bikemike73 

Hi

I attempted to remove a stuck seat post and made 4 cuts with a sawzall, hoping I could attach a pair of visegrips and pouding it out with a hammer.

I have seen this done before.

I did not cut all the way thru towards the bottom of the post

Pretty close though.

Was going to try to use a LONG 3/16 drill, and drill in between the seat post tube and the seat post where the gap is to loosen and remove.

What do you think ?

Appreciate any and all help.

Thank you

Moe Zhoost

Personally, at this point I would put away all my power tools and resort to gentler strategies: Liberal use of penetrant, a bit of heat, wriggling the pieces by hand, etc. With a lot of patient manipulation you will be successful. You're about 90% there. You may also consider using a lye solution assuming that you have a steel frame, but I don't think you will need to.

Good luck

Mr. 66

Here you go, with some all thread rod a couple of nuts, washers and a socket one can Rube Goldberg an impact slid hammer. This worked well but I did have to cut the post lengthwise before it budged.



I've done this method a few times.

bikemike73 

I thought about a slide hammer...even a " makeshift" one

Mr66.....did you put a weight on the other end , like a slide hammer ?

Or did you just pull up with your own strength ?

I also thought about a LONG flathead screwdriver, about 16 inches and just pounding in between where the gap is.

Thank you both so far for your suggestions.

Really appreciate the time and input.

Thank you

Crankycrank

I agree with using some good penetrant such as Kano Kroil Oil (the best IME) first and giving it a good twist every day using Vice Grips until it moves. You have the advantage of the seatpost pieces being already mostly pulled away making it easier for the penetrant to do it's job. Using the 3/16" drill would certainly help too but may not be necessary with a good penetrant soak.

dsbrantjr

I think you risk damaging the seat tube if you try to drill between it and the post. I would try to move the bent pieces back and complete two adjacent cuts; once you get one piece out the other 3 should come out easily.

Mr. 66

I used just as pictured, there is plenty of weight in the rod itself.

I'm willing to guess that your slashing cut has not gotten all the way through the post yet. It should have snapped free from the tork and twists. The slide does help in getting the last of the alloy to crack, then the corrosion has the pressure released between the metals.

bikemike73 

Thanks again for all the responses
it did make that "crack" sound several times while I twisted with some vise grips.
I am unable to make anymore cuts as the piece will not go back in place....I've tried.

The aluminum oxide is a strong bond to the steel frame.
I believe a LONG flathead screwdriver, about 16 inches will do the trick.

What are your thoughts on this?

Thank you all again
Much appreciated

cruiserhead

maybe try pouring some hot vinegar in there to eat some of the corrosion?
PB Blaster is a good penetrant too.

rosefarts

Put the screwdriver away. You're going to make it worse.

Find some good vice grips.
Now find some all thread that is the same pitch as the thread of the vice grips.

You can now kludge together a vice grip slide hammer, similar to this https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-lo...xoCZyAQAvD_BwE

Soak the seatpost in some penetrating oil. This should be for a while day or more. This will give it time to work and also time to step back and breathe.

On Sunday, at the earliest, attach your vice grips slide hammer and get to work. I'd start with short gentle taps, like 50 of them, increase force only if it doesn't work.

Also, I'd put the end of the tool in the vise, and move the frame. It would give you a much easier way to secure it all without clamping the frame.

bikemike73 

Thanks again for all the responses.

Good suggestions.

I do not have a vise unfortunately.

My friend has an air hammer which I hope he can let me use with a pair of vise grips.

I think I can , using a drill, move it back and forth along the lines of the cuts to get the last of the remaining seat post towards the end.

I'll put some pb blaster in there tomorrow when the weather is good ( not raining) so it can soak outside.

That stuff SMELLS STRONG !!!

bikeme

After seeing this, I'm going to make sure all my bikes' posts are well coated with grease.

rosefarts

I'm certain that an air hammer will destroy everything it touches. That's what they are for.

I know you don't have a vise but have you considered getting one? I have a Wilton that I bought 4 years ago, $200 or so, and I use it 3-5 days every week and multiple times each of those days. It's probably a better value per use than anything in my shop.

Seems like if you've got a space for an air compressor, you totally have space for a vise.

Anyway, I still think the diy slide hammer/ vise grip is your best option. Go slow and don't let a power tool replace finesse.

squirtdad

try some an industrial grade ammonia soak.

then when trying to release, use freeze off (think pb blaster plus super cold)

dsbrantjr

I think that the screwdriver has about the same high probability as the drill to damage the seat tube.

dsbrantjr

Power tools can make jobs go faster, they can aloo make damage go faster. Like the old Pennsylvania Dutch saying, "the hurrier I go the behinder I get."

bikemike73 

Agree..patience is the way ...

I'm in no hurry. I bought the bike last April and made a rookie mistake of not checking the seat post.

I did not pay that much for the bike and lesson learned.
EVERY bike I have other than this one ALL seat posts nice and greased.
AND, it's the FIRST thing I check if interested in buying a bike 😁😁😁
Thanks again for all the great suggestions.
It may be a little while but I'll keep you posted

cbrstar

If you can. I find taking the crank out and spraying the seat tube from the BB and leaving it upside down overnight can help. Sometimes you have to let them soak a few days.

Moe Zhoost

I learned this long ago unfortunately after many (I reckon I was a bit slow) negative outcomes. Anyone can screw something up, but if you really want to do a lot of damage quickly opt for a power tool. A few years ago, I was challenged by a frozen bottom bracket in a nice frame. I did use a sawzall and grinder to do a lot of the initial destruction but as I got close to the threaded shell I went very slow with hand tools and patient application of penetrant and heat.

bikemike73 

The post can move !!

I tapped it down about an inch, and then with vise grips, pounded it up about where it started .

It wouldn't go past this point. I have seen a video from RJ the bike guy using an air hammer in this exact situation.

Vise grips are put on the post and the air hammer pounds it. The repeated motion.....much faster than a regular hammer I think will do the trick.

Haven't been able to get a hold of my friend to borrow his.

. I do not have an air hammer. I might go to Home Depot at some point to rent one. It cannot be that much money for half a day.

Thank you all again for all your help.

Much appreciated

JoeTBM 

Have you tried an auto body dent puller, something like this

https://www.harborfreight.com/slide-..._q=dent+puller

3alarmer 

.
...just so you know about it: the best penetrant by far for situations like this is a 50/50 mix of ATF/acetone.
I don't know why it works so much better than anything I can buy (including Freeze Off and Kroil), but it does.

I keep a small, salvaged, 2 oz squeeze bottle from Triflow (with a straw applicator), filled with the ATF/acetone, on the bench where I take things apart...I'm never without it. Shake well before every application. it has a tendency to separate.



If your post is moving, probably any penetrant you slop in there now will be a help. Slop it in liberally, and move the post up and down a couple of times however far you got it to move, to spread it around over the surfaces.

Crankycrank

Agreed but the one thing you have to be careful with is the acetone can harm paint and plastics sometimes so as long as you keep it away from them it's great stuff.

Jicafold

Seal it up and melt the rest of it out with lye. It won't affect steel or your paint.