j. hughes

I can borrow?
You can have my Raleigh cotter nuts like these


I guess you can have the pin too, if it is removed nicely? I don't know if you're supposed to reuse them or not.

Crast

Don't reuse the pins. It's technically possible, but probably not worth it.

Also, if you're removing cotters, a mallet and a block of wood or a punch and some care should suffice most of the time.

j. hughes

^i'll try that first, as I don't really care about saving the cotters (or cranks for that matter, but it would be nice if someone else could use the cranks again)

awc380

Go to bikesmithdesigns. Buy one of his.
I know they're pricey, but unless someone is near you, I imagine that you'd pay about a third of that in postage.

I just ordered one yesterday, I'll post when I try it out...I have high hopes.

dbakl

No, but I have a drift pin and a heavy mallet. Worked fine the last 35 years....

Grand Bois

You'll love it. It's worth every penny.

jonwvara 

My feeling is that it's nuts to remove a cotter with anything but a cotter press. Sure, you can do it, but there's a tool made for the job, so why not use it? It's sort of comical that there's so much general moaning and complaining about how hard cotters are to deal with, when the reality is that operations requiring a special tool ARE hard to do if you don't have the right tool. Sure, I guess you could remove splined cartridge bottom bracket cups with a hammer and chisel, but that doesn't make it a good idea. If someone wrote in for advice about how to remove their cotterless crank with a hammer, they'd be laughed at. I'm not sure why the same isn't true of cottered cranks.
Whew. That said, the Wheelsmith version is expensive. Sure works well, though. Worth it in frustration avoided. If there's a right tool, use it!
jv

j. hughes

Yeah, I would purchase one if I planned on doing this more than once. I certainly agree that the right tool is needed to do a job right. But in this instance, I don't care about doing the job right! I just don't think it would be wise on my part to spend that kind of jack on a tool that is twice as valuable as the bicycle. If I was reusing the crank, I would consider it also. I just want them off and I'd prefer to not deal with a cottered crank again after I remove these and make the switch.

Sixty Fiver

Go talk to your lbs... they should have a cotter pin press and might even be amenable to letting you borrow it or bring your bike and have it done there.

One of my local shops loans tools which is great for those one time jobs.

And yes.. I have a cotter press (Park).

dbakl

I agree, if I specialized in cottered bikes I'd get one, but I only work on one or two per decade.

BTW, the cotter presses seemed to show up in the last 10 years or so...what did those burly bike mechanics use before presses, or have they always been around and I'm just out of the loop? Worked on an English 3-speed on the kitchen floor when I was about 12... hammer and a punch ever since!

Otis

I have a nice old VAR press but if I did not I would go buy a decent size C-Clamp at Harbor freight where it would cost about fity nice cents. Then I would make a cut out in the static flat so it would fit around the cotter. Viola a cotter press. It might help to use a small hose clamp or duct tape to keep the screw-head from swiveling.

The real nice thing about a cotter press over a hammer is you can re-install the cotters with the press instead of pulling them in with the nut, which can break the cotter, or not get it seated right.

Poguemahone

The Park tool hasn't been made for years, at least ten; the Var tool is similarly old. The newer bikesmith ones were to replace them, after they went out of production. Shops had 'em.

Learned with hammer & punch, bought a Park press cheap on ebuy years back (I think under 20$, but it's been a good while) and I vastly prefer the press.

OP, I'd lend you mine, but you're in the wrong area code.

BTW, if you replace the pins, you won't be able to use the neat lil' caps, IIRC they were some bizarre Raleigh-only thread... replacements you can buy are a different thread.

Grand Bois

In that case, it makes no sense to buy a press.

I plan to sell the only cottered crank I have, but I think I'll hang on to the press.

Sixty Fiver

Is it a 50's Stronglight ?

Grand Bois

It's a 60's Simplex. At least the rings and adapters are. I have the other ring, too. The plating hasn't even been worn off of the teeth. It's never been hit with a hammer, either.

awc380

Well put!
Should be the primary posting for every 'cotter' thread....

awc380

With the c-clamp method, I think you would find that all you have on your hands is a bent, decent size C-clamp and two still-firmly-attached cotters.

jonwvara 

I understand your problem--after I sent my earlier posting it occurred to me that maybe it would look as if I was giving you a hard time, which was not my intention. But it's hard to predict the future. If you have the cotter press you may find that you'll work on more cottered cranks than you'd expect. Plus if you can get this crank off without wrecking it you may be able to sell it and partially recover the cost of the press. And it's just fun to own and use the tool. You've done $50 things purely for fun before, right? Gone out for dinner and such? And you didn't feel that it was a waste of money because you had nothing to show for it? And here you'll have two things--an intact and unwrecked crankset and a lifetime tool. I don't know your financial situation, but spend the money if you can. Go ahead, live a little. I'm a major cheapskate, myself, but I don't regret having the tool even though I've only used it twice.
jv

Grand Bois

I tried the C clamp method before I ordered the Bikesmith press. It was a complete failure.

I have a lot of tools, and the Bikesmith Design press is one of my favorites, probably second to my Delta drill press.

purevl

Really? The C-clamp method works a treat for me. I use a socket on the back side rather than cutting a notch as was previously mentioned. A block of hardwood with a hole in it would probably work well and help to avoid any marring of the chrome. The thing that's stopped me from buying a bikesmith press so far is that I think for the price it ought to come with a Delrin insert for the jaw or something similar to protect the finish. A buddy is supposed to machine a similar design for me which I will fit with a soft jaw.

dbakl

Thanks, I'm going to try that for my next cottered fiasco!

bigbossman 

Be sure to use a solid, vintage C clamp. I tried this method with a cheapo Harbor Freight type one, and all I did was bend the C clamp. The cotter held fast.

wrk101

+1 I work on three or four a decade, so not worth a tool. I just use a punch, a block of wood, and a mallet. Has worked fine for those three or four bikes.

Fibber

Ha! Been there, done that... 4 rotations of the threaded seat resulted in the medium duty C opening up by, well, 4 fine threads worth!

I just recently picked up an automotive ball press as shown in a previous thread, but have yet to give it a try yet.

awc380

^ That might work...

But are a few different flubbed alternatives not enough justification to splurge and get a nice lifetime tool the first time around?