Frequently Asked Questions

I’ve installed a molly bolt and I need to take it out, how do you take out a molly bolt if the metal flanges snap open permanently?

To take it out, you simply unscrew the bolt and let the metal wings fall into the wall cavity.

I was drilling a hole into masonry when the bit broke off, what do I do?

First, you could move the hole a few inches on the same spot so as to avoid hitting the broken bit that was left into the hole which could burn and shatter brittle masonry bits. Use a drill with a hammer action so as to allow easy drilling for masonry. If you examine these types of drills the travel of the tip in hammer mode isn’t much but enough to make masonry drilling easier by pounding the bit as it twists into the hole. It would be similar to using a chisel and drill combined. Wear safety goggles with a toughened viewer for if the bit does break it could shatter and shower metal shards all over. Also, use ear protection with a hammer drill for it can damage your hearing permanently.

I was driving in a lag bolt that has two halves of metal called a shield when the threads got stripped, any suggestions?

You could try a lag bolt that is slightly, remember just, slightly bigger than the one you were using and drive it through the same hole. Or you could get some wooden dowels or a plastic anchor and hammer it into the stripped hole to provide an anchor for the same bolt you were using.