How To Loosen Nuts, Bolts, and Screws | Pinnacle Hardware (2024)

LEARN HOW TO EASILY LOOSEN NUTS, BOLTS, AND SCREWS

Home improvement is a normal part of every homeowner’s life, so it’s only natural that you come across various obstacles in the course of fixing up your home. That’s part of the fun of it! A common problem in DIY projects is dealing with damaged fasteners. Sometimes it can be near impossible to loosen anut, bolt, or screw, especially if they’re old or damaged.

Read on to learn about how to handle the fasteners in your home, whether hard to undo or damaged beyond repair! Our tips on how to loosen nuts, bolts, and screws will soon have you finding a solution to your DIY trials. Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of knowledge, and then you have the answer that you have been seeking when you need to loosen a nut or the like.

PENETRATING OIL

Commonly known as CRC, penetrating oil should be your first step in trying to loosen a nut, bolt, or screw. Spray the fastener and leave for 10 – 15 minutes to allow the oil time to penetrate the threads of the bolt or screw. Then use a wrench or screwdriver to undo the fastener. When you are trying to loosen a nut, penetrating oil is a good method to try first up.

USE A PAIR OF HAMMERS

Sometimes if a bolt is particularly stubborn, using a pair of hammers can help loosen the nut so you can remove it with a wrench. Hold the hammer against one of the flat sides of the nut – note, holding it against a corner will damage the nut – and hit the opposite side with the second hammer. After a few good knocks, try to undo it with a wrench. That’s another way to loosen a nut.

USE A HACKSAW

If you have nuts, bolts, or screws that are badly rusted and all aforementioned methods have failed, you may have to use a hacksaw to remove the fastener. Simply saw one side of the nut and proceed to remove it with a wrench or screwdriver. This is where you’ve tried to loosen a nut, but it hasn’t worked.

If it’s still stuck, you may want to saw the opposite side and then lightly knock the remaining pieces off with a hammer. If you wish to avoid any rust-related fastener issues, try using stainless steelnuts,bolts, andscrews.

How To Loosen Nuts, Bolts, and Screws | Pinnacle Hardware (1)

USE A NUT-SPLITTER

If the position of the screw or bolt doesn’t allow for the use of a hacksaw, a nut-splitter is also very handy to help remove a rusted nut. It has a special chisel inside that screws into the nut and allows you to undo it with ease. So when you cannot loosen a nut, try a nut-splitter instead.

DRILLING

When all else fails, and you just can’t loosen a nut, it’s time to get the drill out! Old and rusty fasteners can have a tendency to snap when too much pressure is applied or if you are trying to turn them the wrong way. When this happens, drilling out the remaining bit of a screw will be your best option.

Select the correct drill bit – about a millimetre less in diameter – then slowly start drilling out the remaining screw. Changing the drill rotation back and forth can sometimes help with guiding the screw out.

How To Loosen Nuts, Bolts, and Screws | Pinnacle Hardware (2)

CONCLUSION

This has been our handy list of ways to loosen a nut and remove old fasteners when they break off or otherwise get stuck. It’s amazing how small tips like these can make all the difference to your DIY projects. If you’re inexperienced, working with nuts, bolts, or screws can be fiddly and time-consuming. But if you take the time to learn about your new hobby, your proficiency will soon improve, andnuts, bolts, and screwswill be able to provide the flexibility to help you create all kinds of new projects.

We hope you’ve found these tips useful. To learn more about how you can improve your home without getting help from professionals,check out our other pages!

How To Loosen Nuts, Bolts, and Screws | Pinnacle Hardware (2024)

FAQs

How To Loosen Nuts, Bolts, and Screws | Pinnacle Hardware? ›

Commonly known as CRC, penetrating oil should be your first step in trying to loosen a nut, bolt, or screw. Spray the fastener and leave for 10 – 15 minutes to allow the oil time to penetrate the threads of the bolt or screw. Then use a wrench or screwdriver to undo the fastener.

How do you loosen a bolt and screw? ›

Most bolts unscrew by turning anticlockwise, or to the left. To loosen a bolt, turn it to the left, or anticlockwise, whilst holding the nut in place with a spanner or a pair of pliers. If you're having trouble loosening a bolt, try using a penetrating oil first to see if this loosens the nut.

How do you separate bolts and nuts? ›

There is a hex hole in the head of the bolt, and a tool called hex wrench can stick into it and fix/rotate it while loosen the nut by another wrench. Yep, also called an Allen head. You should be good to go as long as you have an Allen wrench of the right size.

How do you loosen or tighten a nut or bolt? ›

To tighten a nut or bolt, turn the wrench clockwise. To loosen a nut or bolt, turn the wrench counterclockwise. Remember “Righty tighty, lefty loosey.”

What is used to loosen or open nuts and bolts? ›

Wrenches are essential tools used to tighten and loosen fasteners, like nuts and bolts. Generally made from a chrome-plated steel alloy, wrenches are both durable and easy to clean.

How to loosen something really tight? ›

When you're dealing with really big stuck bolts, a pipe wrench might be your best option, especially if you don't own a giant set of wrenches or sockets. The long handle and aggressive jaw teeth will loosen the most stubborn bolts. Just make sure you get the jaws tight against the shoulders.

How to loosen a bolt that won't budge? ›

Lubricate the bolt with WD-40 and use vice-grip pliers or a long wrench to twist loose. Heat it with a torch for 15 seconds to loosen it more if needed. For rust, apply rust-penetrating liquid thread loosener and strike the the bolt 6-12 times with a hammer. Twist loose with a long-handled socket wrench.

How to remove a threaded bolt? ›

One method is to use a drill bit that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the bolt. Drill into the centre of the bolt until the drill bit is about halfway through. Then, use a wrench to turn the bolt out. Another method is to use a hammer and chisel.

Does WD-40 loosen bolts? ›

To loosen these, an ideal solution for this is to use WD-40® Penetrant Spray. Simply apply the Penetrant Spray over the affected nuts and bolts, then tap them lightly using a hammer. This will help the product seep into the nuts and bolts' fittings, allowing you remove the stuck fasteners.

How do you loosen a bolt that won't budge? ›

USE A PAIR OF HAMMERS

Sometimes if a bolt is particularly stubborn, using a pair of hammers can help loosen the nut so you can remove it with a wrench. Hold the hammer against one of the flat sides of the nut – note, holding it against a corner will damage the nut – and hit the opposite side with the second hammer.

How do you loosen a bolt that won't turn? ›

Penetrating Oil: Apply a penetrating oil like WD-40 or PB Blaster to the bolt or nut and let it sit for a few hours or overnight. This can help loosen the rust and corrosion. Heat: Use a propane torch to heat the area around the bolt or nut. Thermal expansion can help break the bond between the threads.

How to remove a screw that won't budge? ›

Use Pliers

Pliers will allow you to get a firm enough grip on the screw to pull it out. Locking pliers or vise grip pliers work best. Grip the screw on the sides. Twist the screw gently right and left until you've loosened it enough to pull it out.

Will WD-40 loosen a screw? ›

Try To Loosen The Screw From The Material

You can make your chances of removing it better by applying WD-40 or another type of penetrating oil. Apply the WD-40 and wait for it to set. Then, firmly insert your screwdriver and twist. The WD-40 may just help you get enough leverage to loosen the screw.

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