Watch: How to Remove Stuck Lug Nuts With a Candle

Ever had to fight with a stuck bolt or nut? I sure have, especially on the old tractors I fix up to support my outdoor activities. And some of them have been STUCK, if you know what I mean.

I have tried all kinds of oil, heat, cold, heat + cold, heat + oil, heat + oil + hammering + cussing–you get the picture. But I have never tried the “trick” being demonstrated in the video below.

Sock a lighter to a lug nut, hold a candle nearby, and drip some wax into the threads. The wax wicks into the threads and acts as a lubricant to help you remove the nut.

I do have a doubt or two about the methodology in the video, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say I have doubts about the explanation or the claim that a few seconds with a lighter is long enough to heat a lug nut through to the threads. But details aside, this is something that clearly works, and you can’t argue with results.

So it might be a good idea to toss a lighter and an old candle into your truck’s tool kit. Then, the next time you’re stuck with a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, you can use your lighter and the candle to help remove any stubborn lug nuts.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.