Proper Barn Find

[Jamiedyer]

Yes, I agree can certainly see the potential in it.
All the more satisfying once restored and riding again.
Pulling up a chair and a cuppa to see this one progress, particularly interested in seeing if there is any colour left on the fork steerer

Jamie

 

[dwscrimshaw]

Got a bit stuck tonight, bar stem stuck and one of the BB cups tight. I assume these are the std left and right handed threads as on later frames? bit of caution required now. Frame colour is looking more brown in areas that have cleaned up a bit.

 

[Midlife]

Media blasting with something like aluminium oxide. ?

 

[allenh]

Got a bit stuck tonight, bar stem stuck and one of the BB cups tight. I assume these are the std left and right handed threads as on later frames? bit of caution required now. Frame colour is looking more brown in areas that have cleaned up a bit.

You've probably already tried this but the last time I had a bar stem that stuck I got it out by storing the frame upside down and soaking the inside of the steerer with penetrating oil from the underside for a week or so, I then put the forks into a vice between two bits of wood and as close down to the steerer as I could so the forks were either side of the vice body, you need room for this as the frame is still attached. And then putting some flat bars into the stem and keep trying to turn it in both directions, eventually it went but it was a job requiring patience.

 

[dwscrimshaw]

Yes I gave that a quick go while the bars were still in. Ill need to do the soaking bit now. Thanks

 

[dwscrimshaw]

Making some more progress, BB cup out now and still got threads intact. Soaked stem today, still tight so filled up with WD40 again.

 

[dwscrimshaw]

Still soaking the stem in WD40, tried a couple of times to free it, just going to have to leave it a bit longer. Looks like a nice brass head badge under all the dirt.

 

[ZG862]

At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, adding a bit of heat to the mix works wonders with stuck parts, honest.

 

[Peachy!]

At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, adding a bit of heat to the mix works wonders with stuck parts, honest.

I concur... also, as you are attempting to remove aluminium from steel you might try cooling it as much as possible first... probably too big for the freezer but you could try using a plumbers freezing kit to freeze the head tube/stem, then hit it with as much concentrated heat at your disposal. The aluminium and steel should react to either treatment at differing rates which might free-up the seizure....

 

[dwscrimshaw]

Thanks, yes at this point i'll give anything a go. I would like to save the stem if I can, seems to have an aluminium bolt through it which I have not seen before. With Aluminium having twice the thermal expansion of steel I assume cool the stem and heat the fork tube if possible. I'll leave it soaking for a while longer and try and get the badge off first if I am going to be messing around with some heat.