Antique rail bolts stripped. Need to know how to fix them

cammel8

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am recovering an 1905 pool table. It has the old style rail bolts with two holes that bolt into the slate however, the holes are stripped out*****EDIT: the holes on the table not the holes on the bolt*****. Is there any way to fix this issue? I was thinking drill bigger and put in a heli coil. But short of that I'm kinda at a loss. Is there anyone with experience that knows how to fix this correctly?

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

George
 
Last edited:

d_day

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What's stripped? The threads in the slate? Or the holes in the head of the bolts?
 

realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
I am recovering an 1905 pool table. It has the old style rail bolts with two holes that bolt into the slate however, the holes are stripped out. Is there any way to fix this issue? I was thinking drill bigger and put in a heli coil. But short of that I'm kinda at a loss. Is there anyone with experience that knows how to fix this correctly?

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

George

1/4" drill bit will clean up the spanner wrench holes real nice, just drill them deeper, no problem even if you drill all the way through. Another option is to take them to a machine shop and have the heads of the bolts ground down to 3/4" square heads.
 

cammel8

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
1/4" drill bit will clean up the spanner wrench holes real nice, just drill them deeper, no problem even if you drill all the way through. Another option is to take them to a machine shop and have the heads of the bolts ground down to 3/4" square heads.

Sorry but i didn't make it clear in the original post (I've went back and edited it) I meant the holes in the slate are stripped not the ones in the bolts.
 

ROB.M

:)
Silver Member
Table

some are poured like babbitt/lead, some are inserted thru the bottom of the slate and held on place by a keeper screw that is inserted from the top. The slates will have backer-boards that will need to be removed to access the inserts that are captured in the slate.
Mostly likely the bolt/insert is a acme thread/you'll have to find a machine shop that has the acme threading machine tooling.


Rob.M
 

cammel8

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
some are poured like babbitt/lead, some are inserted thru the bottom of the slate and held on place by a keeper screw that is inserted from the top. The slates will have backer-boards that will need to be removed to access the inserts that are captured in the slate.
Mostly likely the bolt/insert is a acme thread/you'll have to find a machine shop that has the acme threading machine tooling.


Rob.M

these go through the side of the slate
 

cammel8

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
some are poured like babbitt/lead, some are inserted thru the bottom of the slate and held on place by a keeper screw that is inserted from the top. The slates will have backer-boards that will need to be removed to access the inserts that are captured in the slate.
Mostly likely the bolt/insert is a acme thread/you'll have to find a machine shop that has the acme threading machine tooling.


Rob.M

Upon closer inspection it appears to be pewter/Babbitt. So how do I fix it?
 

ROB.M

:)
Silver Member
Table

If it's a 3/8x14 thread pitch bolt you can run a tap in to clean up the threads.



Rob.M
 
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