Customer Reviews

Irwin Industrial Tools 11119 Metal Index Spiral Flute Screw Extractors with Left Hand Cobalt Drill Bits Set, 10-Piece

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3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This kit works very well. Extracting broken fasteners does take some patience and skill. Sometimes just using an automatic center punch will remove it by punching it close to the edge angling to unscrew it with every click. If you have to drill it, always use a reverse bit so if the bit catches, it will back out instead of tightening. Sometimes you can drill in about a quarter inch, then angle the drill slightly so it will grab the edge of the hole and the broken fastener will back out. Always center punch the broken bolt to be removed so if you end up having to completely drill it out and retap the hole, you end up with the repaired hole pretty much in the same spot. Once you drill it big enough and close to the threads, you can sometimes use a pick or knife to collapse the remaining bolt in and then pull it out with pliers. If it's severely rusted in, use a GOOD penetrant. If it's beyond severely rusted in, allow the penetrant to sit, even overnight helps. Heating up the part, not the fastener (metal expands when heated), in conjunction with penetrant or wax sometimes helps but remember what heat does (destroys gaskets, melts rubber hoses, burns human flesh, causes gas to explode...). If you drill it with the first pilot hole, you can spray penetrant through the hole with the little spray straw. If there's a little bit of broken off bolt sticking out, you can tap it with a hammer to break the rust loose, then sometimes use vice grips to grab and unscrew it.

It's good to get the 53535 extractor set and 30520 drill set so you have extra pieces on hand for when drill bits and extractors break, wear out, or get lost. It never fails, the one you're missing is the one you need. 53635 Straight flute type work good to keep the fastener from expanding in the hole.. Lisle 70500 Tap Socket Set makes it MUCH easier to use extractors and taps. HeliCoil 80-450 or similar one piece drill and grab type work better if you drill a hole first. Craftsman Damaged Bolt/Nut Remover Set 52166 work good if there is enough sticking out. Taps or thread chasers are sometimes needed to make new threads or repair existing ones. If you don't have them, a bolt with a groove or two grount or filed into it will work (to clean up threads, not to make new ones). Clean up the edges of the groove so it doesn't gall the threads.

As you can see, there's alot of sometimes and maybes. Patience, experience, and eventually skill all help. Each situation requires a different approach. Good luck.

I bought this item after reading several chat room discussions about removing exhaust manifold studs that have broken off in the cylinder head. I'm not sure if it was the fact that the bits were left handed (have to run the drill in reverse) or that they were cobalt coated, or what it was, but, the bit worked great and the extractor backed the stud out with no problem. A couple of notes: 1. I heated the stud with a propane torch and immediately pressed an ordinary household candle to the stud. This causes the melted wax to be sucked into the threads and lubricate them. 2. I did not run the drill at full speed. Patience is a must. 3. I dipped the bit in motor oil for cooling several times during the drilling. This also allows the metal shavings to be pulled out of the hole you are drilling.

I bought this set to try and extract a rust frozen screw holding my brake rotors on. The idea was to drill in the same direction the screw would need to turn in order to loosen out. Unfortunately I ended up just drilling the screw out and retapping the hole. If you determine that your stubborn screws are really stuck I would suggest just drilling the screw out and retapping the hole. I've had bad luck with craftsman broken screw extracting sets and drill bit extractors. Drill bit extractors are made from harded steel and WILL break if torqued too much, even by hand. It is also impossible to drill out a screw with a broken extractor stuck in it without going to a machine shop = big bucks and time. All in all when it comes to stuck screws I would suggest using a left handed drill bits gradually working your sizes up to eventually drill out the screw hopefully "catching" it in the process and if that doesn't work you can just drill the whole damn thing out and retap it. So purchase a left handed drill bit set and a tapping set. Stay away from broken srew extractors and other gimmick tools. Unless you've personally met someone whose had luck with these. Cause I haven't. I might just sell you mine.

The drill bits drill exceptionally well (better than my Irwin TurboMax set of drill bits). Left hand bits are nice for those bolts that don't require an extractor. The extractors hold up well. As with any extractor, some bolts just aren't going to come out using them. But they will work on most bolts.

Seem good quality, time will tell.
Extractors are made in USA and the Drill bits in Brazil.
Drills look nicely sharpened and the big size have split tip for easier starting.
As these are cobalt should drill better but they are brittle so a lot comes down to operator error.
Go Slow, Gentle and Square.

ORDER ITEM DUE TO NAME IRWIN TOOLS, ONLY THING IRWIN ABOUT THE TOOLS IS A PIECE OF PAPER IN THE BOTTOM OF THE CASE. HANSON BRAND STAMPED ALL OVER TOOLS NOT IRWIN. THEFT BY DECEPTION!

The left-handed cobalt drill bits are handy, but they dull fairly quickly in hard metals. The extractors are not high quality and will make you very frustrated. Be sure to use a tap handle with these, but the Irwin one is about as low quality as these extractors. I would not recommend this product to a friend.

i have used these before, but the bolt i was trying to remove had hardened to the point the drill bits would not even start