sonic sillette propeller removal

[Bent Bugle]

Hello,

I am new to this forum, which btw looks great, I am based in Australia & have a Prout Snowgoose Elite which I am re-fitting. Currently I'm in the
process of trying to remove the propeller from the sillette leg but am having trouble getting the nose cone off, I've peeled back the locking tabs, sprayed some penetrating spray in the gap (liquid spanner) & tried to screw it off (anti-clockwise) but it won't budge, I was worried about doing damage so i applied more spray & have left it for a day or so...the leg is 10 yrs old & maybe the thread is corroded & "bonded"....before I bring out the oxy-acetylene thought it'd pay to ask if anyone on the forum has a better way to deal with it...I want to check the propeller insert & assoc spline & nut as I ran into a crab trap & the prop seems to now have some "slop ".about 20mm turning it left or right before I feel any pressure...any advice would be much appreciated...Thank You.

[classicone]

Hello and welcome. Using the torch to heat and then let cool the nose cone while allowing penetrating fluid to work its magic has been what I have done. I use KROIL as a penetrant, not sure if it is available worldwide. Time is your friend. Trying to speed up the process can be disastrous. Allowing heat to draw in the penetrant as the cone expands away from the shaft with heat is best. I have also found that light tapping with a hammer on all sides can help loosen locked threads and get penetrant flowing into the spaces, but you MUST be careful. Operative word here is light. I also use a soft brass drift about 1/2 to 5/8 inch diameter to concetrate my tapping efforts.
Good luck and let us know how you progress. Terry

[Bent Bugle]

Hi Terry & thanks for the advice, I'll let you know how it goes, I'm about to take off crewing on a boat up to Queensland for a couple of months so I'll tackle it when I return, I get what you're saying about being slow & careful....Steve