Re: [CR]Help! Screw broken off in fork eyelet.

(Example: Bike Shops)

From: "Aldo Ross" <aldoross4@siscom.net>
To: "Bob Hanson" <theonetrueBob@webtv.net>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <4195-44F17A00-883@storefull-3272.bay.webtv.net>
Subject: Re: [CR]Help! Screw broken off in fork eyelet.
Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2006 10:10:28 -0400
reply-type=original

That's quite a small screw, and it sounds like it's pretty tight, so your options for removal are rather limited.

You'll need a small drill press, a good center punch, a small drill bit, a small file, a small adjustable crescent wrench, and a small hammer.

Begin by placing the inside surface of the fork blade with broken bolt flat on the top of a work bench. Center-punch the screw.

Drill a small hole down the center of the screw. There needs to be enough clearance beneath the drill press to allow you to lay the inside surface of the fork blade with broken screw flat against the table of the drill press, with the other fork blade in the open space beneath the drill press. The hole needs to be small enough and straight enough not to break into the threads.

Now you'll need to find a file with a square tang small enough to fit tightly into the hole you've drilled. Gently tap the file tang-first into the drilled hole using a small hammer. With luck the tang will bite into the drilled hole, but don't overdo the hammering.

Now the tang of the file should be gripping the screw tight enough to allow you to turn file (and screw) with an adjustable crescent wrench.

Other list members should have some other ideas.

Good luck!

Aldo Ross Middletown, Ohio

a.. If the screw is in tight. Drill a small hole down the centre of the broken screw. The hole should be large enough to put the tang of a small file down it, but small enough so that it does not break into the threads. When the hole has been drilled, select a suitable old file and gently tap the tang end into the drilled hole using a small hammer. The tang should now be gripping the screw, and turning the file will turn the screw.


----- Original Message -----
From: Bob Hanson
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Sent: Sunday, August 27, 2006 6:54 AM
Subject: [CR]Help! Screw broken off in fork eyelet.



> My friend got his newly repainted bike shipped back to him this week.
> Today he attempted to fit mudguards onto it. Three screws went in snug,
> but okay. However, the last snapped off inside the front fork eyelet.
>
> I saw the bike today. The screw had snapped off flush with the eyelet,
> after almost reaching through to the other side. He said it was going
> in tighter than the rest, but he just kept turning it harder, figuring
> it would simply "clean out" any excess fresh paint that may have built
> up in the threads.
>
> Before either he or I try to come up with a "solution"... Could someone
> PLEASE advise me on the best way to remove the broken screw. He just
> had the bike painted, so he definitely does not want to mess up the
> frame. He also wants to keep the threads from being damaged.
>
> This is something I've never encountered before so I really would not
> know how to proceed. I assume the screws are a standard 5mm metric,
> however, I don't recognize the fork tips - they're definitely not Campy.
>
> In fact, this raises another question. The frameset is British (Sorry,
> can't remember the name and decals were not re-applied). So, could there
> have once been a very similar sized, but perhaps Whitworth or BSC thread
> rather than metric, used to tap the eyelets? Maybe a "close but not
> quite the same" thread would account for the metric screws really
> fitting too tightly... or rather, perhaps not a suitable fit at all.
>
> I would greatly appreciate ANY advice. I know he's going nuts over
> this. I am pretty steady handed with a drill, but would not even know
> how to proceed to try to extract the screw. I would like to at least
> give him some responsible advice - before he simply jumps in and does
> the absolute wrong thing.
>
> Thanks much.
>
> Bob Hanson, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA