Sight screw rusted in place
Equipment
Thanks to everyone on my tuning thread.
Now I have a new problem. The bow is tuned and I need to sight in. I'm hitting like 2 inches low at 25 and 4 inches low at 45. I have a Black Gold sight that is 7 years old. I don't think I've adjusted the y axis on this sight in 3 years and it's seen a lot of wet hunts between now and then.
It's stuck - I think rusted in place and I put torque on the Allen wrench just to the point that I believe anymore pressure would strip the bolt.
Here's the thing: replacing the sight is not an option. Tomorrow is July 4th, which means everything's closed and I leave Friday for AK. I can't have a new sight shipped to AK because I already shipped my range finder to my transporter for my sheep hunt and I really don't want to be putting on a new rest in the field. I could replace the sight at work, but I won't have a LRF to dial in the new sight.
Any ideas as to how to get the bolt to budge? I was thinking about putting the bow in the chest freezer overnight as metal gets smaller when cold and maybe I'd have more room? Any solvent I'd have around the house like WD40 maybe?
Thanks in advance,
Ike
Ike...Have you ever thought about hunting with a gun? ;) ;) ;)
Seriously, if it helps, I could ship you a sight and a rangefinder to AK.
Penetrating oil for a day. Take an allen wrench of the right size and cut off a piece about 1/4" long. Warm the area as much as you dare, as aluminum expands at one and a half times the rate of steel. Put the allen key stub in the screw and tap it smartly several times with a punch and something like a 3/4" wrench, unless you have a very small hammer. Try turning it out while still as warm as you can keep it. Boiling water can work without damaging anything. Or set it on a light bulb or a clothes iron. The tapping works best if someone is just holding the sight in their hand. You won't distort the housing that way.
I would try break free or transmission fluid 1st soaking for several hours. Your freezing method may work as well. Probably dissimilar metals and corrosion is worse. Good luck if we lived closer I would give you a hand. Never minded breaking others stuff as much as mine.
Freezing will make it tighter. The aluminum will shrink more than the steel bolt.
Is it a bolt or set screw?
I would do what Ambush said in his first post!! Solid advice !!
Penetrating oil then use a brand new quality Allen wrench and try to tighten it first to break free.....then try to loosen. Good luck and make sure you have everything right....you may only get 1 shot.
Or leave it as is and just compensate
I like the tactic ambush mentioned. Here is a tool that impacts and turns at the same time. It works very well on tough bolts.
Good luck on the hunt. How do you get within 48 hours of a hunt and need to sight in the bow. What led To that time Crunch
I’d try what Ambush says - good advice. PB Blaster is better than WD 40. Good luck man! ??
Ike, righty righty, lefty loosie. Just making sure ;)
I’m a big fan of PB blaster, let it soak. I would bet you will not “strip” the bolt taking it out, may break the head off tough ;). I would give it a couple hours with the PB blaster, and put the big hand to the Allen wrench.
Or take Kota up on his offer! He is a bit sketchy though, so I’ll double down on it. You need a sight/rangefinder whatever just let me know and it will be in the mail.
—Jim
You’ll get it Ike.
Good luck on your hunt brother!
Reverse drill with a left handed drill bit.
Get a can of PB Blaster. They usually have it at Home Depot, Lowes, or Walmart. Once you get it loose get some stainless steel screws. Also when you put the new screw in put some string wax on the threads.
Ike, follow Ambush's advice. He is a mechanical whiz solving problems a lot more complex than yours...based on watching him in action on more than one occasion! Good luck with the screw and arrow a ram!
Not sure if you have one but harbor freight sells impact drivers. You can take a Dremel and grind out a slot and the use the straight screwdriver on the impact driver. Hit with a hammer and it's coming loose.
Listen to Ambush he has solid advise.
Steel and aluminum don’t get along. Use stainless when possible. Loctite makes an anti- seize just for this. Comes in a handy little lipstick type tube.
If you hit an impact driver with enough force to get any turning action, you’re going damage the sight. Great tools, but not in this case.
If it is on the gang adjustment on the sight it will work just fine. I had to use the very same thing on my spot Hogg Tommy about a month and a half ago.
What bou bound saidabovr. Amazing.
As far as the time line, I don't leave for my hunt till August 8th. It's just that I'm leaving my place in California and going to work in Alaska for a month before the hunt. I don't take my bow/hunting gear back and forth with me every trip. I was planning on shooting in Alaska the entire month, I just didn't realize I was going to be up a creek like this when I shipped my LRF to my transporter 2 months ago (shipped stuff to AK ground goes on the barge from Seattle to Anchorage so it takes 6 weeks).
