[Joe Nation]

I discovered this by accident over Christmas, although I'm sure plenty of smart people have worked it out for themselves already.

Next time you need to press in some headset cups, try putting them in the fridge for an hour or two (or your unheated shed if it's winter), and leave the frame in a warm part of your house. The cups with contract a bit, the frame will expand a bit, and hey presto your cups will press in without a second though.

You'll need to put your forks in the fridge to get the crown race on though.

 

[AZ]

Put the crown race in almost boiling water , it will go right on .

 

[IRONMAN1518]

Wife says NO to forks in fridge!!

 

[Bikinfoolferlife]

Wife says NO to forks in fridge!!

She probably frown on the dishwasher as parts washer thing, too?

 

[NYrr496]

My wife came in once and caught me heating up a pitmann arm on the stove so it would slip on my truck better. I was monitoring the temp with an infra red thermometer, which is also a big no no in her mind. She swears that red dot causes cancer. I told her to relax. It was a brand new, clean part.

 

[bad mechanic]

Ah yes, the kitchen.

Fortunately I'm a bachelor, so no restrictions on how I use my kitchen. I can tell you the last time my oven was used, it was for heat molding my snowboard hardboot liners.

For press fits, the freezer works better. Or, if you need it in a hurry, take ice, add water, add salt, and then drop the piece in for about 5 minutes.

 

[IRONMAN1518]

No need for the dishwasher got a parts washer.wheew!!

 

[fliernh]

Wife says NO to forks in fridge!!

New Wife??

 

[zebrahum]

She probably frown on the dishwasher as parts washer thing, too?

Good idea! Now to wait until the wife is out for a while...

 

[mtnbiker72]

I have my own refrigerator in my shop...as well as a Coleman stove.

 

[archer]

Ah yes, the kitchen.

Fortunately I'm a bachelor, so no restrictions on how I use my kitchen. I can tell you the last time my oven was used, it was for heat molding my snowboard hardboot liners.

For press fits, the freezer works better. Or, if you need it in a hurry, take ice, add water, add salt, and then drop the piece in for about 5 minutes.

Not for my parts please.
In a plastic baggie maybe but probably not.
I don't want any salt in my build from a corresion standpoint.

 

[bad mechanic]

Not for my parts please.
In a plastic baggie maybe but probably not.
I don't want any salt in my build from a corresion standpoint.

Obviously don't do it with a sealed cartridge bearing, but if it's just a cup without a bearing, or just a race, then it's fine.

 

[mmmm]

Hmmm...I use my Park headset cup press. no heating necessary and best of all the damn thing was free:thumbsup: .

 

[Bikinfoolferlife]

Why all the fuss with heating/cooling, not necessary if you simply press them in evenly...whether using a dedicated press, a diy press or even a block of wood and a hammer...

 

[bad mechanic]

It's something I generally don't bother with when working on a bike, but it is useful for certain things on a car or motorcycle.

 

[david8613]

i did that cooling the fork, and boiling the race...it almost worked, but the race got stuck halfway there, now i cant take the race off either, lol. i gotta go to the hardware store and get some pipe so i could just bang it in, should i use a metal or pvc pipe? and what about the star nut whats the best non special tool way to do that?