Originally Posted by eroded
ivan, I tried tapping it with a hammer, and then tapping harder when that didn't work. Wouldn't the wedge have to have been knocked loose already for me to pull out the fixing bolt, though? That's the part I don't understand.
When tightened, that bolt draws the wedge tightly upward. When you remove the bolt, the wedge stays wedged. As Ivan says, it's important to thread the bolt back into the wedge before hitting the bolt. As you strike the bolt, the wedged will be forced downward and dislodged.
If you don't thread the bolt back in, you will damage the threads on the bolt wedge.