Update:

I bought and modified this Harbor Freight tool because it looked promising. Looks aren't everything though - I bought a Hercules 3speed last weekend and on the first cotter, the tool gave up the ghost. I thought the cracking noise was the cotter breaking free, but instead it was brittle cast iron. My bench vise and a 10mm socket did the trick without the drama (why didn't I think of this first) The cranks and cotters were clean and not rusty, and I preconditioned them with PB blaster a few days befor the attempt. My recommendation is to save your money - the tool is just not up to the task.

-G

At the risk of appearing to launch an anti-HF hijack, here's a true story that I hope I haven't already shared here before: Thanks to this thread, I was planning to pick up one of these chain tools on my next visit to HF. As I was browsing the aisles, I spotted this special tool of chargemotor:



Note the piece directly under the screw, it's part of the main "casting." Broken, and it hasn't even left the package yet! I didn't get the chain tool.

Apparently, I didn't learn my lesson though, as I recently bought an $8 mini furniture dolly that looked reasonably serviceable until I tried to move a bookcase with it. It wants to go in circles, and I have to fight with it to get it to go straight...

Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you.

I've used mine to remove and install about a dozen sets of cotters so far. I did break one of the push-pins but I had it in there crooked and too far extended from the larger screw, and knew better, but got rammy instead.

As always YMMV.

Great idea; I'm gonna modify my quickly retired HF chainbreaker this weekend. It really is a cruddy chainbreaker but it looks like it would make a great cotter press as designed by Amesja. [I went ahead and sprang for a Park chainbreaker.

FWIW, my little HF 100 PSI pancake air compressor has given me excellent service and I have retired the manual bicycle pumps for the most part. Generally, I've found that HF is great for some things but for others, say for instance 7" needle nose vise-pliers, you're better off with Irwin... etc.

Also, HF's QC is somewhat spotty, I'll bet gmt13 just got one of the chainbreakers that should have been a blem.

I have mostly Dewalt, Makita, and Milwaukee, but for occasional use, sometimes HF can't be beat. Had to drive to 8' copper clad grounding rods last week. About equal cost to renting at Home Depot, when gas is figured in. This $95 SDS MAX rotary tool was awesome, 5 minutes each. The oscillating multi tool works well too. Anyone try the HF ultrasonic cleaners?

Grin...

Well I guess we're staying on topic since the ultrasonic cleaners could be used for cleaning parts...

I haven't tried that, but the oscillating multi-tool - which can be had for a cool $18 when on sale - is da bomb!

Been using their larger ultrasonic cleaner for several years.

HF is a source of cheap tools, many of them crap. But I have been using their digital calipers for years, as well as the ultrasonic cleaner, and their table saw style tile wet saw.

Been using them since the days that you had to mail order 'em outta Long Beach CA.

Digital calipers is a +1... Tell me more about the ultrasonic cleaner....

On the subject of Harbor Freight, it's been my experience with their tools that as long as it doesn't break the first time you use it, it'll be good for a good while. After two years and 100+ bikes flipped, I'm still using the cheap wrench set I bought there for 5 or 10 dollars.

On the subject of cheap cotter presses, I've had great luck with this thing for $13.95 from Napa: https://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...095_0006537807

great tip on the TR seperator, thanks!

Bumping this thread to show a couple photos of cotter presses in action.

First the highly regarded Bikesmith Design tool:

Even with the body of the tool pressed right up against the chain ring of this old Williams crank, the threaded driver does not align with the cotter. The hex head on the driver is also pressed right up against the chain ring; you can't turn it. This is a great tool, but it does not fit every crank.

Now here's a Harbor Freight chain breaker that's been modified quite a bit:

It's tight, but it works.

(Zombie thread revival) Finally got around to making and using my HF cotter press. Worked like a charm. Of course I did the blaster soak a day ahead of time, and the tool popped them out with very little effort. Shown below is a link to see what happened the last time I tried to remove a cotter. By the way, when I bought it a while ago it was on sale plus I had a 25 per cent discount coupon and ended up paying $9 or $10 for the tool. Thanks GMT13!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=#post15450641

I never use any penetrating oil to remove cotters. I've used my tool over 50 times and never had any problems other than once breaking one of the tiny pins pushing it out too far. Operator error... Now I don't use the small inner bolt and simply crank on the outer bolt. It works fine that way even with the coarser thread.

