Super seized bottom bracket

Sounds like you are in business then. If you can, take a video of it happening and post it here. Might help someone a lot in the future.

I hope so, doesn't seem to be eroding it away just yet but the blackness and bubbling looks positive nonetheless.

Don't have a way of getting videos on here but I've taken a pic and attached it to my last post so hopefully that helps someone. It seems pretty simple though. Stick water in a pot (Carte d'or ice cream pots seem to be the ideal size for this!) and then put in caustic soda at the ratio on the bottle then stir it up and pop the frame in the tub and let it go to work!
If this does work it definitely seems like the easiest and cheapest way to get out a properly seized aluminium bb from a steel frame!
Now that I've said this I'm going to go back out there and the bottom half of the frame will be gone! haha

Haha, it's actually worked.
One of the cups is off, the other was a bit thicker so is taking a bit longer.
I'd definitely recommend the caustic soda method (use hot rather than cold water, speeds the process up) to anyone with a super seized bb and a steel frame. You're less likely to bugger it than using flames etc.

I'm still yet to see if my new bb will work on these threads, or if I'll have to get it rethreaded, but it looks pretty good so far.

Either way I'm bloody chuffed at only having to spend two quid on a boots bottle of caustic soda and getting this stubborn bastard out!
Thanks to everyone for their help and if anyone wants any advice about sodium hydroxide/caustic soda-ing things off their bike just give me a message!

1 Attachment

Caustic soda...

Shouldn't effect paint job, and will just burn out the alloy bb and leave the steel frame untouched.

Is it a cartridge or old style cup + cone BB? If the latter, try finding a bike shop with a fixed cup removal tool, or try making your own, Sheldon-style.

Careful about using bike shops, they may charge upwards of £25.

The nut and bolt extractor method worked well for me. Make sure you have plenty of leverage 0.5-1m or so.Where are you?

I am in exactly the same situation. Hoping to do something about it this Sunday, but need to avail myself of someone's workstand before I can do it.

Correct size spanner and a way to keep it in place and lots of leverage should do it, bring it round mine for £24.99.

Have you tried longer leverage?

I use a vacuum cleaner metal pipe.

I've removed a few stuck BB cups that way:
http://www.lfgss.com/post3165486-13.html

I am in exactly the same situation. Hoping to do something about it this Sunday, but need to avail myself of someone's workstand before I can do it.

Workstands are nice, but unnecessary. In particular the torque levels involved here mean you want the bike on the floor.

Gonna make me a torque wrench extender.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/copper-pipe-15mm-x-3m/98683

Just for extra spice, mine's Italian threaded, so I'll have to try it from the other direction.

Someone's got to ask and it might as well be me (mainly because I've done it myself): you're sure you know whether you have a British or Italian BB and are trying to turn it in the right direction...

Gonna make me a torque wrench extender.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/copper-pipe-15mm-x-3m/98683

Just for extra spice, mine's Italian threaded, so I'll have to try it from the other direction.

Copper!?

^^ Aye, though I suspect the individuals I took it to at Evans (to see if they could budge it to begin with) did not.

36 x 24 TPI on the fixed cup so defo Italian / right hand thread.

£12.50 for one cup seems right to me, adds up to roughly £25 for the whole thing, maybe it took them the whole hour and a lot of effort but they probably make that back on the 20 minute jobs.

Even the guy I know who works from a shed at the end of his garden, charges £25 for the first hour.

The "proper" shops charge £35!

£12.50 to change a frame from unusable to usable sounds like a good deal.

^ mental

If it's a British drive side, i.e. with a left hand thread, the 'special tool' needed is a nut and bolt to fit through, the appropriate socket and extension plus breaker bar.
A bit of propane / butane heat plus some thin penetrant is also a bonus.

'More ghetto' is MIG welding on a nice long length of steel bar to the cup. The Massive heat and subsequent high torque achieved has it in the bag.
Love these jobs.

There are very few 5 minute jobs, a BB removal will definitely never be one of them. Taking the bike, getting your details, storing bike, putting the bike on the stand, getting the tools ready, making a brew, putting the bike back ready for you and taking your £25 is already well over 5 minutes without even including how long the actual removing of said BB takes or the cranks that might be attached to it takes. Repair jobs ain't something that are timed to the second and charged at a time based rate, it's just not practical. They are priced based on some kind of average of how long it generally takes, the tools and knowledge needed, what people will pay and how much of a prick the customer seems.

...your typical small shop with a shit range of bikes. But the two old guys clearly know their stuff...
I love these shops.

Totally just nailed the Sheldon method. I beat the machine! I also have a breaker bar borrowed from dad if anyone's contemplating taking the beast on.

Sorry to hijack this thread but can someone please assist me in deciding whether this is salvageable?

Click here

It started off as a seized BB then the teeth came apart in the removal tool :[ I was considering caustic soda but its an aluminium frame so I doused the area in WD40 / PG, still not budging...by the way the small hole you see on the far right of the spindle is from a failed attempt with a drill (I stopped 1cm in before I realised what was happening)

Doubt it. If it was steel I'd say caustic it but not sure what else you can do if you've tried all of that

Bugger, was hoping there'd be something to be done here, my beloved touring frame too :[ thanks anyway

Smash the axle out then cut the cup with a hacksaw blade.