Author Topic: Any recent seized seatpost successes?  (Read 2884 times)

CountrySickness

  • mostly puzzled
Any recent seized seatpost successes?
« on: 02 June, 2013, 10:12:44 am »
My lovely, middle-aged custom 853 now has a seized seatpost despite lots of expensive anti-sieze grease being applied to it mid-winter :'(.

Are there any safe ways of getting it out? Ammonia is almost safe but apparently doesn't work, Sodium hydroxide sounds a little unsafe, I don't know any 80s covers bands so I can't get hold of dry ice so any suggestions? The seatpost is an old Xlite MMC one so might be too hard to saw?

LEE

Re: Any recent seized seatpost successes?
« Reply #1 on: 02 June, 2013, 10:37:08 am »
1 - Sawing down the seat-tube with a hacksaw blade is a nightmare.

2 - putting seat-post in a vice and twisting the frame is successful a lot I hear BUT my advice is to shove some wooden dowel down the seat-post, so you can really get a good grip, near the frame, without crushing it.

3 - If all else fails....https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=36893.0

CountrySickness

  • mostly puzzled
Re: Any recent seized seatpost successes?
« Reply #2 on: 02 June, 2013, 08:43:19 pm »
1 - Sawing down the seat-tube with a hacksaw blade is a nightmare.

2 - putting seat-post in a vice and twisting the frame is successful a lot I hear BUT my advice is to shove some wooden dowel down the seat-post, so you can really get a good grip, near the frame, without crushing it.

3 - If all else fails....https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=36893.0

Cheers, I fear 3 is looming...

Torslanda

  • Professional Gobshite
  • Just a tart for retro kit . . .
    • John's Bikes
Re: Any recent seized seatpost successes?
« Reply #3 on: 02 June, 2013, 10:20:01 pm »
To protect your steel frame from any damage you will need a piece of 50mm timber cut to fit in the rear dropouts and 2 planks screwed to the outside of the dropouts and long enough to screw together at the head tube.

This ensures that frame alignment is maintained when you twist the frame with the seatpost anchored in the bench vice.

Get some freezing spray. Loctite or Wickes or Car Plan

Put the seatpost in the vice (frame upside down, obv) and spray through the bottle cage boss. Allow a little time for the spray to take effect before using the planks to twist the frame off the post. It helps greatly if the bench that vice is secured to is itself securely fixed to the floor/wall etc.

I have done this several times with both steel and alloy frames, the last steel frame released its seatpost (which was even reusable) after some half dozen years at the bottom of the garden leaning on the shed.
VELOMANCER

Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.

Re: Any recent seized seatpost successes?
« Reply #4 on: 19 June, 2013, 12:39:01 pm »
I did the last one with Caustic Soda. not pleasant but effective. Took a week of changing every day, the heat generated was high and the stuff is unpleasant, rubber gloves, splash proof clothing and a mask required. Poured it in thru the BB shell, made a slight mess on the paint but I resprayed it anyway so no problem.
Have tried the twisting in a vice method but the fear of cracking the frame stopped me getting brutal with it.
Caustic Soda only to be used on steel frames obvs....