I'm going to take my dad's LRF to AK because I realize now that I since I don't have a 3D course set up in AK like I do in CA, that I won't be able to do any long-range shooting up there without it. So if I can't get it unstuck with the above advice, I'll just order a new sight.
I know some gear heads that swear by Automatic trans fluid and Acetone as a penetrating oil. Keep us posted as to your results.
I also just realized that I can move all my pins...
I can also move my peep up.
I know...
The thing is, I'm just not that far off. I just came in from shooting and I'd say I'm 1.5 inches low at 25 and 3 inches low at 45.
You'll have it. I'm jealous of the sheep hunt. A friend of mine here that I have dinner or a drink with on occasion guides sheep, moose, and bear hunters in the Brooks Range every year and tells me stories, pics, etc. Share your stories and pics with us of the hunt! Oh, and to top it off he has his own Sitka tag on Kodiak this year. I might not talk to him anymore!
Used to use auto trans fluid and motor oil 50/50 ,as penetrating oil, worked great.
You said it's a Montana Black Gold sight. If so, call the manufacturer and they will have you sent it back to them and they will fix it and send it back to you for free.
I forgot about that. Thanks. Still, I can't do that now, there's not enough time. I'll have to wait till December to do that.
PB blaster is the bomb.. Way better than wd40. 3-36 is a good penetrant also.
For penetrating oil, I’ve had way better luck with Areokroil or PB Blaster, than WD40.
Interesting lesson in the cost of shipping gear ahead of a hunting trip.
My bet is the penetrant works, but buying a new sight and borrowing a rangefinder would be a good plan B.
X howevermany on the PB Blaster. That shit will crawl uphill to unstick bolts
I normally use tri-flow, apply liberally and let it sit for 15 minutes and then give it a shot. Sometimes trying to slightly tighten then loosening works... otherwise try and make your Allen wrench into a small breaker by finding something to stick the end of the Allen into or you could even grab the end of the Allen with some sort of med/large wrench... longer you can essentially extend your Allen the more torque you should get...
Sounds like you're sighted in TBM style, or adjust your pins. Good luck on your hunt.
I would just move your pins if you can for now Ike. I had a problem like this on my MBG when I dialed it in this past winter on my new bow. I cranked on it as suggested by some above and ended up stripping out the female end of the windage post that pinches your site housing's vertical adjustmen. If that happens you're SOL because it won't grab anymore to hold the housing from moving vertically. Black Gold was awesome to work with. One phone call and I had a new windage post in my hand in 3-4 days. That won't help you now but just be careful how much pressure you put on it so you don't strip it out as I did.
PB Blaster or a 50/50 mix of ATF and acetone.
It's been three days...did you get the screw out or not?? (Can you tell there's not much in season, and we need something to fixate on?...lol)
What Ambush said along with using a fine tipped soldering iron to heat up the screw before you try to loosen it. Done the soldering iron trick on rusted screws in firearms and it worked. Lastly had a similar experience 25+ years ago ended up having to drill out and re tap. Now ALL and I mean EVERY last screw I put into a bow gets a application of Bostick Nuclear grade never-seez anti-seize.
The vibratory bowl feeding method is an excellent method for sorting through disorganized dishes. This method works great for those who want to make meals at home or for those who just want to make sure everything is neat before putting it in the dishwasher. It works great for guests, too! It is quick, easy, and has the added bonus of being beautiful. I use these
vibratory bowl feeders since 2019, and I am delighted with them. I never had any problems with it, and I think this is the best solution for saving some time.
Another Transmission fluid suggestion. I soak all truck suspension threads with Dextron 3 works better than anything else I have tried.
Ever hear if Ike got the screw loose 2 yrs ago???
Pretty sure Ike's got a screw loose... ;)
Come hang out on tge farm for a hay season. You will leave with aMasters
Ya....I know this is an older thread. For future thought.....on steel in steel.....I've saturated with PB Blaster and then heated it up. That allowed the PB to seep into the threaded area. I've done that a few times with success. I don't know how it will work with steel into aluminum but it would be worth a try. If I was in the stuck screw in the bow sight situation....I'd use a lighter set to low and work it or maybe a soldering iron to pinpoint the heat.
all you should need is pb blaster/rust penetrator. Let it soak for a few minutes. Freezing the whole bow won't work since everything will shrink proportionally. They do sell rust penetrant that has a chilling/freezing effect for helping break the initial rust bond. But really just a good allen key(hex socket).
If the screw head isn't damaged and the allen key is sound/the right size then you can crank on it as hard as you can... the allen key would break before a good head would strip and more than likely it will break free before the allen key breaks(wear safety glasses). you can also try hitting your allen key with a hammer in the off direction(while the bow is secured). Basically mimics how an impact gun works. Heat should always be the last option when dealing with most fastners, especially on a bow.
