I have an old steel Benotto that I want to remove the braze ons from. I'm guessing it's Columbus tubing, but not sure. it's a modelo 850 ... probably from the 70's.
what I want to know is, can I use a simple hand held propane torch to remove them? or will I need something hotter?

I really just want to remove the cable and shifter bosses, I don't care so much about the bottle cage nuts.

I searched for this topic but nothing came up, thanks for any help.

you have got to be kidding, this topic comes up every other week... OR MONTH. there is much discussion everytime. but the out shot is, propane is hot enough. however, the heat will destroy the paint job. some will say to use a cuttung device (roto tool) instead. other will say to leave it alone unless you are so into the looks part of things that you must do it. I believe most conversion riders, leave them the heck alone.

btw; the bottle cage stuff is actually removable, but will leave you with a hole in the frame (for each nut removed)

Heres one of many threads. Lots of good info in this and the threads it refers to:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ighlight=braze

Good luck, the braze ons can be tricky to remove without badly messing up the paint.

I tried the torch method, but bailed on it when they didn't pop-off so quickly. Probably would have worked if I'd kept at it.

Instead I hacksawed and filed, then used wet/dry sandpaper strips (roll). Worked fine for shifter bosses, cable guides, and deraileur hanger. Either way, I figure you need to count on painting or powdercoating afterwards.

awesome, i love it when people ruin vintage road frames.

Typical Bike Forums response. All about judging.

yeah no kidding.


The paint job was beat up (not to mention ugly) before I got it and someone bent the seatpost bracket trying to tighten it around a post that was too small, so the frame isn't exactly in pristine condition either. but who cares? I could saw the thing in half and drag it around behind a car with a burning italian flag. It's just a frame, they made plenty.

anyway, here's hoping that it works.
(and why would ANYONE think that the paint job would survive a torch?)

then it oughta be stickied in an admin run FAQ thread.


I know. I almost asked about using automotive body putty to fill them in, but I figured some vintage frame purist's head would explode ... and that happens often enough.