Frozen threadless headset and spacers

Squid-in-Training said:

I put the project aside and now I'm asking if there are suggestions for
removal. Destructive methods are fine, as long as the fork survives. I'm
thinking I'm going to heat gun the headset area for a while to get that warm
and try again. Our Dremel was broken by a certain coworker so I can't slot
the spacers open and wedge a screwdriver in. We don't have a welder and
aren't going to transport the bike anywhere.

Use a hacksaw blade to slot the spacers, then split them with a
chisel. Or heat them with a propane torch and give them a couple of
taps from the side; sometimes, boiling out the moisture from such a
joint will free it. Or tap on the sides of the spacers all the way
around with a light hammer for about 15 minutes, then try to knock the
steerer through again. (Expect to have to trim the steerer since
you've already admitted deforming it.) Or knock the starfangled nut
out, slip a threaded stem into the steerer to the point where the
wedge is inside the spacers, tighten it down to deform the steerer a
bit, and then release it and try to knock the steerer through. Or
install the threaded stem and use a chisel on the outside of the
spacers to brute-force split them with the stem as an anvil to prevent
the steerer from collapsing. (Both of these methods will mandate
sacrificing the starfangled nut, of course.) Or hand the task off to
the pimply-faced youth as an Assignment. (You know who I mean. Every
shop has one.)(Ignore that last suggestion if the PFY is *you*.)

Others will doubtless have other suggestions.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

"Phil, Squid-in-Training" wrote: (clip) Our Dremel was broken by a certain
coworker so I can't slot the spacers open and wedge a screwdriver in.
(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
No shop can function without a Dremel, or some other form of small
high-speed grinder. Fix it or replace it. My personal preference is not
Dremel--I have a Proxxon, and I love it.

Phil said:

Okay so at the LBS, we have several bikes out back that are used and in need
of repair for sale.

Well, December rolled around, and the local police caught a *priest* driving
around stealing bikes, lawn mowing equipment, Xboxes, big-screen TVs,
everything not nailed down. The police recovered 312 (yes, three hundred
and twelve) bikes from his rented house, which was jam-packed full of other
peoples' belongings.

Some of these bikes have been outside for 2 years. One customer said, "I
bought this Giant Boulder two years ago. I had it for two weeks before it
was stolen. Last week, when we were robbed (giant TV, xbox, etc. were among
the things stolen) and our neighbor caught him, I was filing through all his
junk and saw my old bike. It's been outside for two years and now it needs
a tune-up."

Multiply this case by 10 or 15, and we suddenly had a ridiculous influx of
used bikes with rusty chains and cables in need of repair. Our used bikes
that had been sitting around for a long time then promptly got forgotten
again for a while in the rain. Thieves should be punished 2x eye for an
eye.

Today, I tried to salvage parts from one bike to fix another, more
specifically, a threadless fork. The stem came off just fine. The headset
spacers were frozen. I used a hammer on the steerer to try to mash it down
the headtube. Didn't budge. Then I used a shot of GT85 to loosen it up. I
waited a while and whacked at it again. Didn't budge either. At this
point, the steel steerer started to deform a bit. I used some serious
smashing force with a wooden block... not a budge at all. I went after the
alu headset spacers with a chisel. Didn't separate... it just got cut into.
Used a locking wrench to try to twist the spacers off. No good... only
stripped off a bunch of alu. The headset is not frozen at all in
rotation... it spins smoothly. I'm guessing the spacers and the compression
ring are electro-welded onto the steerer. A good pint of water came out of
the junked frame as I was standing on it to twist off the spacers. I'm
guessing the ammonia trick won't do much.

I put the project aside and now I'm asking if there are suggestions for
removal. Destructive methods are fine, as long as the fork survives. I'm
thinking I'm going to heat gun the headset area for a while to get that warm
and try again. Our Dremel was broken by a certain coworker so I can't slot
the spacers open and wedge a screwdriver in. We don't have a welder and
aren't going to transport the bike anywhere.

Since there's not likely any problem with the steerer
itself, slit straight down parallel to the column with a
hacksaw, wasting the spacers. Emery the column to remove any
corrosion and you should be OK.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Phil said:

Okay so at the LBS, we have several bikes out back that are used and in need
of repair for sale.

Well, December rolled around, and the local police caught a *priest* driving
around stealing bikes, lawn mowing equipment, Xboxes, big-screen TVs,
everything not nailed down. The police recovered 312 (yes, three hundred
and twelve) bikes from his rented house, which was jam-packed full of other
peoples' belongings.

<snipped>

Quoted message said:

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Was the priest Roman Catholic? If so, the church must really be
desperate for funds to pay the molestation lawsuits. 🙂

damyth said:

Phil said:

Okay so at the LBS, we have several bikes out back that are used and in need
of repair for sale.

Well, December rolled around, and the local police caught a *priest* driving
around stealing bikes, lawn mowing equipment, Xboxes, big-screen TVs,
everything not nailed down. The police recovered 312 (yes, three hundred
and twelve) bikes from his rented house, which was jam-packed full of other
peoples' belongings.

<snipped>

Quoted message said:

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Was the priest Roman Catholic? If so, the church must really be
desperate for funds to pay the molestation lawsuits. 🙂

They missed a bet, then; he wasn't moving the merchandise, he was just
hoarding it.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

damyth said:

Phil said:

Okay so at the LBS, we have several bikes out back that are used and
in need of repair for sale.

Well, December rolled around, and the local police caught a *priest*
driving around stealing bikes, lawn mowing equipment, Xboxes,
big-screen TVs, everything not nailed down. The police recovered
312 (yes, three hundred and twelve) bikes from his rented house,
which was jam-packed full of other peoples' belongings.

<snipped>

Quoted message said:

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Was the priest Roman Catholic? If so, the church must really be
desperate for funds to pay the molestation lawsuits. 🙂

Hehe... I asked that same question too.
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Leo Lichtman said:

"Phil, Squid-in-Training" wrote: (clip) Our Dremel was broken by a
certain coworker so I can't slot the spacers open and wedge a
screwdriver in. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
No shop can function without a Dremel, or some other form of small
high-speed grinder. Fix it or replace it. My personal preference is
not Dremel--I have a Proxxon, and I love it.

Eventually, we threw it in the trash.
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training