gaucho777 

A little rust never scared me. Polishing scratches in an alloy post. No problem. Deep gouges? Well, maybe to some extent. Flaky, corroded, and potentially dangerous metal?...um, maybe not.

I'd like to salvage this beat up Campy post if possible. I'm willing to deal with rust and normal polishing, and don't need this post to be anything more than moderately presentable. However, the top section of this post in particular is giving me second thoughts re its safety. The metal seems to be flaking off revealing either a crack or a site(s) where cracks may propagate. Is this a recipe for disaster or is it possible to salvage the post? What say you, armchair metallurgist?

In addition to more than its share of scratches and a fairly significant gouge up the side, there are these strange, little, raised globs of metal on the surface. Almost as if liquid drops of metal fell and then cooled on the shaft. I am guessing the post had some attachment (post-mounted fender? trailer?) clamped to it that caused the gouge and contributed to the raised bumps.

Warning: Not for the squeamish!

Michael Angelo 

The corrosion on the top of the post is called intergranular corrosion, the most dangerous kind of decay in aluminum alloys. Many a plane has been grounded for this type of rot. Looks to me like you have a nice paper weight.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intergranular_corrosion

Zieleman

Interesting stuff! So in teaching us about intergranular corrosion, the (seat)post still has a good use to it. Perhaps the loose bits can be undone from its rust and used by someone who has dropped a similar part in the bin by accident. It has happened to me once or twice, not with campy though

Chombi

That second pic does not look promising, as it looks like the corrosion might have gone really deep into the tube section of that post. Although the NR posts have quite thick walls on their tube sections to work with, you might have to grind off too much to get all the corroded/compromised material off this one.

KonAaron Snake 

I think this is toast - I'd love to vulture one of those rails...as I am victim to Zielman's scenario.

gaucho777 

Thanks. Good info. I've read about enough crashes from broken seat posts that it's not worth pressing my luck.

Yes, the gouge on the side looks bad, but it's probably not any deeper than a typical Campagnolo flutes. Could possibly be milled out (though not worth the effort in this case). It's the top portion that gives me the most concern. Though the metal is thicker at the top, it's integrity definitely seems compromised.

Glad to help a brother out. I've already soaked the rails in Oxalic Acid, and they came out better than I expected. I'll send you a PM.

artclone

The bits could be run through a polishing tub thingy with walnut shells and then zinc plated with a diy kit. The seat post will be safe if the rider weighs under 10lbs.

Campagnerdo 

Second nuovo record post I've seen this year with that type of corrosion. Maybe the alloy used, at one time, was prone for this?

dddd

Any structural part such as a seatpost will have more-limited use as this kind of damage progresses.

At some point, a post like this one might only be suitable for lighter riders and with the saddle positioned relatively foreward, which further limits maximum stress.

The intended usage, whether over bumpy or smooth roads, for what number of miles, and being ridden at what level of speed (relative to road conditions) is what might complete the data set used to estimate (guess at) the post's usefulness.

I still ride a NR seatpost with visibly-reduced diameter above the seat lug on a 1970 Gitane Super Corsa, apparently the result from beach air corrosion in the vicinity of some long-since removed seat bag straps that perhaps retained moisture and salt.
The bike's frame has also not surprisingly had it's chromed stays and fork blades painted over, and, FWIW, I weigh about 155 and put only about 200 miles on the bike per year.

Bikedued

I always noticed that Campagnolo parts were more difficult to polish. I wonder if that's a related issue. Although most parts neglected that badly will meet a similar end. I am thoroughly surprised that the frame didn't have to be included in the pictures, as a by product of the neglect.,,,,BD

smontanaro 

I'd save it to use as the seatpost in a workshop stool made from the rear triangle and seat tube of a frame that is itself toast. Slap a chunk of 3/4" plywood underneath and a few casters, and you've got it made. I'll post a picture of mine when it's finished.

slowerplease

I dunno - I would clean it up and reassess. That's a solid chunk of aluminum and it was presumably engineered with enough strength to carry a clydesdale.

On the other hand, it's probably not worth the risk and it is not like there's a shortage of seatposts out there (except in 30.3! - if you have one of these please PM me, it's for my circa '91 Marin Team).

