Make your own Wing Bolts/Butterfly bolts.

During the 1990’s I had a Black and Decker mini oven in the kitchen that I used to making small meals and toasted sandwiches. To clean it underneath one had to undo two bolts with a screwdriver.

It was a hassle going t to the garage to get a screwdriver and come back in, take off the bottom cover, do the cleaning, put it all back together, go back to the garage and put the screwdriver away. I wanted an easier way to access the bottom of the Mini Oven. I have always been a big fan of simplifying things, its my way of doing things.

So I this is what I did, and you may be able to sue this in your home where desired, so that you don’t need to use a screwdriver.

Image 1

Image 2

Image 1 is an example of what we are after. In Image 2, I put a bolt in a vice. I was careful not to grip the thread, instead I used the nut to hold the bolt in the vice. You could use wood on each side if you wanted to and that keeps the thread intact.

I used a hacksaw to cut a groove in the bolt big enough to hold a washer.

Image 3

Image 4

In Image 3, I sanded a part of the washer I wanted to soldier and then applied soldier with the soldering iron.

In Image 4 I put the bolt in a place where it can be held, heated the bolt, put the soldered washer in the groove with some long nosed pliers and soldered it in place.

Image 5

Image 6

Image 5 shows the finished project without cleaning it up. It could be lightly sanded and so on to look presentable.

While a soldered washer in a nut is not very strong, it lasted longer than the life of the Black and Decker Mini Oven, the oven broke down some years later and the two home made Wing Bolts were still working fine.

Image 6 shows two types of soldering Irons.

One is the standard soldering iron used with a soldering station and the other is for the big jobs.

I have had that big soldering iron for probably 20 years and it is still going fine.

I hpe that this simple project gives you some ideas.

All the best from

James M Sandbrook.

27th of March, 2021.