Removing Stuck Leveling Bolts from American Pacemaker 

My man really made a whole video of unscrewing bolts

Old guy here that's been doing industrial work and machine setting and such for over 30 years - Stuck leveling bolts are common on old machines. You don't necessarily have to get them to unscrew to free them up, you just need to get them to move one way or the other. Penetrating fluid works a LOT better on a screw thread that is somewhat movable in any way. Run it up, run it down, run it sideways if you can - just get it to move. Then flood it with penetrating fluid wherever you can and move it back and forth to help the fluid do its thing. On bolts like that when they don't move, you'll almost always have to rely on either other measures (see below) or a couple of days for the penetrating fluid to SLOWLY creep down through the threads. The other measures include heating the bolt with a torch or heat gun. The coefficient of thermal expansion and contraction will force the bolt to "move" in a way that no wrench or ratchet ever will. Once it moves just a teensy bit and breaks that corrosion bond, you're in business. Impact driving is another way to do it, but just don't get married to getting the thing to unscrew. Screw the thing in a little if you have to in order to get it to move. Flood it with penetrant lube, and work it back and forth until it bends to your will. You can also get results with slapping the hell out of it with a hammer a few times, but you have to be careful not to hit it in an asymmetrical way to the axis of the bolt. Also, it's best to use something like a brass or copper intermediate metal between the bolt and the hammer to avoid deformation of the bolt head. As for cleaning up the load bearing surface of the bottoms of those bolts, a basic beveling of the edges would suffice - something like 1/16th to 1/8th inch would be plenty, even if you just eye-balled it with a file. Any 'smoosh out' on the resulting surface wouldn't be enough to matter in the long run. As for the guy that had the bad threads, they seemed to be at the limiting range of the bolt, and that's not really where you want to live. Go ahead and thread file it, but shim the pad under it if you have to, to where you're operating somewhere within the mid-range of adjustment of the leveling bolt. Frankly, that's not a bad idea for all the leveling points in general. I agree on the anti seize. This is a new building you're in, and I would bet a whole dollar that a few years down the road that lathe will be hella out of level and need adjusting due to normal compaction of the soil beneath the pad.

I didn’t think that removing some bolts and chasing the threads could be a 40 minute video but I’ve been wrong before

That little impact gun sure as hell earned its keep on this job!

Giving these leveling bolts the attention they deserve to set a wrong situation right again is one of the most satisfying feelings as a human being. When you know you know. Excellent job sir.

Chrome sockets can damage fasteners if used with an impact gun, it's because they're made of a harder steel. The black impact sockets are heavier and made of softer metal. They're heavier so they have more inertia which provides more hammering force and softer to prevent damage to the fasteners. I know chrome sockets are all you have sometimes, but just so you know for future reference Abom79.

I like to buy the cheap brushes for cleaning copper plumbing fittings, the ones with a twisted wire handle. I cut off the loop at the end and chuck them in a drill. Works great for power brushing any holes, including copper pipe fittings. They don't have to fit the hole exactly, just "orbit" the brush around inside the hole.

RE: the drill into the threads. Lots of possible reasons already mentioned, but one I was taught way back when is to do that when a thread is dinged and prevents running the screw through. Can't get a rethread die in, can't get a good angle with a file, drill the ding away. I've done it using a long centre punch to help start the drill followed by a aircraft drill. Muh less damage then the common wale away with a grinder, file, and whatever you can squeeze in at arm's length.

Breathing new life into old machines! No better time is spent than watching this sort of thing - except, of course, doing this sort of thing! Hey Adam, it would be amazing to see new life brought to the entire lathe through a complete restoration! I realize you'd like to put it to use ASAP so perhaps segments between jobs where it gets mini-renovations here and there?! That would be something indeed!

When you use penetrating oil it helps if you smack the bolt with a hammer a couple times each time you spray. The vibration helps the penetrating oil get into the threads quicker.

Adam I love the way no matter how long or out of the way you make sure everything is done properly and looking new

Gonna have to say, that little DeWalt impact is a champ!

that's the level of detail that I appreciate about you, Adam. You're really doing a great job restoring a nice old machine. Keep up the good work.

