Help with Stripped Shoulder Bolt

Hey Guys, I’ve have an issue with my pro xl for a while and I want to finally get it sorted out. I while back i was trying to re square my machine after it somehow got a little out of whack While trying to loosen the shoulder bolts, I found the middle one on the left side wouldn’t budge for some reason. I guess i applied a little too much force and ended up stripping the head of the bolt. I tired using an ez out but only succeeded in rounding the bolt head even more. Any suggestions on how to go about getting the shoulder bolt out? I have a spare one to replace it with if i can get it out. Many thanks.

Maybe a screw extractor. The problem becomes if this fails now your bolt has almost nothing to grip on to. So maybe try a pair of vice grip pliers on the bolt to get it to turn out. If there is anyway to get some penetrating oil on the threads try that first and let it set for 30 minutes or more before trying to extract the bolt.

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The bad news is you are between a rock and a hard spot. Good Luck.

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Thanks, I’ll need it. Like I said, I’ve had this problem for a while but been putting off trying to fix it because I knew it would be challenging. I think somehow the standoff got stuck in the base which caused the shoulder bolt to bind up and not unscrew properly so I need to twist that out as well. When I can spend some time with it, I think I’ll take the whole thing apart and see if that makes it a little easier to deal with. I’ve been in touch with support and they’re willing to sell me any new parts I may require so hopefully one way on another I can get it sorted.

Can you get a picture of the one you’re talking about.
My goto is to dremel a slot and use that flathead screwdriver that you don’t get to use much any more.

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Thats a really good idea and just might work. Only issue may be doing it in such a way i dont damage the surrounding area while cutting the slot as it sits just below the surface of the mounting hole.

Your best bet is to use one of the longer spiral screw extractor. use/get one that fits the stripped out head as it is now. If it is really tight tap it in so it get a good bite.

Apply some marvel mystery oil around the outside of the head not in the socket head where you will put the extractor. Try putting some on from the under side also a q-tip works great for this. Let it work for an hour. Keep the extractor straight and try backing it out. A ratchet with a socket that fits the extractor will allow you to have better control and keep steady pressure on the tools.

If you do decide to slot the head just be cautious about cutting too deep as this could cause the socket head to split. The heads of the socket bolts are not the thickest. Also it looks like there is a good center already on the bolt. Try to leave that intact as if all else fails you have a good center to drill the bolt out completely and re-tap or use a heli coil and even a longer bolt and nut.

Anthony

Penetrating fluid and the good old latex/rubber glove on the outside of your driver bit and force it down into the stripped head.

Please remember that this is screwed into a spacer at the bottom — you need to hold that spacer and keep it from turning, ideally w/ a pair of non-marring pliers, but if you mess it up, let us know at support@carbide3d.com and we’ll work out how to get a replacement to you.

Success! I was finally able to get that stubborn bolt out with a set of of the longer screw extractors and replace it with the spare C3D sent with my machine. It was a lot easier once I got someone to hold the standoff from moving while i drilled it out. My machine still rocks back and forth a little while it’s running which i was hoping would be fixed once I sorted out the bolt issue but I put some foam underneath which seems to really help. Thanks again to everyone who helped!

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