seized seatpost

"F. Plant" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Seized aluminum seatpost in a steel frame. Any anti seize compounds that will do the job? Sheldon
Brown lists ammonia. Anyone tried this, and if

so

Quoted message said:

how long do you need to give it to work and do you have to reapply etc.

Try penetrating oil. If that doesn't work, apply heat to the seat tube but not too much heat or you
will damage the paint job. You only want to get enough heat to make the seat tube expand and not the
seatpost. Then give that sucker a good hard pull.

Here's some more tips:

felixwong.comremoving stuck seatpost.htmlOpen ↗

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it1.insidetri.com1358.0.htmlOpen ↗

- CA-G

Can-Am Girls Kick Ass!

"F. Plant" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Seized aluminum seatpost in a steel frame. Any anti seize compounds that will do the job? Sheldon
Brown lists ammonia. Anyone tried this, and if so how long do you need to give it to work and do
you have to reapply etc.

TIA
F. Plant

1. I applied your basic Liquid Wrench anti-seize oils and such and left it overnight. Tried to
remove it. No luck. Reapplied. More of the same.
2. Removed seat and upper half of seatpost clamp, turned bike upsidedown, placing seatpost into
bench vise. Carefully pushed/pulled the frame by the head tube and seatstays, gradually
increasing pressure until, after several minutes, I heard a *crack* as the bond between the seat
tube and post was popped. I was able to move the ends of the frame roughly 2 inches, back and
forth. After respraying with lube, I resumed twisting, trying to increase the amount, but it
didn't give. I tried applying upward pressure on the frame while twisting. No go. After 20
sweaty, angry, frustrated minutes of this, I got another idea.
3. Out came the 25oz Estwing. I don't remember how i kept the frame upside down, but I started to
tee off on the post. Gently at first. Then, I summoned the powers of my hamfisted, ex-demo guy
past and started in full downward swing. After maybe 700 full blows (not exagerrating), it
started to budge outward a little.
4. Staggering, I put the mangled seatpost back in the vise. I wiped my hands on my shorts, mopped my
brow, and took a few deep breaths. After a few grunting, cursing minutes of twisting and pushing
upwards, seatpost and frame were separated. There was smoke rising from the post like a
gunslinger's Colt. After maybe an hour and a half, I was free, free at last.
5. I encountered a mild emotional response. With a lump in my throat, a quiver in my lip and mist in
my eyes, I went to the corner bodega and bought beer. /s

F. Plant <[email hidden]> spoke thusly...

Quoted message said:

Seized aluminum seatpost in a steel frame. Any anti seize compounds that will do the job? Sheldon
Brown lists ammonia. Anyone tried this, and if so how long do you need to give it to work and do
you have to reapply etc.

TIA
F. Plant

Try a penetrating oil/anti-corrosion agent like PB Blaster, soak over night (don't let it run onto
plastic parts, and wipe it off the paint surface as it may eat it). it takes greater force to pull
then to push. assuming you have the room below the seat post, place a block of wood on top of the
seatpost (remove the saddle clamp) and give it several good square taps. when it has loosened enough
to slide down a bit, then try and pull it out with a twisting motion (may be easiest to attach a
seat for a good hand hold and leverage). when you put that, or a new post back in, apply a thin
layer of grease to the post to help prevent corrosion. it may be a good idea to run a circular wire
brush down the seat tube a few times to clean it out.
--
~Travis

megalink.net~farmersOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

5. I encountered a mild emotional response. With a lump in my throat, a quiver in my lip and mist
in my eyes, I went to the corner bodega and bought beer. /s

I remember the endorphin that coursed through my system after I released a VERY stuck stem from my
Clockwork.

Definitely a bicycle repair rush.

Andy Chequer

Quoted message said:

Seized aluminum seatpost in a steel frame. Any anti seize compounds that will do the job? Sheldon
Brown lists ammonia. Anyone tried this, and if

so

Quoted message said:

how long do you need to give it to work and do you have to reapply etc.

TIA
F. Plant

Not sure about compounds but last time this happened to friend of mine, all he needed was a
work-bench mounted vice 🙂

Step 1: Put seatpost in vice Step 2: ????? Step 3: Profit!

Small Black Dog (apologies to those who dont watch southpark or read slashdot 😄 )

"Small Black Dog" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
snip>

Quoted message said:

Step 1: Put seatpost in vice Step 2: ????? Step 3: Profit!

