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I've removed self-tapping stainless steel screws from aluminum spars before. Heat and an impact driver have always worked. The cleat came with new challenges.
Background: A self-locking (aluminum alloy?) cleat on the (aluminum) boom was catching lines in the self locking part always when I didn't want it to. The cleat was put on the boom by the PO or the manufacturer. In 30+ years I couldn't figure out any use for it. Way past time for it to go.
Step1: Get the boom home on the bench and in the vice.
Then:Get the impact driver ready and heat up a screw.
Twist the screw head off. Rats. Actually I said something a little stronger. Oh well might as well twist the other screw head off. Try to get the cleat loose with a hillbilly cold chisel, AKA a screw driver. No go.
Now the light bulb moment. The screw was corroded to the cleat where it passed through it. This is why I twisted the head off. I might have had better luck had I heated the cleat as well as the boom.
Next step: Cut the bridge part of the cleat away but don't cut the horns just yet. Tap the horns in both directions. This loosened what was left of the cleat on the screw. Now cut the horns away and end up with two cubes of metal around each screw. Twist each cube of metal off its screw and end up with two screw stubs in the boom.
At this point it would have been easy to remove the screw stubs with heat, pounding, and vice grips or a similar tool. However since I wanted to plug the holes I cut the stubs off flush with the boom and dressed it down with a file.
Project complete.
TRUE GRIT
PS I could have left the cleat on the boom and wrapped a piece of line around it to defeat the self-locking but it wouldn't have been as much fun or looked as nice.
Background: A self-locking (aluminum alloy?) cleat on the (aluminum) boom was catching lines in the self locking part always when I didn't want it to. The cleat was put on the boom by the PO or the manufacturer. In 30+ years I couldn't figure out any use for it. Way past time for it to go.
Step1: Get the boom home on the bench and in the vice.
Then:Get the impact driver ready and heat up a screw.
Twist the screw head off. Rats. Actually I said something a little stronger. Oh well might as well twist the other screw head off. Try to get the cleat loose with a hillbilly cold chisel, AKA a screw driver. No go.
Now the light bulb moment. The screw was corroded to the cleat where it passed through it. This is why I twisted the head off. I might have had better luck had I heated the cleat as well as the boom.
Next step: Cut the bridge part of the cleat away but don't cut the horns just yet. Tap the horns in both directions. This loosened what was left of the cleat on the screw. Now cut the horns away and end up with two cubes of metal around each screw. Twist each cube of metal off its screw and end up with two screw stubs in the boom.
At this point it would have been easy to remove the screw stubs with heat, pounding, and vice grips or a similar tool. However since I wanted to plug the holes I cut the stubs off flush with the boom and dressed it down with a file.
Project complete.
TRUE GRIT
PS I could have left the cleat on the boom and wrapped a piece of line around it to defeat the self-locking but it wouldn't have been as much fun or looked as nice.
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