Always nice to see something old, crusty, and rusty look like new again. Well done sir!

Nice to see a guy spend the time to do best job possible. Between soaking over night ,running tap thru holes , wire brush and never seeze 40 years from now every bolt will be easy to remove. Have used a thread pitch gauge to help clean out tapped holes that I could not run a tap thru. By no means perfect but will remove some crap from threads. Good luck with nice new shop.

Love when Adam put his ear plugs in and the sound on the video got quieter. Those are some good ear plugs.

Type F automatic fluid works wonders many times. I used it to ease out a long seized piston. No kidding it worked super. Cheers

No penetrating oil will go down the threads unless you use some sort of shock treatment (hammer, zip gun etc. to break loose the rust bond. However I once saw a guy in Mexico use just water and patiently rapping with a hammer to break loose 4 7/16" bolts on a manifold from a John Deere A that I bought... he got all 4 bolts out even though they were rusted in the cast iron manifold and the threads in the head....

Adam is the consummate machinist. Makes things beautiful, even when most people will never see them! My hats off to you sir!

Adam one thing I can say about you and your work ethic is I NEVER have seen you do anything anyway near half assed not even when it is a $2 dollar repair that cost more to mail than the repair paid you. Good job and keep up the videos 👍👍👍

Cleanest machine shop and machinist in the history of machinists!!! Might be able to eat off the floor. !!

those bolts were in there goodantight and you got em out and cleaned up and restored as well as possibly could be done. They will he serviceable for another 80 plus years. I also enjoy reading the comments from all the “internet professionals” who simply cannot stand to enjoy the journey and feel compelled to let you know every minuscule item they think you could have done different.

There something about you Adam that most people don't have. Not many people could make a video about removing bolts and have people actually watch it lol but you do and for some reason I like it.

Wow Abom, I love watching your journey. My shop is humble but I work toward my dream daily. I am an old lady playing beat the clock, but I will never give up. Thank you for all the education you provide.

Well I finally learned for 100% certain what I already knew - penetrating fluid is eff all use to man nor beast. Soak it for days and it doesn't penetrate any solid rust beyond about 1 thread.

I have used the brushes for cleaning copper pipe internals for soldering to clean out the filth in threaded pieces. In some cases I cut handle off and put it in a drill for quick cleaning. Works well where you can’t run a tap through. Using this with degreaser spray works well for me.

the vibration from the impacting is usually what helps with the rusty stuff, in tandem with the penetrant. Always amazing how much of a difference it makes.

You truly make it like we are hanging out at the shop watching you work. Your dedication to sharing your love for this work makes many of us happy. So much better than watching someone play a video game. Share what you love and the world will improve.

I have absolutely no idea why I watch these kind of videos... But I love them, and I just love to see a corroded thread being cleaned, lubricated and functional again! Oh, I just answered my initial statement! ❤🇸🇪

Ratcheting boxend wrenches are handy in any toolbox. My set was sold by Craftsman and made in the U.S. about forty years ago. A ratcheting pass through lineman's wrench is also a good addition to a toolbox. I think one would have been a great time saver in chasing the threads and in loosening some of the bolts. .

Thanks to my first exposure to PIG MAT on this channel, I ordered two bunches off Amazon. Pig Mat is a fantastic product. Thanks

There are times when I would screw the leveling screw down through rather than trying to back them out. Some of them can be impossible.

That was so satisfying watching them go from stuck, rough and rusty to cleaned and re-faced. The speed at which you cleaned up the face of the bolts was impressive.

Always love the videos you do Adam, no matter what I am watching, when you upload and it comes into my notifications I stop what I am watching and then watch your amazing video!

After that big wrench couldn't pull those, I saw the cute little impact gun and thought there was no chance... then it immediately worked. Pretty impressive.

Adam use the fewest extensions you can on your impact, you would be surprised how much of a change there is, the more extensions the less power the impact gives what your trying to take off!!! In any case no extensions is best. Fyi! Keep up the content Im not a machinist but I have been a mechanic my whole life and have used some of the machines you use in the best way I could. I really like the stuff with motorcycle parts!

