Seatpost woe....

FATKiwi

Member
Hi fellow Fat fans

Well I thought my problems were over when I took my frame to the engineers...but they couldnt get the post outta my Yo...and werent keen to drill it out. Any ideas. Ive tried heat and brute force....they tried soakin it and hacksawing and breaking it out down the tube but no luck. Should I just persevere with that approach or does anybody have a cure for this????? Cheers. I attached a photo too. Also do you think that is Team Violet under the black paint? Its a '93 according to the serial number but according to firstflight records that wasnt a colour in '93?

Cheers
Chris
 
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Doug Carter

Moderator
Staff member
Ugly. I feel your pain.


And yes, Team Violet was most definitely a color in '93. I had one.
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Hey, what was the can of pop trick someone mentioned recently?
 

Doug Carter

Moderator
Staff member
Look at Noah! Quite the Fat collector now! :D


How long do you let the coke sit in the tube, and do you have to invert it and cap off the seat tube? Where the hell did I read about that?
 

FATKiwi

Member
Well I just went out and bought 3 new hacksaw blades and Ive beem practising my yogic breathing...short breath in and hold and saw and saw and out long breath....... :confused:
See how it goes. And Im gonna soak it in ammonia overnight too.
 

Kirk Pacenti

New member
Tried "Liquid Wrench" yet?

If that doesn't work, try taking it to a skilled shop or framebuilder with an adjustable reamer.

The reamer diameter can be reduced to fit insid the post, and then increased incramentaly to remove more, and more aluminum. If this is done properly, it could be reduced to a near "foil" like thiness, and peeled out.

IF it's more stuck than that, you can keep increasing the diameter of the reamer until you just graze the ID of the steel tube.

Good luck!
 

Munson

New member
Patience and a saw blade

This is gonna take a while, but it works. Buy a length of wooden dowel and use a dremel or hacksaw to cut a long grrove in it. Place hacksaw blade in groove and secure through both eyelets with small zip tie or mechanics wire. Insert your new stick-saw into the seatube and begin cutting the post. You'll feel a change in vibration when you go through AL post to steel frame. Be patient. Cut the post in quarters. Once you have this, use an icepick to get under the edge of the post and you'll be able to knock the bits out.

I've never tried pouring Coke in the frame but some folks swear by it.

Good luck.
 

Bssc

New member
There are two recommended methods of removal reaming and th judicious use of thermo dynamics. Reaming can be don by any competent machine shop, or by your self if you have the tools. The thermodynamic method I will describe is not to be done in confined space or by those with questionable mechanical skills. First you will need a somewhat large quantity of liquid CO2 about 2 pounds should do. Usually I cut the top off the seat tube and plug it if needed invert frame in a stand flood the seat tube with liquid CO2 I have a tank with a dip tube so this part is easy but you could tip the bottle upside down. Be very careful if you drop it you will have a 1800psi bottle rocket that can kill. If you have a heat gun available now is the time to heat the seat tube a try not to bubble the paint you will at some point hear a loud crack of the galling releasing the two metals. Now is the time to pull the seat tube out quickly. when the frame returns to room temp you will need to ream and hone th seat time to remove all the galling and poor surfaces that will exist.


i have used these two methods for well over 15 years to remove seized seat posts in Fats and a few other assorted frames.
 

FATKiwi

Member
Well I found out why I never became an engineer. I dont have the finesse or patience! Ive made a butchers job of getting that tube out ( most of its still in there! ) and damaged the seat tube in the process. Looks like a tube replacement could be in order. Is that too extreme or just purely unethical???
 

yoshboston

New member
I don't get it

1) APPROACH

Jezzus C would you please stop attacking that frame with sharp objects and let a penetrating lube do its job.

Fill the seat tube up with penetrating lube and go in the other room and roll a fat one man.
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Seriously though. Why the heck are you using such brute force?

Why don't you use one of the most powerful forces - time?

Just fill the seatpost up with wd40 or whatever the hell. Cap it off and let it sit for a week.

Let it ****in sit man.

Sounds like you are trying to gouge the thing out when you just need to let the lube get in there and let things release.

I don't get the coke thing at all and I can't imagine the C20 1200 psi approach is legal unless you are a licensed pyrotechnics expert but geeze louise why are you taking such a home improvement approach?

let a PENETRATING lube soak in there for a freaking week and don't touch the goddamn thing.

you are going to kill that frame otherwise.

2) PAINT
As to the team violet underneath, I dunno for sure but my dad restores concert grand pianos and one thing that steinway used to do may be relevant here. if the rosewood veneer on a rosewood piano got screwed up during manufacturing, the piano became an ebony (black) finish. Similarly they may have started off painting your frame violet and the paint didn't go well or something so instead of stripping the frame they just turned it into a black one. Either that or someone who didn't know better probably just didn't like the team violet and painted over it. I think the previous scenario is much more likely
 

Pete McC

New member
Could always try Caustic soda, it's a great way of removing anodizing but if concentrated enough eats aluminium as a rate of knots. Will destroy the paint but I'm sure you're not too bothered about that. Doesn't eat steel though (although I wouldn't recommend leaving the Caustic soda in for a long while, little and often. Just mix the caustic soda with some warm water and apply to seatpost
 

FATKiwi

Member
The Bitch is out...can I say that?

Finally the seatpost is free or rather the frame is free of that dang seatpost!

Thanks for all your assistance on this matter. And to Mr yoshboston I took your advice on board especially...let it soak for 20 odd days and then I had to use some brute force to dislodge it inside the tub but it came out. I'm so happy I'm having a homebrew to celebrate...suns over the yard arm so what the hey! Heres a pic of the offender. Let the restoration begin! Cheers! :p
 
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