Rusty shackle

[RickS]

I am trying to remove the front and rear fenders and they are held on with D shackles which are just solid rust and the screw-in  bit isn't shifting.

 

I don't really want to get he angle grinder out so wondering if there is any wonder chemical that will shift the rust enough to be able to get the shackle off.

I know vinegar is supposed to work (?) but leaving it on is a problem.

 

Thanks

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, RickS said:

I am trying to remove the front and rear fenders and they are held on with D shackles which are just solid rust and the screw-in  bit isn't shifting.

 

I don't really want to get he angle grinder out so wondering if there is any wonder chemical that will shift the rust enough to be able to get the shackle off.

I know vinegar is supposed to work (?) but leaving it on is a problem.

 

Thanks

 

I've used the PlusGas releasing fluid on garden stuff with good results in the past, but your shackles sound as if they are past this.

 

https://www.screwfix.com/p/plusgas-formula-a-dismantling-lubricant-400ml/485HT?tc=BT8&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAtOmsBhCnARIsAGPa5yYj6gwoVlX9jhJDIwalifimXXELGPZmxfBsABeniQlMKOvmWrcB1wUaAiG1EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

[dave moore]

I’d cut them off and replace with stainless steel shackles. Never had a problem with them.

[Onewheeler]

Are they too large to break with a couple of sets of mole grips?

 

[zenataomm]

Angle grinder.

They're likely to break anyway, or if they get so skanky as to seize up why would you want to put them back on?

You want, ideally stainless or at least galvanised. 

[RickS]

Thanks all. No plan to put them back on, I will be replacing them with stainless steel. It's getting them off without using an angle grinder (ideally) that is the issue.

 

I suspect they are too big to break with mole grips but I'm having a go at that in the morning!

[magnetman]

Angel grinder with a slitting disc. 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Cut them off with hacksaw if angle grinding is a problem,

won’t take long 

[Bod]

Small bolt cutters shifted mine. 
 

Bod

[magnetman]

If it is awkward I might be able to get my friend to help. 

 

 

He's great with bike locks. 

[Alan de Enfield]

21 minutes ago, RickS said:

Thanks all. No plan to put them back on, I will be replacing them with stainless steel. It's getting them off without using an angle grinder (ideally) that is the issue.

 

I suspect they are too big to break with mole grips but I'm having a go at that in the morning!

 

Heat - a blow torch and the 'ring' that the cross bolt is threaded into will expand more than the cross bolt, should then be easy to unthread with a pair of pliers/molegrips.

[magnetman]

Another type of saw which is good for cutting these things is a recipro saw. With a hacksaw blade. No sparks and easier to handle in this situation than a jigsaw. 

[Mike H]

A dremmel with a cutter disk on will cut small shackles very easily and is more controllable than an angle grinder or saw

[Tonka]

1 hour ago, dave moore said:

I’d cut them off and replace with stainless steel shackles. Never had a problem with them.

Rope shackle is better and doesn't ruin the paintwork 

[ditchcrawler]

How big are these shackles that you used to dangle a fender on, I would think 2 screwdrivers would make mine let go

Edited January 7 by ditchcrawler

[magnetman]

3 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

How big are these shackles that you used to dangle a fender on, I would think 2 screwdrivers would make mine let go

This is how one of my bikes was stolen. Admit I did lock it with a very thin chain ! 

9 minutes ago, Tonka said:

Rope shackle is better and doesn't ruin the paintwork 

A knotted length of bicycle innertube can work too. 

Either to hold the fender on instead of a shackle or to cover the chain and shackle. 

[RickS]

Thanks all for the usual helpful advice. It would seem that physical removal is the way forward rather than trying to chemically ease the rust, which is extensive. Bit cold today so didn't give any a try (I know!) but will give the dremmel and boltcutters a go. Not averse to using the angle grinder it's just that it's difficult to balance and use both hands to control the grinder.

Thanks again

[Tonka]

7 minutes ago, RickS said:

Thanks all for the usual helpful advice. It would seem that physical removal is the way forward rather than trying to chemically ease the rust, which is extensive. Bit cold today so didn't give any a try (I know!) but will give the dremmel and boltcutters a go. Not averse to using the angle grinder it's just that it's difficult to balance and use both hands to control the grinder.

Thanks again

Put the shackle in a vice then

 

 

 

 

Only kidding 

[Ronaldo47]

Plus gas, (or petrol lighter fluid if you have no Plus Gas, or even motor spirit), can be effective on badly-rusted bolts, but you will also need patience.

    The technique I have used with some success is to first apply some fluid and then work the head to and fro with a spanner. Steel is not infinitely rigid, and with luck you should see a ring of rusty fluid start to appear at the interface between the bolt and what the bolt is screwed into. Flush the rusty fluid away and repeat with clean fluid. The appearance of the rusty ring indicates that the thread adjacent the surface has released slightly, enough to allow some movement between the bolt and what it is screwed into.

      Repeated to and fro moving of the spanner and flushing with clean solvent will pump out more and more rust, allowing more and more of the thread to be released as the fluid penetrates deeper and releases more of the thread.  Applying too much torque too soon could shear off the bolt. 

    Conversely, if you don't see a ring of rusty solvent no matter how much you move the spanner to and fro, then the rust will have effectively welded the bolt in position, and cutting it free will be necessary.  

[David Mack]

In my experience the shackles on fender chains usually get tight as a result of being pulled out of shape when the fender has got caught in a gate or under a balance beam. They will nevertheless usually come undone if you can get pliers or a mole grip on both the shackle body and the end of the pin. But bent ones often won't (easily) screw back up again, so are best replaced.

[blackrose]

On 07/01/2024 at 20:46, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Cut them off with hacksaw if angle grinding is a problem,

won’t take long 

 

Yes if your cant be bothered to get the angle grinder out hold them with a pair of mole grips and use a hacksaw. 

14 minutes ago, David Mack said:

They will nevertheless usually come undone if you can get pliers or a mole grip on both the shackle body and the end of the pin. 

 

Or two pairs of mole grips and just unscrew them. 

[BilgePump]

13 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

Yes if your cant be bothered to get the angle grinder out hold them with a pair of mole grips and use a hacksaw. 

 

Or two pairs of mole grips and just unscrew them. 

I'd go for the mole grips and hacksaw any time for such a small steel item. Shackles and chain are quick and easy enough to cut through. The bolt cutters I've got are the 42" ones and a bit of overkill for things like that. Wouldn't feel confident about keeping a shackle steady and an angle grinder held securely to cut through it without damaging fender/paintwork/self.

[Mike Tee]

I’m surprised you can’t  use a big adjustable spanner and just keep tightening till it breaks.

[magnetman]

Oxyacetylene might do it

 

Just vaporise the blighter. 

[rusty69]

I reckon if this thread continues much longer, the shackle will have rusted off, fallen in the water and discovered by detectorists in the year 2086. The OP could have built an angle grinder by now.