Rusty nuts etc, how do you open?

[El C]

What´s your preferred method to tangle with rusty nuts & bolts?
Chemicals (what?), heat, muscle power, grinder or what?

 

[Klunkruiser]

Rustbuster, wd-40, other oils. Diesel fuel and atf might be used here and there.
And a six point socket or closed end wrench where applicable.
Vise grips if needed where nuts or bolts have rounded off.

The most sticky parts I have encountered in my relatively little experience with bicycles have been stem to fork bonding together. In this case I've used hammers and mallets more often than not.
And may need to resort to vises and crow bars on one worthless old bike with an aluminum stem and steel fork.
Heat might be an option that I don't normally consider.

And I had one seatpost, that I suspect was 0.2mm too large, I had to drill a hole through to put a hardened steel rod through (actually a large allen wrench) and hammer it out.
I try and use some kind of grease or nolox on parts like seatposts and stems now.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

I've heard good things about 50/50 mix of Diesel and ATF as a penetrator.
My paternal parental unit was a mechanic working on the city's bus fleet. He procured some industrial "creeping micro crack agent". Rost-off Ice by Webesto or something like that. It combines a freezing effect with penetrating lube to bust things apart. Plus "creeping micro crack agent" is pretty fun to say.
If that fails, I go to the torch. Then the sawzall. After that, I get serious!

 

[RivNut]

I've been having some good luck with a 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF.

 

[RustySprockets]

I've been having some good luck with a 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF.

My potion of choice. It may not work better than the store brand penetrants, but it costs a lot less to make. There is no need to feel stingy about applying it.

 

[GuitarlCarl]

Nuts and Bolts? Cutter wheel in one of my hand grinders. Replace with stainless steel or sched 40 where applicable. Seat posts and Forks get a liberal spray of PB5000 also known as Power Blaster. The best penetrating oil is Kroil but it's hard to find around here.

Carl.

 

[kingfish254]

PB Blaster is my go to penetrating oil

As Carl mention Aero Kroil is great, but I haven't found any around here either.

 

[pebblewurm]

Kroil is as much better than PB Blaster as PB Blaster is better than WD-40. "Judicious application of heat" will usually work. If you can cut the pesky part without damaging something else, go for it. If it is a stuck slotted screw, be very careful- you will only get one shot. Clean out the slot carefully and make sure the screwdriver fits. If it is messed up already, break out the Optivisor and clean it up with a carbide cutting disk in a Dremel. And soak it in Kroil. This has worked great for me on headbadge screws

 

[Duchess]

IME, bike corrosion is either not that bad or from the bonding of unlike metals. When I used to work on the more serious corrosion found on cars and salt water boats, the best penetrating fluid I used was ZEP 45 and ZEP PLS. I liked the 45 better for stuck parts and the PLS as more general use, like protection. If you can find it, a can goes a long way and all the product comes out. Particularly stubborn stuff might take a couple of days of occasional shots of fluid before attempting to really break it, but if that didn't work, the blow torch was needed.

 

[El C]

Thanks for all the answers.
We have a different assortment of chemicals here but all"homemade cocktails" are always interesting, so I´ll keep trying...