bathroom
I have a slip on tub spout with a stripped hex nut. I need to remove it but I don't think it is wise to use the traditional method (drill into the bolt, hammer in an extractor,etc) put the space is very small.
So, I think the best method is to use snips and cut off the spout, then cut off the plastic seal assembly to remove the hex bolt with a pliers or something.
thoughts? alternatives?
I recently took apart the bathroom in my basement. It was a steel tub and I had to bust up the tiles around it to take the screws out, then bust a hole in the other side of the wall to disconnect the plumbing. If you don't need to save it, take your anger out on it. Just be careful not to smash it near the plumbing and be careful to smash it only where it's not directly contacting a stud. If you hit it wrong, you could damage the other side of the wall. I would get everything around it down to bare studs before trying to remove it, just to be safe so you can see what you're doing.
Also, some bath tubs have their base set in thinset. If that's the case, you'll probably need to cut a section of floor board out and replace it.
The next step secret to getting more of this faucet apart are the two slots cut across the cupped part. See the arrows in the following picture.
It looks to me as that the cupped part is threaded down inside the larger diameter part that sticks up from the hole in the sink. There is probably a special tool used to engage these slots to thread the part out. It may be possible to lay a piece of metal bar stock across these slots as a tool. If you do that make sure that it has nice square corners.
Best Answer
Assuming the inside of the hex nut is stripped so that the allen wrench turns within the nut...
Get a spare allen wrench and a replacement set screw and a small tube of epoxy glue. Dab the glue on the end of the wrench and insert it into the nut. Hold in place while the glue sets. Unscrew the nut.
Discard the now fused nut/wrench combo and replace with new set screw using new allen wrench.