Stud Remover - a necessary tool

A stud remover is a tool for removing studs, as the name implies. It's necessary if you break off a stud so short that you can't get a pair of pliers or vice grips on the stud in order to loosen it.

The tool is a short tapered piece of metal with broadly spaced threads that spiral in a left-handed direction. This allows the tool to bite into material when you turn it left to right - the way you would loosen a bolt.

You unscrew the stud by screwing in the remover.

The metal used to create such tools is hard, so it's often brittle as well. Therefore, you need to take care when using it so it doesn't break. It's bad enough to have a stud broken off in a threaded hole. If you have a stud remover broken off in there as well, you're up for a much more difficult challenge.

To use the tool, first drill a hole into the center of the broken stud. The hole must match the tool such that about half of the threads on the tool will insert into the hole. This will allow the tool to get a good bite in the hole.

If you drill too narrow a hole, you risk breaking the tip of the tool off in the hole. If you drill too wide a hole, the tool won't get a grip.

To remove the broken stud, insert the tool into the hole and turn counterclockwise as you press down on the tool to force it into the hole. This will cause it to get a good bite on the stud.

You can also gently tap the tool into position, but use light tapping force to do this, otherwise you'll crack off the tip of the tool.

An alternative to using a stud remover is to use a file. Whether a round file or a flat file, just find one that will fit the hole drilled into the stud. Whack it in place, and then turn counter clockwise as you press down on the file to keep it biting into the hole in the stud.

If you can't remove the stud in this manner, then you'll have to drill it out.

Done with Stud Remover, back to Do It Yourself