Seized Seatpost

Tony B

Doh! The stripdown of the 1983 Raleigh went pretty well
today, except I don't have a tool to remove the cassette (I
will get one!) and the seatpost is siezed fast into the
tube. It is currently sitting in the garage, soaking WD40
into itself (hopefully) then tomorrow I wil attack it wiv me
plastic 'ammer.... unless anyone has a better idea. I
suppose I could get a blowlamp on it, as it will be getting
blasted & sprayed as part of the resurrection process? Or
deos that not work, dissimilar metals and all that?

bfn,

Tony B

Mseries

"Tony B" <tonyspam@involutedesign.fsnet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:c70rd2$lls$1@newsg1.svr.pol.co.uk...
> Doh! The stripdown of the 1983 Raleigh went pretty well
> today, except I don't have a tool to remove the cassette
> (I will get one!) and the
seatpost
> is siezed fast into the tube. It is currently sitting in
> the garage,
soaking
> WD40 into itself (hopefully) then tomorrow I wil attack it
> wiv me plastic 'ammer.... unless anyone has a better idea.
> I suppose I could get a
blowlamp
> on it, as it will be getting blasted & sprayed as part of
> the resurrection process? Or deos that not work,
> dissimilar metals and all that?
>
> bfn,
>
> Tony B
>
>
As ever Sheldon has a section on this subject, one possible
solution is to cool the seat pin to shrink it. I think he
suggested a CO2 fire extinguisher. Another suggestion
involved a hacksaw !

Pete Biggs

Zog The Undenia

Tony B wrote:

> Doh! The stripdown of the 1983 Raleigh went pretty well
> today, except I don't have a tool to remove the cassette
> (I will get one!) and the seatpost is siezed fast into
> the tube. It is currently sitting in the garage, soaking
> WD40 into itself (hopefully) then tomorrow I wil attack
> it wiv me plastic 'ammer.... unless anyone has a better
> idea. I suppose I could get a blowlamp on it, as it will
> be getting blasted & sprayed as part of the resurrection
> process? Or deos that not work, dissimilar metals and
> all that?
>
> bfn,
>
> Tony B
>
>
If possible, chuck the frame into a chest freezer and have a
hot damp towel ready. When the frame has been cooling for
half an hour, yank it out, wrap the towel around the seat
tube (NOT the post) and try to twist the post out with a
pipe wrench.

The solution that always works is to saw the post off at top
tube level, then carefully saw a vertical slot into it from
the inside out. Once this is done you can collapse it
inwards and get it out. According to a friend who had to do
this, it's very laborious, and you will religiously grease
your seatposts for evermore.

Jon Senior

Zog The Undeniable hrothgar19@yahoo.com opined the
following...
> If possible, chuck the frame into a chest freezer and have
> a hot damp towel ready. When the frame has been cooling
> for half an hour, yank it out, wrap the towel around the
> seat tube (NOT the post) and try to twist the post out
> with a pipe wrench.
>
> The solution that always works is to saw the post off at
> top tube level, then carefully saw a vertical slot into it
> from the inside out. Once this is done you can collapse it
> inwards and get it out. According to a friend who had to
> do this, it's very laborious, and you will religiously
> grease your seatposts for evermore.

Laborious? That isn't the half of it.I had managed to get
the seatpost out by 1" by clamping the post in a vice and
pulling on, and twisting, the frame. Then the metal got warm
and the whole thing locked up again. So I used a freezer
spray to cool the post, assuming that this should make it
easier. Twisted... and tore the end off the post.

It then took a total of about 8 hours to remove the
remainder of the post which shattered into many small pieces
during the process.

In terms of chemical attack, the recommended solutions are
ammonia or coke. I'd be dubious about the latter, but I seem
to recall that the chemistry would support the former.

Best of luck.

Jon

Tritonrider

>From: "Pete Biggs" pclemantine{remove_fruit}@biggs.tc

>http://www.sheldonbrown.com/stuck-seatposts.html
>
>~PB

More proof that the universe loves idiots. I am also having
this problem with a city bike and have done just about
everything wrong, and the post still isn't out. You'd think
I would've talked to one of the excellent mechanics I know,
or checked Sheldon's stuff, but no, I beat it, twisted it,
baked it, soaked it, and got nowhere. I'm betting a little
amonia, and some serious cooling pop it right out. As Homer
would say "DOH" slapping self in head. Bill C

Tony B

Sheldon Brown's site is amazing!

