How to unwind a keyless angle grinder

Andrew Taylor (taylor.a), flickr.com CC BY

Fasteners in modern technology are very diverse. These are ordinary hex bolts and nuts, flat and Phillips screws, Torx sprockets and many others. Stand out here are parts with an internal hexagon. Turning them off without a suitable tool is pretty hard.

First internal hex slot was patented in 1936 by the German company Bauer & Schaurte. In foreign technical literature such screws are usually referred to under the Inbus trademark (inbus). This is an abbreviation for the German phrase Innensechskantschraube Bauer und Schaurte. Bauer hexagon socket head screw & Schaurte.

Advantages of the internal hexagon

Internal hex bolts and screws have a number of advantages over conventional fasteners. At first, There is no need to leave a place under the mounting tool around the head with such a slot. In this case, you can completely "recess" the screw in the part, which is very convenient for all kinds of drain plugs.

Secondly, transmitted torque can be almost ten times more, than fasteners with a crosswise slot. Therefore, the Inbus slot is often used in units operating under heavy loads (metalworking machines, road machinery). It also allows the use of small heads for screws with a large shaft diameter, which allows the use of a tool of the same size to serve various nodes. This is well known to cyclists. to service the bike on the way, one hex key is enough.

Thirdly, when using a suitable high-quality key, it is quite difficult to break the notches of the internal hexagon. The notches hardly wear out, the fasteners can be used repeatedly, which is important for fastening various inspection hatches that require frequent opening and closing.

Fourth, the key for the internal hexagon is simple and cheap compared to the open-end wrenches, ring spanners and socket wrenches of the external hexagons.

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Finally, the internal hex screws are significantly safer, since they do not have sharp outer edges, and they look more aesthetically pleasing.

How to unscrew a hex without a key?

This problem is often encountered by motorists who decide to repair their car on their own. The internal hex almost always has a drain plug on the gearbox and often a plug in the oil pan.

A home craftsman may encounter hexagons when repairing a bath mixer or a ball valve. ordinary fasteners simply do not fit there.

over, in all these cases, the size of the hexagon is pretty decent. What to do? Will help regular hex bolt.

The bolt head is inserted into the hexagonal slot and unscrewed behind the shaft with a gas wrench. You can also screw the bolt 3-4 nuts, properly wedge them for each other and unscrew with a plain ring wrench.

When turning off, you need to twist for near the nut to the head, and when tightening. vice versa, for far. If the hexagon has a non-standard size, then the head of the bolt-wrench can be filed with a file or on a sharpening machine.

What to do if the hexagon is ripped off?

It happens that attempts to loosen a screw with an internal hexagon using improvised means or a key of a slightly inappropriate size lead to disruption of faces. In this case, there is also a way out.

If the hexagon is small, then you can hammer into it TORX sprocket suitable size and unscrew for it. If the head is available, then it is worth trying to unscrew the screw with pliers, a gas wrench or a manual vice.

Having space almost always helps hammer and chisel. The chisel should not be very sharp, and you need to strike on the tangent in the direction of unscrewing. By the way check, maybe the screw thread is left?

For steel bolts and hexagon screws, you can weld a nut, a piece of fittings or something similar to the head, for which you can unscrew the bolt.

And remember that one person screwed. another can always unscrew.

And here is another way to unscrew the problem screws using an engraver with a cutting wheel. This can be done on a large scale, using a hacksaw or angle grinder.