It depends on how they were put on, and where they are. I recently removed some Campagnolo bb cable guides from an older frame I made. They were held on with silver, and finally came off with heat. If it had been that hard to get them off with heat when they were on a tube, I would have ground them down. A lot of cable stops will come off with very little heat if they were brazed on with silver. Most European and Japanese production bikes had braze ons that were attached with brass, or even spot welded. Those require grinding. In general, I consider heat first, but am willing to hacksaw/grind rather than heat the frame for an extended time/high temps. It takes a certain amount of care if you use a dremel or other powered grinding tool; I recently had to repair a frame for this reason. Eric Keller Boalsburg, Pennsylvania USA
On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 4:12 PM, Ken Foster <kenf3@me.com> wrote:
> A couple of weeks ago (BFC) I recall someone asking the best way to remove
> later braze ons (dare I say, including a derrailleur hanger). I have a
> similar dilemma and was surprised there were no replies on the group and
> wondered what the consensus was grind them or burn 'em or will it cause
> irreparable weakening
> btw when finished it will have one brake. as in the original 1952
> catalogue...
>
> Thanks
>
> Ken Foster
> Eastbourne
> England