Slightly different Stanchion Problems

[Norman_E]

I too have stainless stanchions in aluminium alloy bases, but mine have a plastic sleeve between the two metals. It is a type of shrink fit tubing. Some of mine are too tight to remove. In particular a gate stanchion with two bases is stuck. I have tried gentle heat and brute force to no avail, and the bases would require a major internal dismantling job to get at them. Any ideas please?

 

[jimmynoboat]

1. soak the fitting in penetrating oil.
2. Make sure there are no pins that need removing (probably not 'cos you've obsiously done others already)
3. Can you get a scissor jack under any part of the stanchion? (as it has two bases) If you can use thick wood to spread the load on the deck and wind it up very, VERY carefully (and you do have to be extremely careful because you can easily extert a lot of force). Soak the fitting in more penetrating oil and tap the casing with a hammer whilst maintaining a little pressure on the jack.

I don't know what this thing looks like but you will have to tend to the other base fitting too and may have to altenate the jack position or use two jacks.

Please take it easy if you do this though it would be very easy to crack the deck if you wind the jack up too much or don't spread the load.

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
1. soak the fitting in penetrating oil

[/ QUOTE ] The use of Coca Cola in the other thread on stanchion / base separation is mentioned. I've never tried it but it is often suggested BUT try it before you soak everything in penetrating oil. Once it is oily the Cola won't stand a chance.

 

[Norman_E]

Thanks for that. I had always wondered what Coca Cola was for as it is far too foul to drink.

 

[charles_reed]

Common problem

in the end I took the base + stanchion off, heated the base till the plastic got tacky (an LPG blowtorch struggles, but an oxy-acetylene works great) and using a variety of levers turned the base on the stanchion. After it had turned through 360 degrees it was relatively easy to extract.

Penetrating oil is useless, but the heating extracts some of the AlOH water of crystallisation making it shrink.

Obviously you can't do this with the socket in situ - the effects of heat on polyester are pretty major.

When you come to replace the stanchion you'll find the socket is now enormous, if you clean out all the gunge, back to Al. I used 2mm Teflon sheet, cut to size, to take up the slack and as an insulator.