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Drilling hardware

Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 9:57 pm
by dylan*
So I have a Hover Glide and I'm an idiot and let me bolts freeze up on my mast. Luckily I can still remove the plate from the board but the plate and fuselage are both cemented to the mast.

I understand I can drill them out, and there's a convenient youtube video specifically for this posted by Houston Kiteboarding.

Anything I should be aware of if I do this? I assume the bolts will be destroyed and I'll need to buy a new set. But is it as foolproof as it looks? Any chance of ruining the mast or anything in the process?

Re: Drilling hardware

Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 10:19 pm
by thewindego
You could try heating the plate to expand it with a torch but it will probable look a bit sad after. Opposite way would be dry ice or liquid nitrogen to shrink the mast if you have access to such.

Re: Drilling hardware

Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 11:11 pm
by edt
Be careful about using heat! You can ruin the temper on a high strength metal and make it very weak. As low as 350F (175C) can ruin the temper of aluminum and turn it into a noodle. Let us know how it goes.

Re: Drilling hardware

Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 12:59 am
by OzBungy
Try soaking it in boiling water. That worked for me.

Re: Drilling hardware

Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 2:07 am
by NorCalNomad
This is an out there suggestion...but I wonder if strapping it to one of those paint shakers (like the ones at hardware stores) would induce enough vibrations to help loosen it. Other thought is find an ultrasonic parts/ jewelry cleaner to help break it free.

Also might be worth trying to soak it in high % rubbing alcohol since the surface tension of it is super low and might be enough to help free it.

Re: Drilling hardware

Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 1:18 pm
by rynhardt
Get yourself a screw extractor kit (easyout kit).
Also useful if one day you want to restore an old motorbike 8)

Re: Drilling hardware

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 2:28 pm
by Dwight
Leave seized. Buy another base plate. I keep all my different mast sizes stored with base plates mounted permanently.

This makes for quick assembly of complete foil at beach.

FYI stainless steel is a difficult material to drill compared to regular steel. This will likely turn into a nightmare if you try. The drill bit may even wander into the softer aluminum, adding to your mess. When you finish, it’s likely some aluminum will be damaged and retapping will result in a sloppy screw fit. So then you have to the cut mast down to get fresh material for tapping.

Don’t do it unless you’re a pro at this type stuff.

Re: Drilling hardware

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 2:57 pm
by Kamikuza
Dwight wrote:
Wed Jan 24, 2018 2:28 pm
Leave seized. Buy another base plate. I keep all my different mast sizes stored with base plates mounted permanently.

This makes for quick assembly of complete foil at beach.

FYI stainless steel is a difficult material to drill compared to regular steel. This will likely turn into a nightmare if you try. The drill bit may even wander into the softer aluminum, adding to your mess. When you finish, it’s likely some aluminum will be damaged and retapping will result in a sloppy screw fit. So then you have to the cut mast down to get fresh material for tapping.

Don’t do it unless you’re a pro at this type stuff.
This.

IIRC spare parts for the SS foil are very reasonably priced...

Re: Drilling hardware

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 3:28 pm
by Europ2
Before drilling...... Coke has the ability to dissolve rust and many types of oxydation....
As a first test, put the plate/mast section down in 4 cm of coke cola in a bucket .... for 2 cays testing every 12 hrs ..

Then, do the same thing to the mast/fuse section. A plastic bin bag can be used as a tank for liquids. The mast/fuse section must be submerged.

Pls, post your results :wink:

Re: Drilling hardware

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 7:22 pm
by tegirinenashi
Boiling water worked for me too. However, in my case it was fuse-mast connection. In your case the mast is wrapped in a collar, therefore, conducting heat to the mast is more challenging. The goal is to warm up the mast, while bolts still keep room temperature. As alum is good thermal conductor it may still work in your case, but I would follow the advise to leave it as it is. Corrosion on a plate/mast connection is not a problem at all, because the force is pushing one against the other, not pulling -- this is why bolts connecting them are relatively short.