Dry Ice

[RobertFrith]

Hey,
I want to try dry ice down the seat tube to release a stuck seatpost in a vintage frame. Knowing I had some work in Welshpool this arvo I called BOC Gas & Gear Welshpool this morning to see if they sold it - yep, they sell it, just bring your esky or whatever -all good. Except when I got there at 2:30pm I get the blank stare aaannnd "nah mate, run out"

BOC are a real hike from both work and home for me, does anyone know where else I can buy dry ice? Sellers of dry ice apparently have insignificant to zero contact with the interwebs and google

Thanks, Rob

[WestcoastPete]

Can't help with the source of dry ice, but interested to hear if it works...

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[R12RT]

BOC Gas and Gear have other outlets at Malaga and Canning Vale.

[RobertFrith]

BOC Gas and Gear have other outlets at Malaga and Canning Vale.

Thanks, the BOC outlets are roughly equidistant from me - all of them represent a 40km round trip, long way to go if they've just run out. I'll either phone immediately prior to going or try this mob in Myaree who sell dry ice for blasting.

Edit; just called them, min quantity 10kg at $6/kg

[cant_stop]

LiteNeasy and similar products are delivered weekly along with a plastic bag filled with about half a kilo of dry ice. If someone you know uses liteNeasy it'll probably be the cheapest way of getting some dry ice.

[RobertFrith]

Thanks for the tip. I think my folks occasionally get LiteNEasy delivered

[Aushiker]

Have you tried a chemist. My GP has used dry ice or maybe that was liquid nitrogen to remove ticks before so maybe be able to get something at the chemist.

Andrew

[MyNameIsNoone]

First up can't help with the dry ice.
Second up I don't know if this works (good post so far!), but maybe try some of the wart/veruca removal stuff that you can get from the chemist. Not cream, but some remedies are an aerosol spray that you attach a sort of cotton bud to which you then press against the wart to freeze off.

I think this is some sort of liquid nitrogen solution or some kind of liquid/gas freezer. Maybe this might work on the bike?? Might be easier to apply too given it's designed to be applied to a small specific area.

Good luck

[BandedRail]

Edit; just called them, min quantity 10kg at $6/kg

Go this option - HUGE rave at your place later (when life hands you lemons... )

Sorry, couldn't resist - I'll go away now

[ghostpoet]

Rob, what about this?

http://www.reece.com.au/plumbing/products/7620265

Let me know when you want to have a go and I'll drop it in. Just need to get some conducting paste...

[RobertFrith]

Go this option - HUGE rave at your place later

now you're talking

Rob, what about this?

Looks cute, how does it work? I want to chill from the inside of the seatpost out.

[orbeas]

BOC Gas and Gear have other outlets at Malaga and Canning Vale.

Thanks, the BOC outlets are roughly equidistant from me - all of them represent a 40km round trip, long way to go if they've just run out. I'll either phone immediately prior to going or try this mob in Myaree who sell dry ice for blasting.

Edit; just called them, min quantity 10kg at $6/kg

throw some beers in the left over dry ice, bingo cold beers on a hot day

[Joeblake]

How about a CO2 fire extinguisher? A small one, and when you've used it all up, get it refilled and you've still got a fire extinguisher

May need to modify the nozzle to get a thick stream of gas rather than a cloud.

Joe

[ColinOldnCranky]

It's been a few years but I got dry ice from BOC in Canningvale a couple of times without any drama - Saturday mornings. It was around $6 a kg.

They did have limits on who and how much for a while after the Varanus explosion.

[RobertFrith]

Ended up going to Canning Vale this morning. It was very quiet, I reckon they were happy to have some company. Colin, I saw you just south of Leach Highway on my way home.
As of this writing the seatpost is still stuck
Thanks for the generous offers of help

[ColinOldnCranky]

Ended up going to Canning Vale this morning. It was very quiet, I reckon they were happy to have some company. Colin, I saw you just south of Leach Highway on my way home.
As of this writing the seatpost is still stuck
Thanks for the generous offers of help

It was a clever idea though.

I don't know exactly how you attempted to do it but, logically, it would be necessary to chill the post relative to the frame. The post shrinks in and AWAY from the junction of the two. If you chilled from the outside (ie the frame) then you would not get that separation.

How about then trying to chill the post (apply the ice inside) while also applying some extra warmth to the frame (hot water?). Frame expands, post contracts, tendency to separate is increased. If that doesn't work then at the end of it you can always apply a little water to rapidly return things to a normal state of affairs and hope that the sudden shock may do something.

And if all else fails, try removing the seat and then sharply tapping the top of the post through a block of pine or deal.

[GraemeL]

Not sure if you have read these...

http://sheldonbrown.com/stuck-seatposts.html

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-hel ... -and-stems

What about heating it and then using iced water?

Graeme

[RobertFrith]

Yep, read Sheldon, Park Tools, the works. I was interested in non destructive removal. Heated the frame in the sun yesterday tipped dry ice down the seat tube with frame upside down. Applied pressure. Repeated several times. No joy. Added to which I now have the discussion running in two threads. I'll report on any further developments over here