Any help? Stem seems to be stuck - Seized quill stems

I've got an old road frame I'm making usable for the Mrs and the original stem that came with it is well and truly jammed to the point where the allen key hole on the top is starting to round off when I try to loosen it.

I've gone at it with plenty of GT85 from both ends - I've tried to soak the bolt by splashing (o-er) loads down the fork (whilst upside down) and leaving it over night, but still no joy. it is officially stuck.

I'm quite fed up of this now so was thinking of taking a saw to it. if I try to chop it mid way between where it goes into the headset and where the stem bends will, by cutting the bolt, the tension be released and therefore the stem be easily removed?

just thought I'd check before I do anything I might regret.

cheers.

drill the bolt head off?

use a round allen key?

If you chop it it will release the tension in the allen bolt. The expander wedge will still be stuck, but you can then hopefully loosen it by putting a drift on the freshly cut edge of the stem bolt and smacking the shit out of it with a hammer. Then (hopefully) the rest of the stem will pull out.

round alan?

you're saying that you can't remove the expander wedge bolt from the expander wedge as (probably) the expander bolt threads are rusted in to the expander wedge?

I'd say persevere with the GT85. eventually it'll hit the threads and it should come out ok. If you turn the bike upside down, can you look up the fork steerer tube and actually see the expander wedge? are you using the fine straw that came with the GT85 to spray on to the bolt threads?

Cutting through a complete stem and bolt is pretty hard work, I'd only think about this ifwas using an angle grinder, but I'm lazy...

As Shinscar said, drill the bolt head off. If you use a drill the same diameter as the shank of the bolt it'll be a tidy job, and you've already got a nice rounded off allan key hole to locate the drill into.

Found on Flickr, good luck!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/genkinogen/sets/72157594321208753/

i had this problem. Tried all sorts of things including wedging a bit of two by four between the forks and twisting like hell. Tried for weeks!
Eventually took it to the bike shop on Mare st and they did it in minutes. I guess because they have vices etc

Thanks for the advice. I'm going away for the weekend so think I'll empty the rest of my can of GT85 in there and leave it upside down soaking for a couple of days and if that doesn't work will take more drastic measures. In the mean time i might give my LBS a call and see what they would charge to sort me out.

Thank again.

if the allen bolt is stuffed, get a dremel to make it into a slot so you can use a slotted screwdriver. Or spot weld something to it or crack it with anhammer to "break" the dry weld that's causing it to be stuck.

Found on Flickr, good luck!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/genkinogen/sets/72157594321208753/

haha

Ultimate HHSB watch. Dura-Ace crown

Pipwish had one of those gold lock rings a while back, but not on a watch !

anybody got any ideas on how to get a stem out of the fork when its kinda seized in there?? i just got a new frame, and the stem will not budge!!

someone suggested i heat it up with an oxy torch, but i dont have one...

Assuming it is a quill stem, undo the bolt about half way and then give it a decent whack on the top with a hammer, straight down. Should be enough to release the stem.

tomasito is probably right by the sounds of it.
i've always thought it was such a clever technique haha and still remember feeling so proud when i first did it

As tomasito said undo nut and hit with a hammer. If that does not work spray with WD40 and leave to soak in for a couple of hours.

grease the stem right down to the headset so when you knock it down the greased stem goes into the frame. slips out very easy one you have done that

As tomasito said undo nut and hit with a hammer. If that does not work spray with WD40 and leave to soak in for a couple of hours.

If that doesn't work, a 12ga. shotgun shell (no shot) inserted from the crown end of the steerer and detonated with a hammer and nail should do it. Couple of safety tips: stay out of the way of the fork tips, they can hurt you with the recoil, and place a friend about 25yds down range to catch the stem to avoid scratching it.

also the more you play with it the hotter it gets making the metal expand. remember never return to a seized stem once its hot

If that doesn't work, a 12ga. shotgun shell (no shot) inserted from the crown end of the steerer and detonated with a hammer and nail should do it. Couple of safety tips: stay out of the way of the fork tips, they can hurt you with the recoil, and place a friend about 25yds down range to catch the stem to avoid scratching it.

a friend - or an enemy?!

a friend - or an enemy?!

Even with a full load, you'd be hard pressed to get a typical quill stem to 180fps muzzle velocity out of that short barrel, which is faster than a cricket fast bowler or baseball fastball but slower than a Federer serve. I assumed that it would go without saying that a catching mitt is advised for this operation.

Assuming it is a quill stem, undo the bolt about half way and then give it a decent whack on the top with a hammer, straight down. Should be enough to release the stem.

true that, good trick eh Tom?

Claro, maestro ;)

yeah if you want to scratch and dent your stem.. damn foreign jonnys coming here damaging our bikes!