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I finally fixed a seized seatpost that took me two whole days
It was a steel post in an aluminum frame, totally frozen from rust. I tried everything, from a ton of penetrating oil to a bench vise and a big pipe wrench. Ended up having to carefully cut it out in sections with a hacksaw, which was a huge pain. Anyone have a better trick for this mess?
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victor2192mo ago
Man, that sounds brutal. I've heard of people using a mixture of acetone and automatic transmission fluid as a penetrant, way stronger than the store-bought stuff. Freezing the post with canned air can sometimes shock it loose too, but once you're at the hacksaw stage, you're already in survival mode lol.
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victorb512mo ago
The acetone and ATF mix is a good tip, but calling it a penetrant is a bit off. It's a home made cutting oil for drilling or tapping metal, not really for freeing rusted threads. For that, you're better off with the real stuff like Kroil or even a 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF shaken up and brushed on. Freezing it with canned air, like @victor219 said, is a solid move though. The shock from the cold can break the bond when a penetrant can't.
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alicelopez1mo ago
Saw a video once where a guy used a slide hammer on a stripped seatpost. Had a special clamp that hooked onto the post. Looked wild but it worked. @victor219 is right about the cold shock too. That temp change can crack the rust seal when nothing else will. Honestly though, once you're cutting, you're just trying to save the frame.
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