Thank you!

Brilliant! Thank you for the upload, I for one appreciate it. Cheers.

Gr8 Vid , never heard of a left hand drill bit . Thanks for sharing .

Thanks for sharing knowledge.

thanks for posting this helpful video.

Thanks for posting. This explains everything with great detail. Looks like separate bits and center punch is the way to go.

You are the man....keep up the great work.....

or use gradually larger bolts to thin out the walls of the bolt so eventually it can be removed in pieces. i do appreciate your videos. sending this one especially to an australian friend of mine. who has a broken exhaust bolt on a motorcycle he needs to remove

I just unscrew an m5x16mm mtb cleat bolt using this method. Thank you for sharing this. It really worked!!!

Love youre accent man, great vids! Sweden

I used to work in the toolroom at a plastic injection molding facility. Removing broken hardware is a huge part of the job. By far the worse thing to remove from a blind hole is a broken dowel pin. I was just going to say that you can get easy-outs in sets. They have the appropriate size left-hand drill with them. Most often, the broken stud comes out with the drill and you don't even need the easy-out.

done many stud extractions but never knew left handed drill bits existed! thanks!

Thank you, thank you SO much for all your videos, especially this one. I have just removed a small bolt completely sheared off, by following your video. I have all the tools, I just needed your guidance. Please don't give up your video's, they're a God send and I can't thank you enough! 📏🪥🔨🪚🪛🛠️😊

the reason an eazy out is not the best answer is it creates expansion and hench causes additional pressure to the thread surface thus defeating the removal attempt.the left handed drill is a little known and seldom used quick answer,smart stuff.I would have used a little larger bit as it relieves even more side wall pressure but you really have to have your center and bit alignment correct if your take the tolerances closer.Nice job you just made many people's lives easier.

Wow I never knew they made left handed drill bits, I use a similar tecnique with a right hand bit, but with a left hand bit a could double my productivity, thanks for the vid

I'm impressed. I thought you were just gonna drill it out but this way is safer. I hadn't even thought of this.

So I see some doubters here, I've been doing marine and industrial repair and maintenance for close to 40 years now and I have a set of extractors and Left Hand cobalt bits in my box. They've saved a lot of work, and made a lot of believers. Drilling the bolt relieves the stress using the LH bit means all of the torque is trying to twist the bolt out and gives you a head start on the easy-out. And yes it works on rusty and bi-metallic corrosion and if you're lucky even on galled SS. Don't count on the last.

Great video.

Straight forward. Good video! Many thanks. You helped save me over $100 and much headache.👍

nice, know i'll be looking for left handed drills each time i go to the hardware store ^^, ohh and nice drill by the way, haven't seen good quality drills in quite a while!

This video doesn't show a real situation but it does actually work. I drill a hole through the bolt first and then step with a LH bit. The first hole warms the bolt up so that when you use the LH bit it will shake things loose

Great video. I broke a exhaust manifold stud off in the head of my 03' F150 and it was hell trying to find LH drill bits! Finally found a 13 piece set at Harbor Freight. I'm going to give it a shot this weekend.

VERY GOOD VIDEO

excellent video, very helpful!

Nice presentation, thank you!

Top Tips!

Thanks for sharing.

Great channel!

good job mate - thanks for the video

Never to old to learn , never heard of left handed drill bit . Great video -thanks

Do you have an idea how to do this if the bolt is really stuck ?

Thank you!! Haha really helpful!

Thanks useful .

Nice information but only for mild steel bolt but if it is hardned pl also suggest if u have any idea

I recently broke an exhaust manifold stud on my race car. Seeing as how I have a race this weekend, I may try this technique. I'm going to make sure I take my time with this though, as I do not want to cause further damage. Any tips?

Thanks !! Great Video!

Worked thank you

I need to get broken lug nuts out of my bmw e30. Is it best to start with a smaller big then increase size? Do you apply pressure when drilling? What is the chance this will work since you says it only works sometimes? Is it better if i put a lube on the sides to have a better chance that it will work?

great vid! subbed!

thank you

this is really help for me as I ride a bmx and brake bolts alot

would it be okay to tap a new hole in a bolt that is fully ceased in a hole that the original bolt broke off in?

Nice demo

get a left handed tap and die kit. You can put a left hand thread on the inside of the bolt. The put in a new left threaded bolt into the new thread. When it hit the hardened metal at the bottom, keep going and you will pull out the old bolt

I have many years of working on different types of machines . The best way if you have a welding machine weld a nut to the broken bolt or stud. after it cools down spray on penetrating oil and wiggle the bolt until it starts to move. If you have stainless steel to stainless steel and the bolt has frozen you are going to probably have to drill and re-tap the threaded hole.

Not needed now,but very VERY useful information Thnx.

So I'm workin on replacing the rear leaf springs on my jeep and i sheared a bolt that bolts into the frame and i can't really see the stud to drill in to it what you recomend i do to get the bolt out the left handed bit or a screw extractor?

thanks, this will be help me to remove my stripped hex

Thank you

Why not just start with the left bit after the center punching??

Would this work on a rounded drain plug?

Would this work for hardened screws? And what size bit would i get for a 5mm screw?

Best exemplar taking out new bolt

hi, is it possible that the bolt is just to strong to actually "drill" it out?and in that case what can i do?

