Strainer Drain - Cross Threaded

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TucsonTerry

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I usually DIY, but after spending close to $1,000 on a new sink & fixtures I decided to hire a professional to install them. Unfortunately, he cross threaded the steel retaining nuts on two Kohler Duostrainers K-8799-VS. Then, he overtightened the screws, bending the nuts themselves. The nuts are an inch short of sealing against the undersink washer and gasket, and they won't budge. What is the best way to remove the drains without damaging the sink? Kohler customer support believes the retaining nut is steel. Should we try cutting through it with a Dremel or maybe try cutting through the stainless steel drain body itself with a Sawzall? Project is at a standstill. All reasonable ideas will be welcomed.
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Tuttles Revenge

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Just cut the nut off the bottom with a dremel. That is going to be the safest way to prevent damage to the sink and the strainer if possible..

What type of sink is it being installed on? It doesn't take an incredible amount of torque to seal a basket strainer, the point of tightening it is to prevent it from spinning/wiggling after installation.

Cast iron sinks are the easiest because the angle of the sink vs the angle of the strainer are such that the putty squeezes out quickly and the strainer is settled in almost immediately.

A stainless steel sink is a tad trickier because the flat lip of the sink matches the profile of most strainers. So if you place a large rope of putty in that seal, it has to squeeze out the entire surface area. After initial tightening a bunch of putty will squeeze out but that also releases the tension on the strainer. So then additional tightening is needed and more putty will squeeze out.. etc etc. But at some point you're done so no more tightening is needed.
 
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Fitter30

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Kohler site said it's solid brass. Is it possible to use a strap wrench around the strainer a punch and hammer to tap on the ring to loosen with penetrating oil. It will take two people. Or if its the drain with the cross in the bottom needle nose pliers and something to hold the handles.
 

TucsonTerry

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Just cut the nut off the bottom with a dremel. That is going to be the safest way to prevent damage to the sink and the strainer if possible . . . . A stainless steel sink is a tad trickier because the flat lip of the sink matches the profile of most strainers.

Thanks, Tuttles Revenge. It's a stainless steel sink (brand new & expensive because of the non-standard size). I'll look into borrowing a Dremel. Do you have experience using one to go through steel? Any idea what kind of disk I'll need or whether the job will require a something like a 6-pack of disks?
 

TucsonTerry

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Is it possible to use a strap wrench around the strainer a punch and hammer to tap on the ring to loosen with penetrating oil. It will take two people. Or if its the drain with the cross in the bottom needle nose pliers and something to hold the handles.

Fitter30: Thanks for the idea of a strap wrench! We tried the needle nose and hammer, but with the sink still installed in the counter we were unsuccessful. Plan to pull the sink out of the counter to try again tomorrow. BTW Kohler reps told me some versions of the drain are brass with an applied finish, such as Chrome, but that my Stainless Steel version is solid steel. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
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Tuttles Revenge

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Thanks, Tuttles Revenge. It's a stainless steel sink (brand new & expensive because of the non-standard size). I'll look into borrowing a Dremel. Do you have experience using one to go through steel? Any idea what kind of disk I'll need or whether the job will require a something like a 6-pack of disks?

This is the type of dremel wheel I would use. The discs hold pretty securely on the cam and are easy to replace. You will likely go through several. Wearing eye protection if not a full face shield is a must!
 
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