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A customer's weird trick for a seized seatpost actually worked
A regular at the shop in Phoenix told me to pour a full can of cola down the seat tube and let it sit overnight. I was sure it was nonsense, but we had a junk frame to test it on. The next morning, the post twisted out with just a crescent wrench. Has anyone else had a weird home remedy actually save a part?
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grant_cooper25d ago
A stuck seatpost is the worst. I've had luck with a mix of acetone and automatic transmission fluid soaking for a few days. The combo seems to creep into the rust better than anything else.
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emmap167d ago
Wait, am I the only one who's tried this and ended up with a bigger mess? The acetone just ate the paint off my frame and the ATF made it look like my bike was bleeding oil. I had better luck with a cheap penetrating oil and a torch. Heat the seatpost collar gently, not red hot, and then tap it with a hammer. The shock breaks the rust better than any soaking mix I've tried.
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That's the same trick my uncle used on a rusted trailer hitch ball. I guess the acid in the soda really does eat through the corrosion. Makes you wonder what else in the fridge could double as a workshop solvent.
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