Got stuck for three hours on a simple bolt because of a stripped nut

Was on a job in the Gulf last week, doing a basic inspection on a platform leg. Had to remove a small access panel, just four bolts, no big deal. The first three came off fine, but the fourth nut was totally rounded off, probably from some old corrosion. Thought it would be a quick fix with some vice grips, but nothing worked. Ended up having to carefully cut it off with a hacksaw in tight quarters, fighting the current the whole time. What should have been a 10 minute job turned into over three hours of messing around. What's your go-to method for dealing with a rounded bolt underwater when you can't just torch it?

2 comments

2 Comments

tyler8225d ago

I mean, that "fighting the current the whole time" part sounds brutal. I read a forum post a while back from a guy who does underwater welding. He swore by these special left-hand drill bits for rounded bolts. The idea is you drill into it and sometimes the bit catches and spins the whole thing out. It seems like it would be a nightmare to set up underwater though, idk. Maybe a bolt extractor socket could work if you can get it on there. Your hacksaw method sounds like the only real option sometimes.

the_jenny5d ago

Yeah, that sounds like a special kind of hell.