Removing threaded inserts from Snuffers

[buckeyebowhunter]

I've got a bunch of snuffers with inserts that have threads that are messed up. It seems to me the threads don't fit the newer inserts real good. Anyways I've considered replacing them with steel inserts.

I thought I read a thread here years ago that said you can heat them up in the oven for a few hours to loosen the epoxy on the inserts. Has anyone tried this with success?

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Yes you can heat them in a kitchen oven to degrade the epoxy. I don't recall the temp, Id start at 350 for 30 min, if that doesn't work bump up 50 degrees at a time. The epoxy will turn to powder and you will be able to twist out the adapter. Clean the inside of the ferrule well before gluing in your steel adapters. Don't try to heat with a torch as you have to heat the epoxy hotter and longer than hot melt to get it to release and you risk heating it hot enough to take out the temper if you get too carried away with a torch.

R

[buckeyebowhunter]

Thanks Ryan! 

[Wudstix]

Worked for me.

[buckeyebowhunter]

Me too, a few of them were stubborn though. A couple of my old originals I had to bump the oven up to 400 and left them in for around an hour before the insert budged. Hopefully it did not harm the heads, they look okay 

[Michpatriot]

I wonder if you heated the threaded section with a torch, would the epoxy act like a barrier\insulator from heating the actual head..if they wouldn't just pull right out. Clamping the head so you can pull with pliers and heat just the threads.. 

[buckeyebowhunter]

Joel, I've tried it. It doesn't work with epoxy. If they were glued in with ferltite it works just fine.

[Roadkill]

Aluminum coefficient of thermal expansion is.0000128F
Steel.                                                         .0000065F

Dry ice is -109.3F
Alcohol is -130F

It follows that mixing the dry ice and alcohol and putting your broadheads into the mixture (DO NOT PUT YOUR FINGER IN IT) that the aluminum will contact at a different rate than the steel and break the epoxy's bond, thus allowing extraction.

Haven't tried it, but heat works in one direction, extreme cold works the other way.  Crylogenic impact on steel? Unknown
Yeah. Season's over and I am bored awaiting 1 November rabbit start

[Longtoke]

I recently left a batch in a container of denatured alcohol for a couple days and that did the trick. No heat needed.