Removing Toggle Bolts Easily - Fine Homebuilding

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Log In Tips & Techniques Removing toggle bolts easily Issue 154

Removing a toggle bolt really can be frustrating because of a fundamental contradiction. You have to pull on it, because the toggle is simply spinning inside the wall once the screw has been loosened, but at the same time you have to push on the screw to make it spin.

During a recent remodeling project, I tried a variety of tools to pull on the screw while twisting it with the screw gun at the same time. Pliers would grip the screw but wouldn’t let it spin. A putty knife simply slipped off the spinning screw.

Then I remembered a gadget called a door-upholstery removal tool that I had picked up for a recent automotive project. As shown in the drawing, it is shaped somewhat like a screwdriver with a bent shaft and a slotted flat tip. This tool proved to be ideal for pulling back on the back of the screw head while the screw was spun out. You can purchase one of these tools at an auto-supply shop or online at www.toolsplus.com for about $9.

Jim Parker, Littleton, CO

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  1. SeanLinster | Jul 12, 2016 05:51pm | #1

    Or you could just use your cat paw.

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Tag » How To Remove Toggle Bolts