So nice to see that you are still in business. I really enjoy the work you do in a steady and patient pace. Greetings from Denmark

Mmmm.... The legendary Abom Torque defeated by a tiny yellow dude... Tough Times Ahead for the West

Tip & trick: In cases poor access like this on cars and trucks what I do is get a cheap plumbers cleaning brush (used to clean copper fittings before soldering) around 4$ at H.D. and cut the handle off. I then chuck that in a drill and run it in the threads, that gets most of the crap and corrosion out and chasing threads with the tap is so much easier after.

I'm honestly impressed by that little impact. You lose a good bit of torque with that extension, but it still did the job!

it's nice feeling to get a stuck bolt moving just that little you know it' s possible to get out. i watched whole video and some said that this is same as watch paint drying, but i say this is much more interesting, well done

Glad you're making these videos. With my zero machining experience, it's a great help getting my '47 14x54 set up. Thanks.

The Damage was probably cause at initial installation, they were in a hurry to get Military parts ready for the war in 1939.. ;) .! Great work Adam.!

How very nice to see you setting up your new shop.

@Abom79 The adjuster with the weird drill hole on the side. In the past while out in the field, we've had damaged threads that needed to be repaired in a pinch and no thread files were on hand. So, we drilled the damage out of the threads. Might be why that part had that odd drill spot in it.

The first 13 minutes sold me on the Dewalt impact!! Lol

Surprised that little gun with all those extensions pulled that off. Awesome!

It makes sense the hardest ones to remove were probably exposed to dripping coolant from the tray above. I loved the workout you gave to the DeWalt💪💪😁

It's truly astounding what these modern cordless impact drivers are capable of. Years and years ago electric impacts were a joke tool and always trumped by air. Lithium batteries and these drivers are the unsung heroes of the 21st century

Had to pause the video to order a dewalt 1/2 atomic impact driver. Thanks for sharing!

Loving this new shop series! Congrats Adam!

@abom79 best guess for the damage on the faces is that they were not being retracted before the machinery movers were pushing them around. The mushrooms are probably from their lever bars push on the machine.

Usually when I have to use penetrating oil, I put it on, then give everything a solid rap with a steel hammer. Not to use the force of the hammer, but to set up vibrations that will make just a bit of room in the threads. This can help the oil seep in a little more. Then more oil, morw raps.

Adam, on cleaning up those threads, I would suggest a wire wheel in your drill while "chasing" it with your spray penetrating fluid. I did this when I was cleaning up the bolt holes on my 1930's Atlas machinists lathe as I was pulling everything apart

super pumped to see them installed and leveled, cheers!

That Dewalt made light work of those screws, proper power

Adam I know that you are sponsored, but you can buy a spray that works really well for that purpose. It's a lubricant with freezing effect. See Loctite 8040 or Würth rost off-max ice

Great to see a bloke loving the old equipment.

It's wonderful to see a job done with such attention to detail :-)

I love how you care for details, even the ones that doesn´t really make any difference to function.

Once again Adam, you have made my day a little bit better, Thank you!

Cannot believe that impact broke that, wow unbelievable

good job showing people without a lot of experience how to do an important job.

Wow I'm impressed by the atomic impact drill, I'm really not a fan of de-walt but that was a really good test.. 👍👍 cheers for the update 🇳🇿🤘

Love seeing this old machine coming back to life. This is the content I love to watch. I’d avoid antiseize and use a high quality grease. I’ve never had any good luck with antiseize. It makes a mess allows moisture to the metal which creates rust etc. Grease not only protects the metal it doesn’t allow moisture past and never seizes even after 100 years. I’ve broken open 80&90 years old caterpillars that have had grease used on nuts and bolts that were so easy to take apart and the nut and bolts looked new still.

I know I'm a bit late to the party, but one of the things I like to do for really rusted internal threads is to use the Evapo-Rust Gel. It sticks to the threads really well and works just as well as the liquid.

Excellent job, Adam. Be very careful using a wire wheel whilst wearing rubber gloves. An easy way to lose a finger if it catches.

That type of jack bolt has the hole thru them for a concrete anchor. You get it leveled then hold it fast with a wrench while tighting down the anchor....

