Things You'll Need:
- Penetrating oil (used to remove rust)
- Hammer
- Liquid metal filler
- Grinder or hack saw
- Long fireplace lighter or torch
- Wood glue and/or wood filler
- Screwdriver and sandpaper
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Step 1
Soak the rusted bolt with plenty of oil. If it's possible, soak it for several hours or overnight. If you can't do that, just keep soaking it and letting it sit as often as you can. Sometimes just that will do the trick and you can wiggle the nut and bolt free with a few short sharp turns.
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Step 2
Try tapping the bolt's head with a hammer with light but sharp raps. You can also tap the bolt itself but use the same light sharp tapping motion. This often knocks the rust off. Try spraying it afterward and see if it's loosened up.
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Step 3
Applying heat can also help to loosen things up. Use a long handled fireplace lighter or a small torch if you have one. Heat it till it's red hot and then throw cold water on it. Loosen it with short sharp turns of the wrench rather than using extended pressure.
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Step 4
Use a grinder, a bolt cutter or a hack saw to remove the bolt if you've tried all these things and nothing worked.
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Step 5
Replace nuts and bolts if you can. It is inexpensive and much easier and safer in some cases. If you can't replace them, then try to add a few drops of wood glue (to a wood surface) or wood filler. If you add too much, you can rout it out with a piece of sand paper wrapped over a small screwdriver.
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Step 6
Use a product made for locking down screws if you have to but realize that they can be a bit harder to remove later. There are liquid metal filler products on the market made for this problem.