I've had one seatpost break on me in my years of not particularly high-mileage riding. The bolt sheared while I was coasting no-hands (pretty much all my body weight on the seat), and my butt tumbled down on the rear wheel. Somehow I wasn't seriously hurt. I was probably about 210 lbs back then.

slowerplease

After reading the Wikipedia entry I take it back... looks like it can penetrate right through the material

Aluminium-based alloys may be sensitive to intergranular corrosion if there are layers of materials acting as anodes between the aluminium-rich crystals. High strength aluminium alloys, especially when extruded or otherwise subjected to high degree of working, can undergo exfoliation corrosion, where the corrosion products build up between the flat, elongated grains and separate them, resulting in lifting or leafing effect and often propagating from edges of the material through its entire structure. [2] Intergranular corrosion is a concern especially for alloys with high content of copper.

phoebeisis

I'm cheap-slow-and risk taking-
and it is a Campy Post.
I would clean it up and use it.
Now the thought of a 27.2 suppository being suddenly inserted at 15mph-should give me pause.
But it is Campy post -and I'm cheap-and old Campy is magical for folks who had bikes 60's-70's.(FULL CAMPY-big deal back then)
I bet most folks on this forum-especially C&V types-would use it on a beater.They would be incapable of tossing a Campy post.
I just couldn't toss it or not use it-.
If it was Sun Tour or Shimano-sure I might dump it(but I'm cheap,so maybe not)
If it broke-your seat would just suddenly drop-but your butt would still have the seat under it for a moment until is side slipped and your butt-crotch hit the top tube seat tube junction.

Who here has actually crashed or been injured from seat tube breaking? A stem or HB or frame fork breaking would be a lot more dangerous-
and folks still ride chinese CF frames-despite their having an iffy reputation.

SJX426 

Intersting corrosion. Glad I don't have that post!

ColonelJLloyd 

I was given one about that bad. I cleaned and salvaged the hardware and tossed the rest; too far gone.

John E

Having broken a Campag. left crank (Veloce, at the spindle eye) and a Campag. rear axle (126mm OLD), I can attest there is nothing special about Campag.

phoebeisis

Right-nothing special about the material-but....for older folks(many of whom are also cheap) the name is special.
We would go to bike shops-stare at those pretty brakes-nice curves-the finish that was always better than other components(compare it to French or Japanese same vintage)-and STUNNING cost-Literally 4x what sun tour components cost.
It warped us.
It was a bit like looking at Jaguar XKE -except the Campy stuff actually worked right-and up close looked even better than at a distance-
Brit cars-some were beautiful-XKE- but they were POS function wise(so pretty at a distance it almost worth it-Austin Healey and various Triumphs-same story-MGs-wooden dash boards etc)
I would still like to have a Jaguar XKE- even though it would be slower-much slower than a V-6 Accord-and would certainly leave me stranded every week or so until all the electrical stuff was upgraded. Sooo pretty!

Campy-same story-except it worked well.

bikingshearer 

I am not particularly cheap, but I am slow and risk averse. I am also a hefty guy. There is no way in God's green earth I would use that in any bike, beater or not. Based on a years-old conversation I once had with a gent who told me of his first-hand experience when the bolts on an old Campy two-post seat post broke and the sensations he experienced what his naughty bits were unceremoniously introduced to the moving rear tire and seatstays, I would far rather pay the going rate for a replacement post. I use that kind of post on several bikes without problems, but they have never looked like that.

It might make a cool replacement for old-fashioned blackjack, though.

phoebeisis

But you would have to melt lead in it!

gaucho777 

I'm with bikingshearer. I'm an old cheap guy at heart, too, but I gotta draw the line somewhere. I like to have a sense of security while I ride--both terms of my own safety and that I'll be able to make it home with the bike intact. I wouldn't want to ride in fear that each bump in the road might lead to a surprise colonoscopy, and/or potentially damage to the rest of the bike in a resultant crash. As expensive as vintage Campagnolo posts are, they are still cheap in comparison to modern carbon or Ti Moots posts, and well worth the cost of peace of mind.

due ruote 

What size is that post? I have a NR 27.0 that's gnarly but not dangerous gnarly, just ugly. You can have it if you want. The catch is it has no clamps, so if you've already parted with those you'd be sol.

gaucho777 

due route, many THANKS for your kind offer, but I have no use for a 27.0 post. (This one's 26.4mm.)

due ruote 

Oh well.

phoebeisis

It is pretty grungy!