Originally Posted by
SethAZ
When I was a teen I'd collect hydrogen in a balloon doing this and re-enact the Hindenburg. But yeah, it's dangerous stuff if misused or safety precautions aren't taken.
If I'm understanding this correctly, the purpose of soaking that steerer tube in the lye is to react away enough of the aluminum that it can be removed from the steerer tube, all without harming the steerer itself?
That's exactly it. Works with a steel steerer and aluminum stem - obviously wouldnt work well if your fork had an aluminum or carbon fiber steerer.