molly bolt problem

what is the proper way to install a molly bolt in a plaster wall? after inserting the sleeve and tightening the bolt, i am unable to back the bolt out. i've tried a few times and keep having the same problem. help!

 

One solution: Use toggle bolts. Drill all the holes for the toggles and push the toggles through the wall. Snug them down and you can then adjust the bracket or standard to plumb and tighten the bolt fully. Toggles are also easier to remove if you want to take down the shelves. As far as the stuck molly, you might try drilling a few very small holes around the outside of it and then punching it throught the wall which will give you a very close hole size for the toggle.

 

I assume the problem you are having is due to the fact that the molly you used is too short or too long for the wall thickness. If the back cannot adjust really tightly, the screw and molly will turn freely. If the molly is too short, the back crushes in the wall and fouls the threads.
I never have recommended drive mollies, which are theoretically used in sheet rock wallboard. The best way to use mollies is a molly gun - that's the way the window treatment installers use them. Drill a hole and use a tool that pulls the screw straight out of the wall, so you need only back it out a few threads and you're ready. The shortcoming of togles is they are not reuseable and hanging from them is more approximate based on the hole size. But they do work fine.

David