Spent three hours trying to get a stuck seatpost out of an old steel frame

It was a 1990s Schwinn frame I picked up for a project. I tried a ton of penetrating oil, heat from a hair dryer, and even clamping the post in a vise to twist the frame. What finally worked was mixing acetone with automatic transmission fluid and letting it sit overnight. The next morning, it came out with two light taps. Anyone have a better method for a really stuck aluminum post in a steel frame?

2 comments

2 Comments

andrewh959d ago

My last resort is usually just staring at it until my eyes go crossed. I once spent a whole weekend on a stuck stem, only to have it come loose when I dropped the whole bike in frustration. The universe just likes to watch us struggle. That acetone and ATF mix is basically bike mechanic holy water though.

the_lee11d ago

You ever try to just give up and call the whole bike a sculpture? That acetone trick is my last resort too.