14 Jul 2003, 07:30, Charles Angelich (1:106/2000), wrote to Matt Mc_carthy:

Hi Charles.

 JH>>> I guess there is some magic formula of what size of ez-out
 JH>>> to use, and you used one a bit too small? 

 MM>> There actually _is_ such a formula, but I don't recall it
 MM>> right now. I use _only_ the tapered square 'removers'.
 MM>> Those reverse  twisted ones are worthless, and only wedge
 MM>> the broken threaded part tighter against the threads of the
 MM>> hole. 

 CA> Anything that works is good but the EZ-Out is not worthless.
 CA> They are used by professionals in shops (no square ones). There
 CA> is a chart available not only to tell you what size EZ-Out to
 CA> use but what size hole to drill for it as well. 

I disagree strongly.  If you study the design of the "EZ-Out"
there is nothing there that will properly assist removing a broken screw,
other than having a left-handed spiral.  The taper is excessive, and the
spiral is smooth-fluted, nothing to bite into the broken part.  The tighter
it is turned, the more it forces the broken part to expand into the
threaded hole.  Because of the steep taper, the exposed end of the broken
screw is rapidly expanded locking the screw into the threaded hole.  That
is _my_ definition of 'worthless'.

Granted, "EZ-Out" _does_ have the market share because of
advertising and brand recognition.  (I might say the same for Microsoft.)

If you have professionals using them, then they were likely using whatever
their purchasing department had bought for them, and I would hazard a guess
that they cuss every time they have to use them, and that their success
rate using them was well below 100%.

 CA> For really stubborn screws there is an E-Lox machine which uses
 CA> electricity to burn the screw out of the hole. With practice
 CA> you can even avoid burning the threads. :-) 

For screws 1/2" and larger it quite easy to do the same with a plain
old Oxy-Acetlyene rig.


     Good luck...  M.

--- Msged/386 TE 06 (pre)