nibernator

So, I was looking for a method to prevent theft seeing as I live in a not so great area in a populous city. I read about the ball bearing and super glue idea and how you can remove with acetone and some patience.
I put superglue, then the BB on top, then more superglue on top and let dry months ago. Worked fine. Now I go to change handlebars.

Problem is... I can't get at the super glue beneath the ball bearing. I applied acetone in small bursts (it dries fast) over and over for an hour. With that I was able to remove all the superglue on top of the BB but couldn't get the stuff underneath. I then set for over 1 hour and 45 minutes with the stem face and bolts soaking in a dish filled with acetone, hoping the acetone would slowly eat within the cracks. No go.

Any ideas?

Oh, and before you say I can just remove the stem and throw out or something, I'm an idiot and did the same thing to my headset...

Wanderer

How about a little heat from a soldering iron?

FBinNY 

Lay the bike on it's side, and improvise some kind of dam around the nut. Add acetone to fill, and work it with an icepick trying to dislodge the ball and break the bond beneath it so the acetone can wick in.

Next time, follow rule No.31 ---- never put anything anywhere until you know up front how you'll get it out.

SkyDog75

Like Stephen Lynch and his gerbil:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSS4-CiHkhw

(Apologies in advance for the blue humor.)

wroomwroomoops

Try nitromethane instead of acetone. It's one of the best solvents for removing cyanoacrylates, and it's relatively inexpensive. It's often used as fuel for RC cars and planes, see for example Amazon.com: Torco RC 100% Nitro-methane gallon: Toys & Games

DrIsotope

QFT. Press the tip of a soldering iron against the BB, it will drop off in a matter of seconds. SHIELD THY EYES, for thou art turning that cyanoacrylate into vapor.

dwmckee

Also try the super glue remover which is more effective than acetone. Sold where they sell the glue,,,

nibernator

Thanks for the quick replies guys!
I'll hit up home depot tomorrow.
As far as soldering irons go, think this one could do the job?
Weller 25-Watt LED Soldering Iron Kit-SP25NKUS - The Home Depot

Thanks for the pointing at nitromethane as an alternative debonder wroomwroomooops. Though, I think I'm just going to move to the soldering since there is Barely Any space for the solvents to work through.

Any other ideas more than welcome!

FBinNY 

You probably don't need to spend any dough. Have someone hold the bike with the bolt open side down, and warm it with the flame of a cigarette lighter (not a big old fashioned Zippo), and once the bolt warms up, the ball should fall out (unless it was a close enough fit that you tapped it in).

BTW- do this outside so vapors aren't an issue.

nibernator

Already tried the lighter idea. Used this: Colibri Interceptor single-jet flame cigar lighter | Colibri
Did zero unfortunately.

jyl

The ball wasn't a tight fit in the socket, was it?

nibernator

It was actually more of a "perfect fit". Not really much room between the wall. Meaning less than a mm of space... When I put the BB in the slot before adding any glue, I had to tip the slot just beyond vertical to get the BB to fall out by gravity. On putting it in, I just dropped it in.

jyl

A strong magnet might help. Easier than turning the bike upside down.

GravelMN

If the BB would fall out on it's own prior to Super Gluing, it surprises me that solvent won't wick around it. If heat and acetone didn't work, I'm wondering if the BB is being held in by mechanical forces rather than adhesive bond.

wroomwroomoops

Well, if you heated the cyanoacrylate glue, chances are the you have partially pyrolyzed it, and now no solvent will help. But on the upside, the polymer should be much more brittle. Hit the crevice near the ball with a chisel and hammer, in every spot you can, and you will dislodge it. Do this while the frame is off-horizontal.

Darth Lefty 

A hobby store is more likely. They will have 31 flavors of superglue (slow, fast, gel, elastomerized) along with accelerator and remover.

andr0id

Yeah, if you need a room fingerprinted, take the bike there to do it.

motorapido

Although you have a lot of frustration to deal with, you have helped us all by proving that this is a good way to foil bike thieves. Now you can park that bike anywhere, and even a chemistry professor or pyromaniac can't steal those parts. ;-)

nibernator

Alright, used the soldering iron, nothing. I used a weller 40 watt. I'm sure it was on, I tested it on other stuff first. It literally had no effect after me trying for 35 minutes, even leaving it on for over 5 minutes straight. Nothing. Definitely thief proof.
I'm looking to just have the top of my headset chopped off or drilled through. Once I can get the headset off the stem can come off as well. Then cut through the bolts on the stem to get by bars. The stem was nothing special. Plus, I was looking to chop down my steerer tube anyways.

FBinNY 

Don't destroy anything yet. Is this the top cap bolt? If so, there are a number of fixes, which will destroy less, and might possibly free it without damaging anything.

jyl

Youve used a dental pick?. Or a strong magnet? Or a straight pin, bent into a hook?. In other words, you've done something to pull out the ball, using more than just gravity?

Joe Minton

CA glue breaks down at about 300F, it won't melt but stops being glue and crumbles when gouged, chiseled etc. Maybe you need to get it hotter and use something small and sharp, like a finishing nail together with a small hammer to shatter the glue.

Joe

BTW: I use silicone rubber and BB's. It is easy to dig out but takes a little time, which a thief usually doesn't have.