Broken bike

[Rocketman]

Well it's a pretty recognized method it's just the pain of making the ball joint fork fit that is a shame.

I would have told you before if you had put I can't get cranks off a bottom bracket at the start. I am some what dyslexic and have trouble following a lot of text sometimes.

 

[Bill Edwards]

Sounds like I'm right to be scared then. I wasn't planning on using it without someone experienced showing me how, I may as well just sell it though.

Don't be too hasty. Oxy gear is one of the most useful piece of equipment you can ever own. You can:
Cut thick or thin metal
Braze (simply marvelous for some jobs)
Use it anywhere (i.e with no power)
Heat metal to assemble things
Remove seized or tight things that will never move with any other non destructive method
With acetylene, weld the thinnest, most rusty metal you can find which TIG wouldn't look at
Boil the kettle

Probably more too.
Yes, it's lethal if things go wrong, but it's just a matter of learning how to use it and having flashback arrestors just in case - and they're cheap enough if you have any reason to doubt the ones you already have.
Acetylene is not always easy to keep - your home insurance for instance might not like it - but propane can do most jobs, bar welding.

So for what they're worth I'd keep your kit and keep an eye open for an oxy cylinder, and if you ever need it i'll be perfectly willing to give detailed instructions on how to use it.

 

[Maker]

I think you've given me detailed instructions before, I know the theory but I wouldn't like to use it without someone actually demonstrating my own kit. I don't need it yet anyway.

 

[Jim Davey]

Don't try and use the oxy acety to boil a plastic kettle though

 

[Bill Edwards]

No problem, and if in doubt, very wise, though it really is easy and simple and you'll soon wonder why you were so nervous.
And no, i'm not talking about boiling a plastic kettle though!

 

[HMB]

No, diesel, kerosene or best of all, paraffin.

Kero and paraffin = the same

Mix 50/50 ATF and acetone

 

[Bill Edwards]

Kero and paraffin = the same

Mix 50/50 ATF and acetone

I don't think they are quite the same.
ATF and acetone - yes, this is widely considered the best penetrating solution available, however I believe the acetone evaporates very quickly. Someone did a test of various releasing agents, but the test pieces were submersed in the stuff.
If you can't submerse the item then you need something that won't disappear.

 

[Maker]

What is ATF? I've been meaning to buy some acetone for a while, for, erm, cleaning purposes only.

 

[Bill Edwards]

Automatic Transmission Fluid - used in automatic gear boxes and power steering systems.
As said, great stuff apparently when you can soak the part, keep thinking I should get some ready myself.

 

[Bill Edwards]

Fine, I'll be the thick one who lost interest in chemistry all that time ago and has to ask...

Why?

 

[Maker]

Ooh excellent, I've already got some of that. Is the acetone needed or will it work as it is?

 

[Maker]

Fine, I'll be the thick one who lost interest in chemistry all that time ago and has to ask...

Why?

It's an improvised high explosive, but I can't help thinking, why do you need 3 parts of each and not 1.

 

[Gareth J]

It's an improvised high explosive, but I can't help thinking, why do you need 3 parts of each and not 1.

3 times the bang! I'm guessing it's a typo but don't know the ratios myself.

Back to the problem a second.... If the thread in your crank is knackared, won't you be needing a new one? If so, surely you can just chop it off? And bash out the stump after... Or is the thread savable?

I've improvised the bj splitter method before on bikes I don't care to much about with a pair of suitably tapered cold chisels.

 

[Bill Edwards]

Cool!

I've often heard it said that it's easy enough to make explosives from the kind of things found under the kitchen sink but always being more of a physics guy I couldn't see how.
But that looks quite easy when it comes to getting hold of the ingredients, I reckon even a chemical numpty such as myself could probably get there in the end.

 

[Bill Edwards]

3 times the bang! I'm guessing it's a typo but don't know the ratios myself.

Back to the problem a second.... If the thread in your crank is knackared, won't you be needing a new one? If so, surely you can just chop it off? And bash out the stump after... Or is the thread savable?

I've improvised the bj splitter method before on bikes I don't care to much about with a pair of suitably tapered cold chisels.

Well can't he just mix up the nice ingredients in the right place and bits of the bike could be made to separate rather rapidly?

 

[Maker]

Cool!

I've often heard it said that it's easy enough to make explosives from the kind of things found under the kitchen sink but always being more of a physics guy I couldn't see how.
But that looks quite easy when it comes to getting hold of the ingredients, I reckon even a chemical numpty such as myself could probably get there in the end.

I don't know about "under the sink" but there's lots of readily available chemicals that will give you a violent reaction. If you mix roughly equal parts (by volume) powdered rust and powdered aluminium then you've made thermite. Potassium nitrate can be heated with sugar and water to get rocket candy. Mix the two and I dread to think what'll happen but it'll be hot and bright.

Anyway, back to the bike, the thread will be fine if I run a tap down it carefully.

 

[Bill Edwards]

Yes, probably got the potential for a very quick departure from this world!

 

[MattF]

I don't think they are quite the same.

They're not. If we were comparing UK paraffin to US kerosene, then they're one and the same. UK paraffin and UK kerosene are somewhat different though. What we call kerosene is heating oil. Lighter in appearance to paraffin and with a more pungent odour than paraffin. Kerosene is literally just the more butch version of paraffin.

 

[MattF]

Potassium nitrate can be heated with sugar and water to get rocket candy. Mix the two and I dread to think what'll happen but it'll be hot and bright.

I think pretty much anything potassium based mixed with sugar can make a spectacular bang. Did when I last tried anyhows. I think I used potassium permanganate, (the purple stuff), with sugar. Momentary boredom, a glass jar, a battery, a single strand of copper multi core wire and a lockable metal toolbox to enclose the reaction within are an interesting mix.

 

[Maker]

I got my paraffin today and put it in an empty 3 in 1 can, I've left some on my bike so I'll try to get it off tomorrow. It smells like stationary engines in my garage now.


Oh yeah, and I didn't read the label that said it's an irritant and to wear nitrile gloves.