How To Repair Damaged Threads On Bolt

Overview

A stripped or threaded nut or bolt tin be a cause of unbelievable frustration. Time can hands be lost when it ways an unwanted trip to the fastener specialist, or worse still, if the thread in question isn't that hands replaceable.

Thankfully, tool manufacturers have considered this, and come upwardly with a range of options to get your task back on track. So what tools are available to repair a damaged thread?

Tap and Dice Set

This 1 you may have heard of before. These can be purchased as metric or purple sets if you only use one or the other; or as a massive combination set with taps and dies to cover all bases. Inside the kit yous'll find taps for repairing and creating inside threads, and dies for repairing and creating exterior threads. Each of these is marked with the thread size and pitch it is designed to work with.

You'll also find a die handle and tap wrench which each of these pieces can slot into, and the combination set contains thread pitch gauges to help you determine which tap or die you need.

Steps

How to Use a Tap & Die Set

Step ane:
To repair an exterior thread similar a bolt or stud, starting time ensure it is fixed tightly in place or in a bench vice.

Step 2:
Use a thread pitch gauge to determine which die you demand, or very carefully friction match the die to the thread by trialling different ones; then fit the die into a die handle.

Step iii:
Lubricate the thread with a thick lubricant such every bit motor oil, then begin winding the die downwardly upon the thread. Pay very close attention to getting the die on straight for the start few turns at to the lowest degree.

Commence the thread cutting using business firm and even pressure - with a quarter turn clockwise, followed past a quarter turn anti-clockwise to clear the metal shavings from the thread.

Pace 4:
Repairing an internal thread using a tap occurs in much the same style. The commodities which originally came out can be used to decide the thread size.

Footstep 5:
With a little lubricant applied to the tap and thread the tap must be carefully wound in using the aforementioned quarter turn in, quarter turn out method as used with the dice.

Great! But what if the thread is too large to exist repaired with a die?

Thread Repair File

Some threads are besides large or awkward to repair with a tap and die set, but all promise is non lost when there's a thread repair file in your kit! Again y'all tin can purchase one for metric and one for imperial thread patterns. Fastener size does not matter when using a thread file, due to the nature of how you utilise it, which goes like this:

How to Pick a Thread Repair File

Pace 1:
Decide the right thread pitch to use by testing different sides of the file against an undamaged section of thread. You'll know y'all've got the right one when the file sits perfectly between the ridges of the thread, and no lite comes between the file and the threads.

Step 2:
Now, begin filing with medium force per unit area on a department of thread just next to the impairment and work your fashion across.

Step three:
Run a nut over the thread periodically and proceed filing until the nut runs smoothly over the damaged section.

Stripped thread? No worries!

With these tools in your collection, yous'll barely bat an eyelid at stripped or damaged threads. You can fifty-fifty apply a tap piece to create a brand new threaded hole, or a die to craft a bolt for very specific applications.

Source: https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/blog/how-to/tools-workshop/fixing-a-stripped-bolt-or-nut-thread.html

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