UK 500 fixer upper

[Bryanj]

Start with very small drill and work up, if you can get it central you may be able to rescue the thread when you get to 5mm. Forget easyout, when you break it spark erosion is the only way

[mickandsej]

Day off the bike today, but my eBay tank arrived and I’m surprised how quick it got here and how good it is, very pleased at just £46 delivered. Having a play with an electrolysis rig overnight, see what happens...


 







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[philward]

Start with very small drill and work up, if you can get it central you may be able to rescue the thread when you get to 5mm. Forget easyout, when you break it spark erosion is the only way

Plus 1 with easyout, learned in my early biking years (the hard way!) that a hardened (and hence brittle) easyout is more likely to snap in the stud than move the stud - to get suffient girth of the easyout to grip, the easyout will push the remaining (undrilled wall of the stud) into the head resulting in expanding it into the surrounding ali head. If its snapped just below the surface, you have opportunity to use a 6mm OD bush as a means of centreing the initial pilot drill - giving you a better chance of ending up with just threads left when you get to a 5mm drill.

[philward]

Day off the bike today, but my eBay tank arrived and I’m surprised how quick it got here and how good it is, very pleased at just £46 delivered. Having a play with an electrolysis rig overnight, see what happens...


 






Thats a good £46 worth!
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[K2-K6]

For drilling a stud it may be more accurate to use something like this in the link, just an example as you can buy different sizes.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/233581584549?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&itemid=233581584549&targetid=908661474856&device=t&mktype=pla&googleloc=9045911&poi=&campaignid=10204056441&mkgroupid=107296324212&rlsatarget=pla-908661474856&abcId=1145987&merchantid=7318514&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_7q8i9m56gIVFuDtCh32qQf4EAsYCSABEgIHVPD_BwE

When drilling with successive larger sizes of drill (starting small and stepping up) each next larger drill has no centering to guide it, the flutes usually grab one side of the bore and make it very difficult to hold it centrally.  With one of these if you can access the stud with it,  then it will usually stay straight. 

Cutting speed at 4mm in mild steel should be about 2000 rpm (from memory) so you need to spin it fast and use low pressure to let it lead you straight. 

[mickandsej]

Thanks guys I’ll order up some pilot drills. Today I’d better de clutter the garage as over the last week my tools have spilled out everywhere!
The electrolysis seems to be going well, could only connect my leisure batteries overnight but saw results this morning, and since I coupled the charger it’s really getting on with it now. Couldn’t find any soda in the house but I’m using generic Oxy Action laundry fizz stuff, the one in the pink tub. Cheap from Iceland..
Anode looked like this:



I put an old petcock on but it’s weeping so I upended the tank and filled the front half first. I’ll drain it, rinse it and seal the tap then fill her up again for another go this afternoon. This tank is pretty straight so I’m going softly on it for now.



You probably can’t see it but there IS a fuse on the anode!



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