Beck Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 (edited) After weeks of struggling with my winter classic bicycle restoration project, with stem, bottom bracket and steering head races all siezed with corrosion that usually occur between the dissimilar metals involved, Soaking in Liquid Wrench. PB Blaster and pounding continuously with a deadlow hammer, nothing was budging. in desperation I started looking for ammonia which was recommended by the big bicycle forum I am a member off, as a last resort solution to dissolve the siezing aluminum oxide and hopefully release the parts. Couldn't find the recommended strong solution of ammonia when I bumped into the CRC made product in the auto parts store (Kragen) called "Freeze-Off" I was so frustrated that I bought it on impulse and did not really have to much high hopes for the product working to release my parts of my bicycle frame. Boy, was I wrong, In literally 5 minutes, I was able to remove the very tightly stuck stem from my fork as seen here in these pics. It came off so easily with a few hits with the dead-blow hammer that it felt like it literally fell off the bicycle fork steerer tube. I was pounding and soaking these parts for over two weeks without any success! I was so elated and surprised how well the Freeze-Off worked. Have since removed the also seized bottom bracket and head races from the frame and fork. Even experimented to see if the other supposedly super penetrant products I used didn't work for sure by trying them first. Again no success, but after using the Freeze-Off on these other parts, they came off easily in a couple of minutes at most with minimum persuasion from my tools! Trick is to use it liberally and analyze where you should blast the part or fastener with the Freeze-Off to properly shrink it away with the freezing effect and "crack" the Ferrous and aluminum oxide material to let the penetrant oils in the spray dissolve the corrosion, thus releasing the part. Make sure you use it liberally, because you really have to frezze the part for it to work. Hope others here can take advantage of this product as I did when working on seized parts and fasteners from your motorcycles or anything else around your house. I better buy a case of this stuff lest the Feds find something in it to ban it one day!! Beck 95 VFR Edited November 14, 2009 by Beck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer dutchinterceptor Posted November 14, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted November 14, 2009 Good Info!! Wouldn't mind seeing that Vitus when you're finished also. :blush: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer AvalonRacing Posted November 14, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted November 14, 2009 Cool. Thanks for the tip. I'd like to see the Vitus when you are done too. My first decent road bike was a used Vitus 979. It was white and damn clean. It little whippy but a nice ride and a light bike. I still have a 25.0 Campy post laying around for it that replaced it was dug into but that kooky Vitus seatpost binder. I've had a lot of nice bikes since then, a couple of Serottas a couple of Fausto Coppis and now a Klein and a Merlin. I wish that I still had all of them... Including the Vitus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Ranger77 Posted November 14, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted November 14, 2009 I've used it. It gives off a lot of fumes so be careful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest agrade Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 I've used it. It gives off a lot of fumes so be careful. It's good for warts, too ... Seriously, I would think the fumes are flammable too. Be very careful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V4 Rosso Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 Good tip :fing02: I will try that on a stuck cable stop on my Giant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest superchode Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 Good tip :fing02: I will try that on a stuck cable stop on my Giant. if you find a source for it in .nl, rosso, let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted November 14, 2009 Author Share Posted November 14, 2009 Cool. Thanks for the tip. I'd like to see the Vitus when you are done too. My first decent road bike was a used Vitus 979. It was white and damn clean. It little whippy but a nice ride and a light bike. I still have a 25.0 Campy post laying around for it that replaced it was dug into but that kooky Vitus seatpost binder. I've had a lot of nice bikes since then, a couple of Serottas a couple of Fausto Coppis and now a Klein and a Merlin. I wish that I still had all of them... Including the Vitus. It's a 1985 Vitus Carbone Plus 7 I just got off an auction a couple of months ago. It's an interesting frame with carbon fibre wrapped saluminum frame tubes. I'm kind of a Francophile when it comes to bikes, since my college "serious" bicycle riding days, in the era of Hinault, Sean Kelly, Fignon and LeMond, when IMO, bikes were most beautiful. I'm currently cleaning/polishing up the aluminum head, bottom bracket and seat cluster "lugs" on the bike and working to put together Frech period components to replace the original Shimano dura Ace BL7400 series gruppo. This resto will be a full French one, because IMO, a classic French bike whoudl have French components. Goodies that I have put together for the transplant, so far: Ingeredients for a two wheeled French Souffle?? It's gonna be a long winter project, but I'll make sure to post up the final results, by spring, most likely. Beck 95 VFR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tuna Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Aero-Kroil works wonders too. (Albeit overnight) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 It's a year and a half later, did you get that pushbike running or not yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach571 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I don't have the original original info on this but posted on a Jeep forum I am on. Several guys have stated that the home brew mix works very well!! For all of you that are mechanically inclined..... Penetrating Oils Compared Machinist's Workshop magazine actually tested penetrants for break out torque on rusted nuts. Significant results! They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrants with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a "scientifically rusted" environment. Penetrating oil .......... Average load None ..................... 516 pounds WD-40 .................... 238 pounds PB Blaster ............... 214 pounds Liquid Wrench ............ 127 pounds Kano Kroil ............... 103 pounds ATF-Acetone mix............ 53 pounds The ATF-Acetone mix was a "home brew" mix of 50 - 50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone. Note the "home brew" was better than any commercial product in this one particular test. A local machinist group mixed up a batch and all now use it with equally good results. Note also that "Liquid Wrench" is about as good as "Kroil" for about 20% of the price. Zach571 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.