I've been busy since my last post trying this and that, but sad to say, no better off.
Dremel. Cut a slot very carefully to fit a flat for a hand impact. Tight fit is critical.
I was able to cut a slot using a few burrs from my set.
@GreyGhost is right, nearly impossible to do without nicking the surrounds, but that's fine. My bike has enough nicks already. Set it with more penetrating oil, then drove off to Whitby from Orillia because someone was selling a Vessel impact driver, the only other options I could find nearby were at CT and PA and I figured two of the bits it came with were probably JIS.
That Vessel is a frigging beast. Apparently, you need to wail on it and I'm too timid to do it within such confined quarters. One of the reviews I read (after my drive to Whitby) said he thought the springs were way too stiff. I suspect it's destroying the nut slowly, to be honest, and I don't see the thing budging.
EDIT: As I study it now - I'm not sure it's working properly. If I understand correctly, compressing the head against the body should cause the business end to rotate a few degrees. I don't think that's happening. Guess I should have saved the drive and gone to PA/CT.
EDIT #2: It is working properly. It's just that you have to put a TON of tension on it before hitting it. I had a different Vessel and it was nothing like this.
Then bought the two biggest slotted screwdrivers I could find. The big screwdrivers don't work. They cam out.
Have you tried driving out the axle to allow tightening of the other bolt.
This will reduce the pressure on the one with the broken extractor.
Then tap the head of the problem bolt using a small chisel in counterclockwise direction.
Do you mean drive out the axle from the other side? Wouldn't the stuck pinch bolt prevent this from being possible? I did whack it a little with a rubber mallet from the left side, but it doesn't seem to be moving and I wasn't sure if I should expect it to.
If this fails grind off the head of the bolt with a ball shaped carbide burr.
Once the head of the bolt is removed the thread portion should be only finger tight.
I think for me that would be a move of last resort - I'd be worried that grinding that off would be a point of no return.
I think you suggested maybe drilling out from the bottom? It is a through hole. Unfortunately, I don't have a good way to lift the front end yet. I have a fork lift stand, two rear paddock stands, but yet no stand that will work with my SSA. I have an Abba SkyLift but no fittings. That all leaves me on my back with not a lot of space to see if I am drilling straight. I guess if I used a right-handed drill from the bottom it might help loosen the fastener itself? Hmmm. The left-handed drill didn't help loosen as they sometimes do, but I didn't drill down even close to where the threads were ... so maybe?
Plan B
Using a hacksaw in the expansion slot in the lower fork to cut the bolt in half.
The head portion should just lift out and the threaded portion can be removed by drilling a hole for your extractor.
I like this idea! Unfortunately, the slot is too narrow for a blade to fit in. Just checked.
Is your first picture from before or after the extractor broke and stuck in it? I can't really see much, if any, of the extractor stuck in there.
After the extractor broke... you're right. It's impossible to see. It must have broke exactly flush. I know it's there, because there was a hole there before, and now there isn't....
