A Nurse with a Gun

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

One More Raleigh

I located another old Raleigh lugged steel frame. This one is from a Raleigh Super Course, and it's remarkably light. The paint is far from perfect, all scratched up, but the tubes are straight, it has beautiful ornate lugs, and it's green.

The only problem is the handlebar stem is stuck. It's a nice GB stem, so I presently have the bike inverted and am filling the inside of the fork tube with automatic transmission fluid to help break it free. I have found that the seeping incredibly oily quality of ATF to be a perfect penetrating oil for freeing up stuck parts. I use it on rusty bolts, seized components, and I have even been known to soak an entire handgun in a vat of the red stuff. Here's hoping that in the next few days i can knock the stem free.

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10 Comments:

Blogger Turk Turon said...

If the ATF fluid doesn't work, another possibility is "Kroil - The Oil That Creeps" from Brownell's. It comes in a tin, but they ship it inside a baggie 'cause it has a habit of escaping.

5:33 AM  
Blogger Diogenes said...

Dittos on Kroil - amazing stuff!

7:47 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Using a propane torch, apply moderate heat to the head tube. Not red-hot so that the steel doesn't lose its temper. The tube will expand slightly and might loosen up for you.

9:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I doubt you'll have any problems. I use ATF the same way.

I also use ATF as the normal lube on my guns. Aluminum NLGI #1 grease on the rails, ATF everywhere else. Works great. I read about it in this article:

http://www.grantcunningham.com/lubricants101.html

12:14 PM  
Blogger Kevin said...

Xavier - you might also try Mouse Milk. Like Kroil, it's a "creeping" penetrant. It's used in aviation. You can get it in small bottles from all sorts of places; I recommend Aircraft Spruce.

Kevin

3:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

'turk' beat me to it. You can get Kroil at industrial supply houses like Graingers, too, in spray cans: Aero-Kroil. We use it extensively in industry.

MC

4:49 PM  
Blogger lee n. field said...

"Using a propane torch, apply moderate heat to the head tube. Not red-hot so that the steel doesn't lose its temper"

Except that the handlebar stem is stuck in the fork, not the head tube.

6:08 PM  
Blogger Randy in Arizona said...

Another use for ATF is as a handcleaner. It really cuts the grease, tar and other icumpuckey that ya manage to get on your hands and then it all washes off with water.

Might follow up with hand soap.

10:29 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Kroil rocks, we buy it by the five gallon can at work.

8:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If all else fails, You might try some CLR (That stuff that's used to clean shower heads and stuff). I used some to get rid of the rust in the gas tank out of my camaro and it did the trick but YMMV.

3:10 PM  

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