Re: [CR]Stuck eyelet screw: successful & interesting rescue.

> First of all, thanks to all of you who kindly came up with well
> conceived plans of action. I think you'll appreciate how the successful
> extraction unfolded this morning. Rather strange, in fact:
>
> Mike brought his fork over. I fitted my dremel tool with a tiny (1/8")
> "countersink" bit - just to start a well centered hole, for a drill bit
> to begin the work without wandering.
>
> Then inserted a 1/8" drill bit into the dremel and decided to just drill
> the hole free-hand (yeah, Mr Over-confidence). As luck (or patience)
> would have it, I soon got through, and with as straight centered a hole
> as anyone could ever hope to simply eyeball with a hand held drill.
>
> I was then going to actually try to call around and see if I could
> locate a store with a small enough extractor, and try that route.
>
> BUT... my impatient friend vetoed that idea and asked if I could instead
> just drill it out a bit more. He would then just use smaller bolts with
> nuts & washers fastened on the insides of both of the front the eyelets.
> Seemed like a very good (i.e. very EASY) solution to me.
>
> So, I escalated to a larger 5/32" bit which I figured might actually be
> enough to clear a 4mm bolt. I have spare stainless steel nuts bolts and
> washers, so this seemed like a good size to use and it would keep from
> enlarging the eyelet hole excessively.
>
> After I was half way through the remains of the stuck 5mm bolt, the
> drill just punched through. And, on the end of the bit was wound all
> that was left of the screw itself. 95% of this threaded "shell" of the
> original screw was still intact at the end of my bit, the tiny portion
> which was missing from what otherwise would have been a complete
> cylinder of screw thread for it's entire length, apparently just reduced
> to dust or left broken into fragments in the eyelet.
>
> Yeah, okay, so maybe dead-eye Bob did not in fact drill an absolutely
> perfectly centered hole after all... but, mighty close.
>
> Nevertheless, the screw miraculously was taken out, AND the eyelet
> threads were left intact... and, I DID then clean them out with a
> correct M5 x .08mm tap before I let my buddy run home to put his bike
> back together.
>
> I'm still left wondering now whether someone had not previously just
> tapped the holes either originally, or certainly at least many years
> ago, with a BCS or SAE thread. And, remember, that frameset is of
> British origin. If anyone happens to know off hand whether there is in
> fact a fairly common NON-metric bolt size slightly smaller than a 5mm
> but with essentially the same threads per inch please do let me know?
>
> Well, this was definitely a very interesting morning. Again, thanks so
> much to all for all the help and encouragement - I wouldn't have had any
> ideas on how to proceed otherwise. Gosh, you even made me a HERO, too -
> Bravo to you guys!
>
>
> Bob Hanson, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA