Removing brass stews from keel?
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- Location: Suffolk
Removing brass stews from keel?
Can anyone suggest a reliable way of getting the brass screws out of the keel on my Uffa 14? These are the long screws that hold the centreboard case on and they are impossible? To unscrew, usually half the slotted head breaks off and I have tried to drill off the rest of the head but often the drill runs off into the wood!
Chrisrjwood
Jollyboat J325 Serendipity
Rouse I14 'Brown Trousers' K1094
Kirby 7 I14 Last Chance K1120
Penultimate I14 K1337
Int 14 K391 Velocity
Uffa Fox I14 Nymph K524 (under restoration)
Jollyboat J325 Serendipity
Rouse I14 'Brown Trousers' K1094
Kirby 7 I14 Last Chance K1120
Penultimate I14 K1337
Int 14 K391 Velocity
Uffa Fox I14 Nymph K524 (under restoration)
Re: Removing brass stews from keel?
I have found that there are two problems. Firstly the screws can have become brittle over the years hence the breaking of the head. To give yourself a better chance try holding a soldering iron on top of the head. I know these screws are long so keep the iron on the head for a reasonable time then wait. Repeat this a few times to let the heat get down a bit further and also get hotter. Make sure the screwdriver is a nice fit in the slot and doesn't slip out. The heat helps to break the corrosion holding the screw tight. When refitting a nice smear of candlewax on the screw thread can help a future generation. Hope this helps.
Re: Removing brass stews from keel?
I know Chris has used roll pins in a drill in reverse slowly to draw out damaged screws,
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/20107602 ... ue&ff13=80
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/20107602 ... ue&ff13=80
Hornet 191 Shoestring,
Hornet 595 Demon awaiting restoration
Hornet 610 Final Fling
Hornet 353
Hornet 595 Demon awaiting restoration
Hornet 610 Final Fling
Hornet 353
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Re: Removing brass stews from keel?
That will only work if you can get a hole in the screw in the first place...roger wrote:I know Chris has used roll pins in a drill in reverse slowly to draw out damaged screws,
Brass screws tend to dezincify over time, and become copper screws... and copper is a useless metal (except as a conductor)..
There's not much that can be done to get them out.... I usually carefully drill around them, and fill the resulting hole with epoxy..
Matt
Int Moth K2992
Int Moth K2992
Re: Removing brass stews from keel?
I think that the idea of the roll pins is to core around the screw before drawing it out. Thus you never drill the screw itself which I certainly have found to be nearly impossible. Can someone clarify that?
Re: Removing brass stews from keel?
If you can remove head ,(if it is useless), use the roll pin like a small hole saw.
Re: Removing brass stews from keel?
I gave up and ran a 'multi tool' saw along the centreboard/hog seam cutting through all the screws in minutes... OK so a bit violent but effective.
Removed what bits of screw I could, filled the holes and drilled anew for new silicone bronze screws.
Word of warning, one must cut at the right 'flat' angle or you'll make mess that is difficult to seal.
Removed what bits of screw I could, filled the holes and drilled anew for new silicone bronze screws.
Word of warning, one must cut at the right 'flat' angle or you'll make mess that is difficult to seal.
Tideway 206
11+
Sold the 'Something bigger and plastic', it never got used.
11+
Sold the 'Something bigger and plastic', it never got used.
Re: Removing brass stews from keel?
That's exactly as I understand it, the roll pin actually grips the outside of the screw or whats left of it and unscrews it leaving a lot less damage than other methods.Garry R wrote:I think that the idea of the roll pins is to core around the screw before drawing it out. Thus you never drill the screw itself which I certainly have found to be nearly impossible. Can someone clarify that?
Hornet 191 Shoestring,
Hornet 595 Demon awaiting restoration
Hornet 610 Final Fling
Hornet 353
Hornet 595 Demon awaiting restoration
Hornet 610 Final Fling
Hornet 353
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- Posts: 170
- Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2011 11:33 pm
- Location: Suffolk
Re: Removing brass stews from keel?
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.
I have considered sawing through the screws along the line of the hog/keel.
What sort of saw would be best and should the boat be upside down or right side up?
I have considered sawing through the screws along the line of the hog/keel.
What sort of saw would be best and should the boat be upside down or right side up?
Chrisrjwood
Jollyboat J325 Serendipity
Rouse I14 'Brown Trousers' K1094
Kirby 7 I14 Last Chance K1120
Penultimate I14 K1337
Int 14 K391 Velocity
Uffa Fox I14 Nymph K524 (under restoration)
Jollyboat J325 Serendipity
Rouse I14 'Brown Trousers' K1094
Kirby 7 I14 Last Chance K1120
Penultimate I14 K1337
Int 14 K391 Velocity
Uffa Fox I14 Nymph K524 (under restoration)
Re: Removing brass stews from keel?
Chris's Roll-pin method is the way to go. Minimum damage, easy and fast to do.
I used to use assorted bits of small tubing, but a roll-pin is a brilliant way.
eib
I used to use assorted bits of small tubing, but a roll-pin is a brilliant way.
eib
Ed Bremner
CVRDA
Jollyboat J3
Firefly F2942
IC GBR314 ex S51 - 1970 Slurp
MR 638 - Please come and take it away
Phelps Scull
Bathurst Whiff - looking for someone to love it
CVRDA
Jollyboat J3
Firefly F2942
IC GBR314 ex S51 - 1970 Slurp
MR 638 - Please come and take it away
Phelps Scull
Bathurst Whiff - looking for someone to love it
Re: Removing brass stews from keel?
Chrisrjwood wrote:Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.
I have considered sawing through the screws along the line of the hog/keel.
What sort of saw would be best and should the boat be upside down or right side up?
Something like this, there are many cheaper that should be OK.
http://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-250w- ... wgodLDQEXw
I did the job on a simple traditional clinker boat, dunno the construction of yours.
I had the boat right way up and had marked the position of the screws inside first. As mentioned before, the key is to make the cut at the same plane as the mating faces of the hog/case join so as to avoid messing up the hog. If you can't get the tool low enough then you can bend the blade of the saw to suit. If you plan to replace the case then you can cut clear of the join and save the chance of damage to the face of the hog.
Don't be tempted to wiggle the case around before you have cut all the screws, the leverage caused can split the keel.
I've done this twice now with no problems, the tool is useful for lots of other things. I fully accept that this is not the correct way of going about the job but if done carefully the result is the same. The thing that gave me a shock was the price of silicone bronze screws...40 quids worth to do a Tideway!
Tideway 206
11+
Sold the 'Something bigger and plastic', it never got used.
11+
Sold the 'Something bigger and plastic', it never got used.
Re: Removing brass stews from keel?
Or...a hacsaw blade...
Tideway 206
11+
Sold the 'Something bigger and plastic', it never got used.
11+
Sold the 'Something bigger and plastic', it never got used.
Re: Removing brass stews from keel?
I'm such a bodger, a crowbar got the centreboard case out of the Finn, epoxy repaired the damaged hog ready for the new case. I didn't think of trying to undo the screws!
PeterV
Finn K197 & GBR564
Warsash
Finn K197 & GBR564
Warsash
Re: Removing brass stews from keel?
We need a like button... just for this post...PeterV wrote:I'm such a bodger, a crowbar got the centreboard case out of the Finn, epoxy repaired the damaged hog ready for the new case. I didn't think of trying to undo the screws!
Rupert
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- Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2015 11:18 pm
Re: Removing brass stews from keel?
And for this one!Rupert wrote:
We need a like button... just for this post...
Matt
Int Moth K2992
Int Moth K2992