[CR]Re: Latest Thinking Concerning Stuck Seatpost Removal

(Example: Framebuilding:Tubing:Falck)

From: "Joel Niemi" <bberryacres@hotmail.com>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2007 12:43:53 -0800
Subject: [CR]Re: Latest Thinking Concerning Stuck Seatpost Removal

Glad to see this topic, as I'm facing the same issue (Campagnolo seatpost, Columbus frame on my Stella).

My marinade flavor has been "PB Blaster". I've dribbled it down the seatpost, it vanishes into the crack, but never shows up in the bottom bracket. What doesn't make it into the crack runs down the seat tube nicely.

I've turned the bike upside down, sprayed into the seat tube, enough that I hear splashing when I shake the frame. (This, on the thought that getting the penetrating oil to the bottom of the stuck area, as well as the top, was a good idea.)

Putting the seatpost top (seat off) in between smooth vise jaws, pushed on the frame and managed to get the vise to move. Guess I need to try the vice grips to tighten the vice down from rotating, at all.

Latest try is a piece of threaded rod, washers, a nut, and a squeeze clamp to hold the bottom of the rod against the kerf in the back of the seat post. Rod is bent and goes up through the back hole on the Campy seatpost. Turning nut pushes washers up against bottom of seat post bracket. Right now the force must be incredible, as the piece of rod is curving below the nut . . . Maybe when I get home, I'll find that things have budged.

I read Sheldon's tips. By what I've found in my bottom bracket, I think the problem is rust inside the tube (which is why I want to get the seatpost out, so I can Boeshield the innards), so I was hesitant to try the ammonia (said to be a fix if the sticking was due to the aluminum alone).

Any problems with the ammonia and steel? Shall I try it anyway? And, regarding the Coke and its phosphoric acid -- any problems there with rust inside of tubes?

Is the Campagnolo seatpost milled from one chunk of aluminum, or is the post part somehow attached to the seat-holding part?

Joel Niemi / Snohomish, WA, USA

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