Seized nipple, any removal tricks?

[Baxter]

Not criticising the OP, but no "crescent (style)" wrench ever gets near my firearms.

 

[11Bravo]

I feel the same about Vise Grips!

 

[TFoley]

After soaking for a couple of days and you have that 1/4" square socket wrench, put the wrench on the nipple and using a small ball peen hammer, tap the top directly above the nipple, then tap the end of the breaker bar. The mild impact often breaks the threads loose. Give Kroil some time to work.

This works. Trust me.

 

[Blitz]

My son just bought a Navy Arms, Antonio Zoli built .58 cal Zouave rifle. It has an AC date code; he thinks it's a 1973 gun. Its percussion nipple will not come out! It's the skinny one; the gun came with the larger one for musket caps too. So far, a nipple wrench and PB Blaster and a Vise Grips hasn't gotten it to budge. Any removal tips or tricks? I was thinking a long handle 1/4" crescent wrench might provide better leverage. Thoughts? We dont care if the nipple gets ruined we just want it out.

I've battled frozen bolts before. Just not small ones on guns. Torch, hammer, impact wrench, and breaker bar dont seem to be options. Would heating it with a blowtorch be a terrible idea? Help!

Buy an electrick heat gun at Harbor Freight and do a few heat cool cycles, folowed by 50/50 auto trans fluid acetone mix , shake well
before use.

 

[nit wit]

Kroil or heat, Kroil first!
Nit Wit

 

[11Bravo]

This is an old thread, but to those with this problem a good read. I have a SxS percussion I want to remove the cones and bring it back to life. Age??? Belgian proofed barrels, French locks but a real nice 14ga. I will add another tip which was hinted at. I have worked with steel for 50+ years and besides heating the barrels (heat gun), you freeze the nipples. What I use is the canned air you clean off your keyboard with. Turn the can upside down to spray and out comes refrigerant, just be real careful. Gloves, glasses etc. as we are talking real cold. It is all about the coefficient of linear expansion, as we heat steel it expands, add cold and the nipple contracts. I have the barrel ends soaking in kerosene at present as that is also a good penetrate and in a few days I will try the heat/cold removal.

 

[bigstick6017555]

This story brings back the memories of when I was in the same predicament after listening to the folks who told me I was wasting my time removing the nipples (cones) and flash hole liners every time I cleaned my black powder fire arms. I now remove nipples (cones), and removable vent liners with correct tools, and clean after each session, and install with Lubriplate high temp and pressure grease. Gone are the days of fooling around with drills, easy outs and taps.

 

[GREENSWLDE]

Sometimes, tightening a stuck part just to the point that it starts to move will break loose stuck threads. Once it starts to move, it can then be easily unscrewed.
I know it seems contrary to what logic would suggest, but it often works.

Zonie's post is correct. Usually works.. AND when you have got it out always put a couple of turns of PTFE tape round the thread before you put it back !! OLD DOG..

 

[Buckskinquin]

My son just bought a Navy Arms, Antonio Zoli built .58 cal Zouave rifle. It has an AC date code; he thinks it's a 1973 gun. Its percussion nipple will not come out! It's the skinny one; the gun came with the larger one for musket caps too. So far, a nipple wrench and PB Blaster and a Vise Grips hasn't gotten it to budge. Any removal tips or tricks? I was thinking a long handle 1/4" crescent wrench might provide better leverage. Thoughts? We dont care if the nipple gets ruined we just want it out.

I've battled frozen bolts before. Just not small ones on guns. Torch, hammer, impact wrench, and breaker bar dont seem to be options. Would heating it with a blowtorch be a terrible idea? Help!

Try heating it with a small torch, once hot, hold a candle to it. Should draw some wax into the threads, like sweating a solder joint Let it cool slightly and try. I have, it has worked for me

 

[Codger Craig Wilcox]

I have an old (1850's) single barrel 10-bore that the nipple had been well and truly mashed. The bore is clean, stock and furniture in good shape, BUT that danged nipple!
Tried Kroil, "Break Free", acetone and tranny fluid, heat cycles, etc. Then I tried an EZ out. Bad move!
The EZ Out snapped, level with the hole in the nipple. Yep, it now has a core of high-carbon steel! Tried more heat, this time with my Little Torch, oxy-acetylene. My next move will be to take it to a machinist friend. Hope he is more successful than I have been.
This is a really nice 170-year old smoothbore, hope I can get it working.

 

[11Bravo]

"wildcat" I had taken a gun to a local place that I broke a tap off in a blind hole. The place I took it to did EDM (electrical discharge machining) on the small tap and he removed the tap and saved the threads.

 

[Codger Craig Wilcox]

Thanks, 11Bravo. Will give that a try. Actually quite a few machinists in and around this small Ohio town.

And, I believe that we were once in a foreign country, working and sweating. But I was on an aircraft carrier, and we sent A-4's for support to you guys.
And Agent Orange be damned forever. It's killing me!

 

[11Bravo]

Wildcat, the EDM will surely take care of the e-Easy out. They may also? be able to eat away whats left of the cone. Only a few left from my company as we were directly sprayed with the ****. They started dying at about 45.

 

[Codger Craig Wilcox]

Wasn't able to get out - some days are better than others.
It hit me hard in '08. At 63, I had to take early retirement from my job. I was an environmental scientist who worked in swamps, jungles, and forests from Virginia down almost to Patagonia. And many countries on these two continents. I was good at what I did, and truly enjoyed it. Took me over 5 years to get over waking at 5 in the morning, out in the bushes by about 6:30. And now I have trouble walking more than 50' on some days. Holes in the spinal cord, no cushion between bones, arthritis everywhere. I re-financed my house this past weekend, and the lady and I were laughing because my thumb would dislocate every time I signed my name, then go back in. made a click-click noise each time. Besides dropping the pen, it was funny as Hell!
Hoping my buddy has EDM equipment, or knows who does!

 

[eggwelder]

I`ve removed two nipples- one from a Pattern 1839 enfield and one from an original 1863 remington Zouave. Soaked in ed`s red for a month, touch of heat from a propane torch, quick dunk in cold water and they both came out like i put them in yesterday. A re-heat and slow cool incase there was any hardness imparted by the heating and cooling. the heat did not affect the bluing on either. I used vice grips as they had been severely eroded over time.