The Seatpost Man

[drystonepaul]

I know there are a few threads on removing seized seatposts, but most of them either destroy or at least damage the seatpost.

Apparently this chap has developed tools and techniques to save both the frame and post.

http://www.theseatpostman.com/

I'd be interested to hear if anyone has had any experience of them...

 

[ferrus]

Re:

Interesting service.
some discussion about it before, here: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=309431

 

[marc two tone]

Re:

It breaks me bleedin' 'art to see, and even read people recommending the old hacksaw method..corrosive chemicals and even man's red fire...useful sometimes, but, not the right start.

freeze them out! sherlylock and his marin PM offered a good tutorial on the method. I have removed two that way for ringo, no mess or damage to anything else. The post completely re-usable.

If the post is intact, just stuck.....

ebay search crack-it freeze spray for water pipes. £7 or there abouts.
car sponge, tie wraps, carrier bag, vice or some other way of holding the seatpost head.

What i did...

remove BB and/or seat tube bottle cage bolts.
Get seatpost/frame upside down in vice nipped up as tight as you dare.
tear open(like pita bread) the sponge and wrap it round frame local to seatpost insertion, tie wrap in place.
wrap plastic bag around all that. tie wrap or knot in place(helps with splashes and thermal regulation).
If crack-it has no tube, make one(fish tank air line, cable outer) etc.. blast a good 1/3 of tin down into frame via BB or other.
No need to wait..blast rest of tin contents into sponge, impregnating it.
Give it 2-3 mins and use frame as leverage, rock it left and right with increasing pressure(steadily).
If all is well there will be a firm "bang"..it's loose! Now lift as well as rotate.
That should be that. never failed me, providing.....

some dummy hasn't hacked the seatpost head off
!!!!!!

" me mate said i could i could hack-saw it out!" good luck..after 57 blades and bleeding hands. thinner posts maybe but the kalloy alloy...narrrr!

Gloves and eye protection as minimum PPE.

 

[coomber]

Re:

Agree the hacksaw is a bad method.

Still think caustic soda is great if the paint is knackered and its been cut off

Do think a lot of people need to give penetrating oil longer. A month of topping that up daily will eat away a lot of corrosion/bonding

 

[WD Pro]

Spot where this one stuck ...



WD

 

[02gf74]

Whats the purpose of the sponge wrapped round the frame?
Sounds like the principle is to shrink the seatpost diameter, would it not help to expand the seatube diameter by heating it such as pouring boiling water into the spongr?

 

[marc two tone]

Whats the purpose of the sponge wrapped round the frame?
Sounds like the principle is to shrink the seatpost diameter, would it not help to expand the seatube diameter by heating it such as pouring boiling water into the spongr?

The sponge carries the contents of the can, as it is in liquid form(initially) therefore holding it where you need it.
The principal is based on the plumbers' pipe freeze kit, where a stop-tap is out of reach. Their kits come with a mini jacket that fits the pipe diameter. As a once plumbers labourer, i picked up on the idea.
If you can google image one...its like a immersion heater jacket in miniature form. The sponge and bag simply replicate this but at a fraction of the cost.

Again, forget boiling water, has it's hazards and probably an outdoor job, not good if your frame is in a vice.

The method i've quoted works, like for real, not a mate of a mate that once said....and stuff...
You can be there for months trying different things, but lubes, penetrators can only be effective if there is any kind of gap, to penetrate.
But, when the two components are properly as one unit, i.e siezed then, we need to get serious!

For me, there is a difference between fused and seized.

Seized, you may get away with penetrating fluids, brute force and heat.
fused, only temps of minus....plenty seems to work.
It also worked on a steel vs steel too!

Also, i do agree that when faced with a post already lopped and hacked to bits....caustic is your friend.

Next time i get the opportunity, i will do a stage by stage(with images) walkthrough of the method. Never failed me and i have no workshop to speak of. kinda work in the garden

 

[legrandefromage]

I have found patience to be a key factor in the removal of seatposts.

And a mate with a **** off great vice.

 

[coomber]

Re:

Penetrating oil is always an option using holes in bottom bracket shell or bottle mounts

Will give this method a go one day though

 

[02gf74]

Ok. Id have thought heating the seat tube and cooling the seatpost would make the temp difference and hence expansion/contraction bigger, so making the extraction easier.