Seized Seatpost

"Tony B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

is siezed fast into the tube. It is currently sitting in
the garage,

soaking

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

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 !

Tony B said:

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?

sheldonbrown.comstuck seatposts.htmlOpen ↗

~PB

Tony B said:

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.

Zog The Undeniable [email hidden] opined the
following...

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

From: "Pete Biggs" [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

sheldonbrown.comstuck seatposts.htmlOpen ↗

~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

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 B said:

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

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

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.

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

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

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 :-)

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

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