# Removing A Rusty Nut



## HMF (Dec 8, 2016)




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## Tozguy (Dec 8, 2016)

Neat trick, thanks Nels.


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## mzayd3 (Dec 8, 2016)

Wow. I never would have thought of that. Thanks Nelson!


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## ch2co (Dec 8, 2016)

Great idea! Thanks.


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## Ed ke6bnl (Dec 8, 2016)

I had tried it in the past BUT I got the bolt very hot and at that time it did not work. I will try it like he did and see if it works.


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## atunguyd (Dec 9, 2016)

Might even be easier to replace to the lighter with a lite candle. Trying to keep the lighter lite under the bolt looks like finger burning type stuff to me. 

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## chips&more (Dec 9, 2016)

THANKS! I have been doing a similar technique for most of my life but with a torch and penetrating oil. His wheel nuts didn’t look that rusty. I would suspect and like with all projects, that the amount of rust and damage can hamper that candle and wax idea. That’s when swearing comes in handy!…Dave


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## T Bredehoft (Dec 9, 2016)

I had a garage (Tire something or other) strip four lug screws before they advised me they were so rusty they stripped. I asked them if they knew they were left hand screws, Of course not. never heard of that. They did replace all of them with right hand screws, and new nuts. Now I have three wheels with right hand screws and one left hand. Handy. Thanks Guys. 
Four of them, was I steamed! Every one of them had an L stamped on the end, but of course they never looked. Thanks for letting me rant.


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## Tozguy (Dec 9, 2016)

I feel your pain.


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## David S (Dec 9, 2016)

Was that an old Chrysler vehicle perhaps?

david


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## EmilioG (Dec 9, 2016)

Nice. I will have to try this. Usually, my 24" Snap On breaker bar works for tough lug nuts, but it's always
handy to have a candle and a lighter in the car just in case.  Some nuts may be beyond the wax/heat trick,
like the recent exhaust bolts I had to remove.  I used Kroil/Acetone/Transmission fluid mix plus a cut off wheel
on a nut that was "welded" with rust. I will add this to my "nut busting" arsenal of tricks. Thanks!


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## RJSakowski (Dec 9, 2016)

At one time some 45 years ago, we were visiting some friends.  One of them, an engineer for a major battery company, was in the process of restoring a recently acquired vintage car.  He and a friend were trying to remove the lug nuts from one of the wheels and ended up breaking the 1/2" breaker bar.  While his friend was off to the auto parts store to buy another breaker bar, I sidled in for closer look and asked my friend "what do you suppose the "L" stamped on the lug nut means?" Doh!

Not that I am that smart concerning the subject.  I just happened to own a '58 Buick at the time and was familiar with the left and right hand lug nuts.


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## rwm (Dec 9, 2016)

Crazy! 
R


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## T Bredehoft (Dec 10, 2016)

David S said:


> Was that an old Chrysler vehicle perhaps?



No. it was my other Studebaker. When the one nut on the left side of  a wagon would unscrew, they made left hand screws. With the advent of a bolt circle, they took their time realizing that those screws weren't subject to the same torque as the central nut.


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## cathead (Feb 28, 2017)

Years ago I built a two wheel trailer with Rambler Spindles and hubs and a pair of 1936 International Truck front end leaf
springs.  Rambler spindles were popular for trailers as they were a bolt on system.  One wheel has left hand threads on it. 
I still use it and it is my favorite trailer.  By the way, you might be " OLD SCHOOL" if you used Rambler spindles to build
a trailer.


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## barnett (Mar 1, 2017)

That's an old pipefitter's trick, works really good for gaulded steam lines, with a torch of course. beeswax works about the best, I've used wax toilet rings too.


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## Ken from ontario (Mar 1, 2017)

Who would have thunk  it
Neat trick, I'll give it a try.
Thanks Nels.


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## Sapper (Apr 22, 2017)

Ed ke6bnl said:


> I had tried it in the past BUT I got the bolt very hot and at that time it did not work. I will try it like he did and see if it works.


 I run into this when soldering pipe.  If you get both the pipe and the fitting too hot, the solder won't flow into the fitting, it'll just drip off the whole mess.  Same principle here--get the nut hot, but keep the stud cool-ish.

Awesome trick, could have used this about a week ago...


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## NortonDommi (Apr 24, 2017)

I've been keping  a candle in the top of the toolbox for 40 odd years now just for that, works like magic.
  What barnett said.


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