How to open jammed & rusted screws, nuts, or bolts without breaking a sweat?
When screws, nuts, and bolts are susceptible to rust & corrosion due to moisture & humidity. Especially the ones you will find in home appliances and automobile components seem to be affected the most in such environments.
Rust degrades bolts, nuts and, screws and makes it impossible to remove these fasteners. In extreme cases, you will find that rust degrades the screw or bolt to an extent; that the device they hold together will be on the verge of collapse or will not be working at all. Sometimes, the nuts meld into their accompanying bolts and bond into each other, making it extremely difficult to remove them.
It is why you should keep an eye on these little nut heads. By following our guide, you can learn how to open rusted screws, nuts, or bolts without hassle.
Things you will need
Hammer
Cleaning cloth
Wrench
Saw
WD-40® Multi-use Product
Step 1
Analyze the Screw, Nut, and Bolt!
When dealing with rusty screws and bolts, the first thing you need to decide is whether the screw or bolt is worth saving or not. A fastener will not provide the necessary clamping force if it has lost its tensile strength to rusting. It is useless trying to save a bolt or screw that will be of no use later on. It is better to break such rusted pieces and replace them once and for all.
Step 2
Remove the rust!
Once you have determined that the nut, bolt or, screw is salvageable, the next step is to remove as much rust as possible. If you have tried using muscle, but there have been no results, don’t worry. There is another way to loosen rusted parts. It involves using a product that helps you break down rust & corrosion deposits. WD-40 Multi-use product is one of the best products to help loosen rusty nuts and bolts. Spray the product generously on the rusted screw head or nut. The product reaches inaccessible places due to its low viscosity & its smart applicator. Leave on for some time for the product to do its magic.
Again, patience is the key here. You might not be able to loosen them up immediately. If this happens, reapply the product and leave it for a few hours. Some people even prefer keeping it overnight.
The most crucial part of loosening rusted nuts and screws is to use the correct lubricants. Without these lubricants, it will be impossible to save the nuts and screws, let alone unfasten them.
Step 3
Hammer the head or cut it off!
After soaking them with the lubricant for enough time, you can tap the head of the screw or bolt with a hammer. You can also use leverage to remove the stubborn bolt. A breaker bar or a long handle ratchet is ideal for this situation! If you don’t happen to have it, you can also use a wrench & add a pipe over the handle as an extension. Avoid using too much force as it might break the rusted nuts.
If you have access to a blow torch, heat the head for a minute. It will make the head malleable enough to break the rust blockage & allow us to remove the screw or bolt.
Step 4
Restoring rusted screws, nuts, and bolts
After successfully removing the jammed screws, nuts and bolts, see if you need to replace them. Although, replacing them will be easy. But sometimes, it is not possible. Therefore, you need to restore these rusted screws, nuts, and bolts by using the following tried & tested methods for rust removal.
- WD-40 Multi-use Product:
Soak the rusted screws, nuts, and bolts in WD-40 Multi-use Product and leave them for a few hours. The product will dissolve the rust residue completely. You can wipe the fasteners using a rag and see the magic with your own eyes. Furthermore, the WD-40 Multi-use Product also protects things from rusting. It means that screws, nuts, and bolts treated with WD-40 MUP will not acquire rust quickly.
- Sandpaper
Once you have removed the rusted fastener, rub it with steel wool or sandpaper to scrape off the remaining rust. It is an inexpensive and relatively simple method, but it can be very time-consuming. Also, you will need to apply a lubricant to use the fastener again.
- Hydrogen Peroxide:
Applying hydrogen peroxide to the fasteners and letting it sit in for a while is also an effective method to remove rust from nuts and bolts. Hydrogen peroxide dissolves rust. Scouring it with a brush will help you remove all the rust left on the nuts and bolts. It is also an inexpensive method of treating rust but can leave residual rust spots behind.
Conclusion
We hope that these steps will help you remove jammed & rusted screws, nuts, and bolts with ease. After you have removed rust from nuts, bolts & screws, either lather them up with WD-40 Multi-use Product as a preventative measure or coat them with paint. Both painting & WD-40 MUP keep moisture & dirt away, which are the leading causes of rust & corrosion.
Disclaimer
The uses shown and described for WD-40 Multi-Use Product were provided to WD-40 Company by the users themselves. These uses haven’t been tested by WD-40 Company and do not constitute a recommendation of suggestion for use by WD-40 Company. Common sense should be exercised whenever using WD-40 Company products. Always follow the instructions and take heed of any warnings printed on the packaging.
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