Anyway, I am now in need of some ammonia, if that doesn't
work it looks like hours with a hacksaw blade :-( however, I
have no idea where I would buy ammonia, or what to do with
it really.

If anyone has suggestions for a supplier, or has sucessfully
used this technique, I'd be all ears.

thanks in advance,

Tony B

Tony Raven

Tony B wrote:
> Sheldon Brown's site is amazing!
>
> Anyway, I am now in need of some ammonia, if that doesn't
> work it looks like hours with a hacksaw blade :-( however,
> I have no idea where I would buy ammonia, or what to do
> with it really.
>
> If anyone has suggestions for a supplier, or has
> sucessfully used this technique, I'd be all ears.
>

Hardware store or chemists (local high street variety,
not Boots)

Tony

Jon Senior

In article <c74t25$b65$1@news7.svr.pol.co.uk>,
tonyspam@involutedesign.fsnet.co.uk says...
> Sheldon Brown's site is amazing!
>
> Anyway, I am now in need of some ammonia, if that doesn't
> work it looks like hours with a hacksaw blade :-( however,
> I have no idea where I would buy ammonia, or what to do
> with it really.

Try asking in the pharmacists. Although they may not have
it, they are more likely to know where to look than most.

> If anyone has suggestions for a supplier, or has
> sucessfully used this technique, I'd be all ears.

I've you do manage to free the post, be aware that any
movement of the seatpost in the tube will heat both of them.
Allow time to cool between attempts.

Don't go down the hacksaw route until you really have to.

Jon

Callas

tonyspam@involutedesign.fsnet.co.uk wrote:
> Doh! The stripdown of the 1983 Raleigh went pretty well
> today, except I don't have a tool to remove the cassette
> (I will get one!) and the seatpost is siezed fast into
> the tube. It is currently sitting in the garage, soaking
> WD40 into itself (hopefully) then tomorrow I wil attack
> it wiv me plastic 'ammer.... unless anyone has a better
> idea. I suppose I could get a blowlamp on it, as it will
> be getting blasted & sprayed as part of the resurrection
> process? Or deos that not work, dissimilar metals and
> all that?

I have a Ti frame with a Ti seatpost. A steel shim was
fitted between the seatpost and the frame, since Ti and Ti
bond and become one.

I used that frame on a trainer for some time.

The salt sweat apepared to form a very strong bond between
the steel of the shim and the frame.

I broke my alien USB seat clamp trying to move the seatpost.

I then took the frame to the shop.

It was placed upsidedown in a vice, the vice clamping
the seatpost.

One mechanic stood on the bench above the frame and pulled
upwards, the other stood in front of the frame and twisted
it back and forth.

After thirty minutes of this, which included cooling the top
of the seat with by spraying it with oil, which instantly
evapourated, the seat post was removed.

I bought a new seat post and used a *plastic* shim.

--
Callas

Malc

Get some proper penetrating oil (something like plusgas) instead of
WD40 and apply a little two or three times a day for a few days. If
it won't come out by twisting the seat after this, then take the seat
off and hit the seatpost with a hammer to break the bond(as if you
were trying to drive it in...support bottom bracket on a block of
wood). If even this doesn't work then clamp the seatpost in a vice
and twist the frame.......if this doesn't work...............you're
shagged :-)

Jon Senior

In article <o5oe90tf2a0nbjd51n7t8h1s4c46j65mo2@4ax.com>,
c_malc@yahoo.co.uk says...
> Get some proper penetrating oil (something like plusgas)
> instead of WD40 and apply a little two or three times a
> day for a few days. If it won't come out by twisting the
> seat after this, then take the seat off and hit the
> seatpost with a hammer to break the bond(as if you were
> trying to drive it in...support bottom bracket on a block
> of wood). If even this doesn't work then clamp the
> seatpost in a vice and twist the frame.......if this
> doesn't work...............you're shagged :-)

No. If this doesn't work, your looking to spend a day of
your life with a hacksaw blade in hand. Being shagged would
definately be far more enjoyable.

Jon