Hi,
I have noticed a trend for new radiators to be supplied with metal and plastic bleed valves that protrude from the radiator. They look ugly (imho, ymmv, etc), but one advantage is that they have a hexagon faces, which allow you to grab them with a spanner or socket set.
The radiators here have those brass bleed valves that screw in flush with the radiator. They are much prettier but I see now that having nothing to grab hold of is a disadvantage. I had one that was weeping slightly. It's my fault, didn't get round to fixing it straight away, so in the meantime it has rusted the radiator around it. Actually the rust has solved the problem by sealing the gap it was weeping through but I didn't think of that at the time!
I thought I would remove the valve with a square-ended radiator spanner and replace it with one of the ugly ones (which, as another benefit, has a rubber seal around them).
The problem is that the valve was so rusted in place that the spanner turned but the valve did not. It rounded the spanner and the square recess in the valve!
I had read on a car group about "plus gas". It sounded useful, so I bought one "just in case". So I thought I now had an opportunity to use it. I let it soak in and tried to use a left-handed drill but the valve still did not turn. Perhaps the brass is too soft to be drilled? Now I've got a valve with a hole in, so I can't refill the radiator!
Any other ideas what to do next? I don't fancy heating with a blow torch for fear of destroying the paint on the radiator (it's whatever enamel finish it leaves the factory with).
Short of bodging it and filling the hole with epoxy putty, any ideas what to try next?
TIA