I always like your shows. Keep making more. my wife recently bought a large stainless drink cup like yours.

I bought one of those DCF921 impact guns for a good buddy of mine and it has never failed to impress but damn is it loud!

Ratcheting wrenches are real nice for running taps through holes for cleanup. They don't add any height to the setup.

An old cookie baking sheet makes a great catch can for catching drips. ✌

That impact driver did some work. I can almost smell it here, all over the atlantic ocean. ;)

I do enjoy these videos. It's great you take us through the entire process.

Now that you have 2 shops, you do know whatever odd tool you need it will be at the other shop? As far as the inaccessible holes, get some appropriate size wire bottle brushes, cut the handles off, chuck them in a drill, and go to town.

Wow as fenner would say The King of level screwing has arrived awesome🐓🐓🐓

I’ve had pretty good luck with that penetrant called JB80. That stuff fizzes pretty good and so far it’s knocked everything loose I’ve used it on while working on cars. Good thing you got to them bolts when you did Adam. Another year or two and I gotta feeling you would have had to resort to using a little heat. Nice work Adam

Adam, great job! Looking forward to see that bolts in the machine

I have had good success with heating the frozen fastener with a propane torch then cool/spraying the penetrant on the hot fastener. The cooling fastener seems to draw the penetrant/lube in so much better.

@5:12 when you go to put that panel back on do what we call in the military a FEP (form in place) seal. Lay your sealant down (in the navy we used mil-s-8802) then put a layer of petroleum (WD40, Vaseline etc) on top of it which will stop the sealant from sticking to the panel but will still make a seal so the next time you have to lift that panel the seal will still be good.

Never thought Inwould see you use an impact driver on a tap!

I'm the guy that wouldn't have noticed the access plate until after i did the job haha

Glad you got them out and happy the feet weren't wrecked.

It's refreshing to see an American machining the way I do as trained when I did my time screw cutting etc. Joe pie told me off for not using the three wire method measuring screw threads we don't use them in the UK you can't even buy them it's all go-no go gages or thread mic's sometimes make a point adapter to fit regular mic's

Poland made tap :D Hello from Poland :)

Feeling the love for metal.😍🥰🤗

The power of will grease did it.Thank you.

Why don’t you turn the lathe upside down - much easier access.. save your knees too 🤪

Looking forward to the leveling, you got everything cleaned up goo. Thanks for sharing. Fred .

My American had stuck leveling bolts too- smaller lathe they were square head screws. I found a 12pt metric socket that mated to the heads and put a right angle air impact to them. In and out a few times, adding oil got them moving OK. Was a fun dance getting the lathe level and all the bolts taking weight :)

I enjoyed that Adam. I am glad you sped up the lathe work. Keith would have made us watch every one of them and talked about it too.

How about machining an 1/8" undersized on the wear side, so even if the face gets mushroomed in normal service, you're not dragging that through your threads?

Looks like you need to get yourself some ratchet spanners, good for those tight spots, but love the pride you take in making things right again!

Couple things. Project Farm did some research and the max torque you can get on a 6 point bolt or nut is with a 6 point wrench or socket. A 12 point not as good and can strip sooner. Also on hard to get nuts or bolts use a breaker bar to avoid breaking your good ratchet socket wrench. You can add a pipe extension for more leverage if needed.

For a penetrant or lubricity problem (breaking something loose) I hit it with Kroil a couple of times, then hit it with WD-40 - back and forth between the two. Never run into a problem getting something to turn easily regardless how crapped up it is.

Potentially crazy idea: Have some of those finger-sizzler vibrators around the shop to tape on top of the bolts with knock'er loose applied to the fastener. The vibrator is low-power and most importantly, high frequency so it might also help the penetrant to reach the threads easier if there is a slight movement on it?

I love the fact that you take so much care of your work it looks awesome

Tape off the bottom of the two holes you could not tap and fill them Evaporust.

When you put the 1/2” cordless impact on it, I said “ no way”! When the 1/2” cordless impact removed them I said “ no way!”😳

It 4:50 Throw a 'B' on the Atomic gun to make it Abomic.