Thanks I've just bought some centre drills and a set of left handed drill bits... I have some M6 bolts sheared in aluminium to fix, fingers crossed :D

yeah,got me some lefty drills and keep them with my screw extracters so as not to mix them with my regular bits...but you're correct, plenty of times the fastener will come out using just the lefty bit!

i WAS going to ask you almost the same question. albeit in a more polite way seems all of your videos are set up like this. BUT this to me is youtubes treasure trove of howtos for situations like this. thank you sir. btw may i ask , if this technique does not work, can a person weld a piece of small rod to the end of hte broken bolt, and then remove bolt by some other means?, vise grip pliers or some other tool if the easy-out doesnt work.

nice..in my case i have a broken head BUT its for a screw and not a bolt. so there is already a hole on the shaft. i cannot use vise grips to the the sides becoz the exposed screw is kinda deep. what do u recommend in that case. do i have to drill? or can i just use a extractor tool to directly and reverse? any ideas. thanks

Vídeo muito bom, alguém poderia traduzir em português?

Thanks for the video. One question. Should the bit used to drill the starter hole be smaller than the reverse drill bit or should they be the same size?

@ultimatehandyman YOUR WELCOME...I WORK AS A SUPERINTENDENT IN NYC....AND I ALWAYS CHECK YOUR CHANNEL FOR TIPS

i love your accent and your tools... maybe one day i will have a house/wife/kids a car, and a garage with big boys toys... then i will remember your lesson. thank you in advance :)

Watched 2 clips b4 this they got thumbs down. This gets the big thumbs up.

Great way to fix a broken stud

Thank you handyman you are always brilliant. So to double confirm we need to spin the drill anti-clockwise when using the left hand drill bit?

Thanks for sharing. 🙏🏻🙂

Awesome video. Would you be able to make a video on the different type of bits you use on certain surfaces and how to keep your bits from getting worn down. Thank you!

Why is this recommended to me? But still interesting, what about the good old nut wielding to the bolt? Should work out as well,or not?

I've been machining various things for more years than I care to remember. I have never seen, or even heard of a left handed drill before I watched your video! Quite true, so thanks for enlightening me. Apart from stud removal, what else are they used for?

Left handed drill bit. I honestly didn't think they existed, always thought it was a joke like a left handed screwdriver, sky hooks or striped paint.

another one is to use a center punch on the out board edge and tap lightly counterclockwise.I've had good luck with this if the bolt is not rusty.another thing about counter drilling,it depends on the metal Rockwell.if it is grade 8 or more most bits just overheat and won't cut the steel.for sure metal can't argue with abrasives!

Thanks man, I spent almost 2 hours looking for someone to get it out and the only one who said he could wanted me to pay 40 $ !!!! and he was going to cut or burn or I do not know... using your method it only took around 3 minutes :) I just saved 40 $ and a long time of waiting and and and... thanks to you.

@ultimatehandyman no there isnt a hole so i guess i iwll hae to follow what you did

that's a sexy trick! I'll be giving it a try tomorrow as i broke off a rusty bolt in an old drill press base I'm trying to bring back to life. Not sure where to get a left handed drill. I'm pretty sure the Home Depot crew will look at me like i have a 3rd eye but I'll give it try tomorrow. thanks,

Thank you, Mr Ultimate Handyman 😍 I need to get a broken bent screw out of a bike frame. It was a screw for the kickstand. This I believe would work but was just wondering if you had any other easier ideas at all???? Thank you so much 💖

1:33 Sounds like Arnold "so naawo .. get to the choppa" 😂

In the USA, these bits are readily available from you local auto parts store or tool truck. Yes, they are a bit spendy, ranging from $50 - 150 or there abouts. Do an online search for these examples: NAPA sells VG 11119 & VG 11135ZR kits made by Vise-Grip; stocked at a local DC. Other auto parts stores should also be able to get them. For bits only, DBLS105 by Blue Point & DMCLM5 by Matco are other examples. I would think these would also be available at your local hardware store, but I've had no luck.

Thanks mate👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

This is amazing thank you

can you do the video again with the bolt seized into something see if it works then? thanks

Should the drill bit be same size as bolt?

Where can I get a Centre drill bit and left handed drill bit from in the UK? Thanks

Any technique to centre or flatten the sheared surface of a bolt/stud when it's in the hole and you cannot grind off material to expose/flatten it?

can you use this with a hex chuck adapter on an impact driver? a lot of them say they can only be used clockwise.

yeah.. how often are they that large and flat

thanks a lot

Hmm, I would like to see this done in a same scenario basis.. I.E. Rusted bolt in a threaded bit of old steep with a stainless steel bolt. As an engineer by trade I have found that this method generally doesn't work, the easiest solution is to use molycote or anti-seize compound on the threads before tightening/torquing the fixing. I prefer to weld a nut on the broken bolt and pull it out, or ld drill it out and tap the hole again, broken bolts cause flat threads (amongst other things)

Thankyou sir

It worked!!! This saved me so much time! I highly recommend this method. Even if your exhaust manifold studs are 21+ years old! Thanks so much!

Will this work on a broken sway bar bolt. Buying a truck that they welded the sway bar back cause the bolt snapped.

The drill i was using was 1500rpm max. I used a 3000rpm max drill and it worked. So i was just using a crappy drill. thanks for the help

Could you make suggestions for a steel bolt corroded into an aluminum spindle housing on a mower.

will this work on my scooter? the spring broke and its horribly annoying, the brake drags on the back wheel which makes loud noises, any help?

I've got to try and remove a snapped brake disc retaining screw so could you tell me what size drill and centre drill I will need for a M8x 1.25 or M6x1.25 screw/bolt.

HELP! I was drilling into the bolt and it just stopped drilling. the bit is still rotating but it wont go in further. ive tried several new bits and they still wont drill any further. have any clue whats happening?