I did rack the whole tool one time on a really tough cotter. I used a big hammer and the concrete outside to square it back up again but the tool is still just a tiny bit crooked still. I bought another one from HF to eventually replace the original one I made but have been too lazy to drill it out on the drill press. The old one keeps working. One of these days It might break but it continues to pull out and reinsert cotters without any fuss so I keep using it. I work on a lot of old bikes.

It works like a charm for me, when it fits. It doesn't fit all bikes, unfortunately. I'm sorry, but I don't remember what the reason for the non-fit was.

I haven't broken my Harbor-kluge tool yet after several bb rebuilds, but when it seems like I'm having to turn the wrench particularly hard, I'll start over after first blasting the crank with a propane torch for a minute and a half, or until some smoke starts just drifting off of it.

For the golf-tee pin, I shortened the thin section and reinforced it with a same-length alloy sleeve, also adding a washer to allow freer rotation.

Mine also got some grinding with a carbide cutter to more-easily fit the cranks that I was attacking.

I also remember encountering what seemed like hardened steel when drilling out the opening in the main driver, so I recommend a heavy drill hand on a securely anchored driver in the vise, drilled at modest speed using cutting lubricant.

I found a old Magneet Dutch bike with one cotter pin crank arm stuck. I went to Harbor Freight and bought the chain brake. Milled the tool very accurately. I then went to the crank arm. Sprayed it with wd-40 to loosen potential oxidation. Let it sit for an hour. I then heated the pin and arm with a Propane Torch. Let it cool. Then I started to use my Harbor Freight tool. I noticed a bit of tension nothing crazy, and as I continued to turn I heard a crack. I first thought it was the pin moving...and I looked further the tool was cracking severely on the corner. It took me an hour to mill this sucker and 5 min to break it. Flush $16 and time spent. I am in no way being aggressive with the tool or forcing anything. The Harbor Freight tool is just a piece of poo. Just my 2 cents. Now I am gonna borrow a real press from a bike buddy. Next time I will save my dollars and get a real press from: https://www.bikesmithdesign.com/CotterPress/
Happy Cotter Pin Pressing!!!!!!

The Bikesmith Design and Fabrication press has been redesigned since I bought mine. The price has gone up, too.

New Crank Cotter Press

Built one using HF chain breaker as specified. Worked very well to remove old cotters. For installation, not quite enough clearance--probably similar to the post about French bikes. Few minutes with draw file on the lower face opened the throat just fine.

+1 on the VAR press. I used to think VAR mean cotter press, it was the only tool from them I saw for years. And I'm not old enough to have used it much, I actually had an "old-timer" (to me) show me how to use it.

Wow for $15 bucks and a few more for drill bits, this thing works GREAT!! I spent too much time drilling out a cotter pin for the left crank arm on an old Peugeot Mixte yesterday. Today, after building this tool and after understanding exactly how it is supposed to work, spent less than a couple minutes pressing out the chainwheel crank arm. WOW!! Thanks again!! I know this is an old post but it's still reaching people.

I agree--crappy tools are usually a mistake. You use it once, you break it and add another piece of junk to the world's collection of junk, then you have to go out and buy the tool you should have bought in the first place. It's easier to just go directly to Step 3.

To this end, I had been successfully using a large c clamp and a socket, but a couple of times things were iffy. Am awaiting the press from bikesmithdesign (in transit). As I see and get to work on nicer, older bikes I get more worried about screwing up something irreplaceable.

My Harbor Freight tool failed after two or three uses. I don't plan to get another one. I looked up motorcycle chain breaker, and all the chain tools I found appear to be the same one sold by other companies, and they all receive a lot of bad reviews. Some blame the way the tool is used, but I don't see how you can avoid putting a lot of force on it every time you use it.

I don't plan to buy another tool. I'll just borrow a tool from now on or have a shop remove cotters for me. I'm renovating an old Peugeot mixte for a friend. I can't get the NDS cotter out, so I'll replace the cranks and spindle with some cotterless parts, and I hope I can keep the existing cups.

This Harbor Freight setup worked like a charm for me on the cranks of a 1953 Follis!

Seems like the moral of this story is if you need a cheap cotter press in a hurry, buy two of the Harbor Freight tools - one extra in case the first breaks - but plan on getting Mark's cotter press if you plan on doing more than one set of cotters in a blue moon.

-Kurt