leicanthrope

I'm in the process of cleaning up a set of Modolo Professional brakes that I scored from fleabay for a nice price. So far, so good, except the barrel adjusters seem to be absolutely frozen. I've tried WD-40 thus far, but I can't get the nut and screw portions of either barrel adjuster to budge. Anyone know of any good tricks and/or have any recommendations for roughly period looking equivalents that would fit? They have the one flattened side like Campagnolo adjusters, but the screw is a tad narrower. Can't fit a Campy adjuster into the brake.

Ed.

I'd try putting them in a zip-lock bag (double bag), with enough Kroil to submerge them. Zip up the bags and put them in a ultrasonic cleaner with probably just plain water. Crank up the heat and see what happens.

dddd

I've successfully used the "hot hammer" (propane torch) to un-freeze all-metal adjusting barrel hardware that resisted being freed up with penetrants.

You don't need to go much past the point of smoking the residual oil out of it, and you don't want to heat it to the point of cooking off the plating.

Using tools that grip without damage is key here. Heat may not even be needed.
I assume the cable/housing and any O-ring gripper has been removed at this point(?).

Some calipers use plastic bits to prevent barrel rotation, so don't cook or twist these into uselessness.

Chombi

Yup, forget the WD40, It's like bringing a pocket knife to a gunfight when it comes to penetrants.
Freeze-Off, PB Blaster, Kroil, heat are what you should try to get those buggers off the caliper arms......

randyjawa 

Throw it in boiling water, pull it out after a few seconds (be careful), try to move the screw - repeat as required. Worked for me, now and again, but not a sure fix.

3alarmer 

Small spray bottle of ATF/acetone mixed 50-50, usually works on everything. But the gripping of it in two sets of non marring pliers is also important.

If, as is often the case, they are stuck because of petrified grease, the ultrasonic cleaner works well....it frees up a lot of the ones I do here.

LeicaLad 

All I can say is, So YOU'RE the one who got them! (Congrats, as they looked to be in fine shape. I love these brakes.)

Prowler 

I agree there far better fluids than WD-40, even ATF and acetone or, I've heard, ATF and kerosene. I'll emphasize the value of non-marring grips. I've made copper pieces that will fit over the Channel-Lock jaws, aluminum faces to fit over the vice jaws and even hardwood replacement jaws for the vice. I keep bits of thick leather and inner tube around to wrap a part before clamping.

As to your adjusters, it sounds like they are both out on the bench, getting them out of the caliper arm is not the problem. I had this problem with one adjuster since the 'bolt' was not steel like the Campy bolts - it was aluminum while the nut was steel. The aluminum had oxidized and corroded enough to bind up the interface. Good penetrating oil (Liquid Wrench has worked well for me), time, time, and time, a bit of heat. Clamp the bolt in the vice, grab the nut with the pliers and wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. Don't force it. Wiggle wiggle until it moves just a bit then oil, time and a bit of heat. I use a hot air *** set on low. I'd rather not use an open flame with the oil.

If you can get the interface to move just a bit this time then it will move a bit more the next try and the next and finally come loose. Take your time. Start on Sunday evening, then go to work Monday. Try again on Monday evening and each again thru the week. You should be done on Friday evening. Clean up the threads, grease and put it back to work.

Blue Belly

any pictures? Are they cross threaded? Or corroded?

leicanthrope

They're the set that had the original red anodizing really horribly and unevenly faded. Sort of sunburned looking...

Not at the moment. It's just the two parts of the adjuster that are stuck to each other, they're totally free of the caliper. I think it's a problem of steel and aluminum corroding together.

I think that's exactly it.

Blue Belly

Ah! Yeah, some metals don't love each other. I may have some in my box of goodies. I'm pretty sure I have a set of modolo professional "parts" brakes

leicanthrope

I think the problem is that they love each other a bit too much...

Blue Belly

That may be just it! Ha!

Blue Belly

Look anything like this? Need a little cleaning but more complete than I remembered.
https://fbcdn-photos-b-a.akamaihd.ne...206780b3a439ab

leicanthrope

Other than the writing on the calipers, I think they're identical. Mine are the earlier version with "MODOLO" and "INTERN.PAT." stamped into the arms.

dddd

Next step, if the above treatments aren't working, might be to drill a hole in a block of wood that's just big enough for the ferrule head, then put the ferrule end into the hole with the adjuster nut resting on the flat wood surface.

You guessed it, right(?), then hit the end of the threaded stud with a plastic or leather-tipped mallet.

I often break loose crankarm dust caps the same way, using a wooden dowel as a drift to impact the periphery of the threaded cap so as to jar the threads loose without chancing stripping out the hex socket.

In the OP's favor, the threaded junction here is relatively short, so penetrants and hammering stress can have more "impact" on the root cause location. A longer threaded junction is more troublesome so perhaps would favor heat.

leicanthrope

One down...