The bike has a 2 piece post so I don't want to damage it as everything is still ok except for the
siezed issue. Its not my bike so I don't want to cause myself any grief by breaking anything, but it
would be nice to try and nip this in the bud if at all possible. Will probably go the amonia route
and also CO-2 on the post and boiling water on the tube. If nothing happens I'll just leave for a
later day when I can justify breaking the post.

Thanks to all
F.plant

"F. Plant" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Small Black Dog" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
snip>

Quoted message said:

Step 1: Put seatpost in vice Step 2: ????? Step 3: Profit!

The bike has a 2 piece post so I don't want to damage it as everything is still ok except for the
siezed issue. Its not my bike so I don't want to cause myself any grief by breaking anything, but
it would be nice to try

and

Quoted message said:

nip this in the bud if at all possible. Will probably go the amonia route and also CO-2 on the
post and boiling water on the tube. If nothing

happens

Quoted message said:

I'll just leave for a later day when I can justify breaking the post.

Thanks to all
F.plant

Ammonia might ruin the post, just a heads up. Have you already tried a lot of PB Blaster/Liquid
Wrench/Other penetrating lubricant, hit it with a mallet, etc? Your first concern is getting the
damn thing to twist - if you can do that, then you've basically got it out. The saddle makes a damn
good lever for this. As sheldon recomends, use a different saddle if you're afraid their saddle will
be broken. Twist it, pound it, spray it, etc. usually works. Don't worry about the seatpost breaking
- you're going to have to torque on it the same way no matter what route you go. If it breaks, well,
it breaks.

Jon Bond

"Jon Bond" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

snip>

Quoted message said:

Ammonia might ruin the post, just a heads up. Have you already tried a

lot

Quoted message said:

of PB Blaster/Liquid Wrench/Other penetrating lubricant, hit it with a mallet, etc? Your first
concern is getting the damn thing to twist - if

you

Quoted message said:

can do that, then you've basically got it out. The saddle makes a damn

good

Quoted message said:

lever for this. As sheldon recomends, use a different saddle if you're afraid their saddle will be
broken. Twist it, pound it, spray it, etc. usually works. Don't worry about the seatpost breaking
- you're going to have to torque on it the same way no matter what route you go. If it breaks,
well, it breaks.

Thanks for the heads up on the amonia. I'll keep trying penetrating fluids for a while longer. I
don't want to torque on it too much as its a 2 pc bonded post, and other than the frozen post
everything is fine. Its my wifes old bike and she was thinking of lowering the seat a bit to make it
easier to touch the ground with a forward mounted baby carrier on it. Basically if I can get it to
move, great. If not its no big deal -yet 🙂

F.plant

F. Plant <[email hidden]> spoke thusly...

Quoted message said:

"Jon Bond" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

snip>

Quoted message said:

Ammonia might ruin the post, just a heads up. Have you already tried a

lot

Quoted message said:

of PB Blaster/Liquid Wrench/Other penetrating lubricant, hit it with a mallet, etc? Your first
concern is getting the damn thing to twist - if

you

Quoted message said:

can do that, then you've basically got it out. The saddle makes a damn

good

Quoted message said:

lever for this. As sheldon recomends, use a different saddle if you're afraid their saddle will
be broken. Twist it, pound it, spray it, etc. usually works. Don't worry about the seatpost
breaking - you're going to have to torque on it the same way no matter what route you go. If it
breaks, well, it breaks.

Thanks for the heads up on the amonia. I'll keep trying penetrating fluids for a while longer. I
don't want to torque on it too much as its a 2 pc bonded post, and other than the frozen post
everything is fine. Its my wifes old bike and she was thinking of lowering the seat a bit to make
it easier to touch the ground with a forward mounted baby carrier on it. Basically if I can get it
to move, great. If not its no big deal -yet 🙂

F.plant

Assuming the bonded part is the top clamp to the post, try a pipe wrench on the post to get it
turning. clean the top of the post bone dry (aka, an acetone wash), then wrap an old leather belt
around the post for protection (wrap it in the direction so when you put the pipe wrench on it it
tightens up), then slide the pipe wrench over, adjust so it is quite snug against the leather, and
tug for all your worth on it. if the leather slips, you could try it without it if you don't mind
scratching and gouging the post. Like others have said, once you get it so it turns, is is all easy
from there.

as an option, if you have a rubber mallet, have somebody hold a good pressure on the seat (turning
force) and give a few good love taps around the top tube. the idea being the hits will compress the
seat tube slightly (it will spring back, more or less. nothing to an extent that you will notice it
at all) and crush the corrosion deposits.
--
~Travis

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