Can you dismantle a freewheel without a chain whip?

[swee'pea99]

I need a 15t cog for my fixie conversion and I have an old freewheel hanging around - if I could dismantle the thing, it would give me both the sprocket and some spacers...but googling suggests at least one or in some cases two chain whips. Even on ebay I'd be looking at a tenner (poss x2) for something I'm pretty sure I'd only ever use this once.

So being me I was thinking of sticking it in the old B & D Workmate - held by the largest sprocket - then using a big screwdriver and a hammer: put the blade in between teeth of smallest sprocket and whack (going counter-clockwise) until it comes loose, then take it from there. (Actually, it now occurs to me, would a sprocket from the middle of the pack be threaded? I seem to recall reading somewhere that only the smallest one or two have threads. I assume an unthreaded sprocket would be totally useless to me...?)

 

[MartinC]

They tend to be on pretty tight and undoing them was always easier using a freewheel holder in a vice and 1 chain whip. Using 2 chain whips usually involved swearing and grazed knuckles.

Your method may well work - if you don't want the old freewheel there's nothing to lose. Hardest part may be securing it in the Workmate. Wrapping some old chain around it may stop it cutting in and slipping.

The threaded bit is a real memory test and will depend on the type of freewheel. Some of them had one of the bigger sprockets threaded too. On some the top sprocket threaded onto the top but one which was threaded onto the freewheel.

 

[spandex]

To do what you are wishing to do I would have to say no. It would be better, cheaper and easer just to go out and get what you need.

 

[tyred]

What I seen done in the past and may help you out is to take a good strong piece of wood, something like 6 x 2" and a bag of 2" nails. Set the freewhweel on the board, large sprocket downwards. Drive a nail in at the trough between two teeth. Repeat the whole way around the large sprocket and then the large sprocket is well and truely nailed to the board. Mount the board in a vice or nail it too something else if you don't have a large enough vice and unscrew the small sprocket. Unless you have an old French freewheel, I think anything in more recent times have only the small sprocket screwed on with the rest on splines.

Incidently, you can make a perfectly acceptable chain whip with an old chain and a pair of vice grips.

 

[MartinC]

To do what you are wishing to do I would have to say no. It would be better, cheaper and easer just to go out and get what you need.

I think that this is what Tyred and I were really saying as well.

 

[spandex]

So it was sorry

 

[tyred]

Probably would be easier to buy what you need but I would give it a go just for the hell of it...

 

[MartinC]

Spandex - I meant that you'd summed it up much better than me!

Tyred - yes tempting just to see if you could! I've used the plank and nails approach when I've only had 1 chain whip but not with a drift and hammer.

 

[swee'pea99]

What I seen done in the past and may help you out is to take a good strong piece of wood, something like 6 x 2" and a bag of 2" nails. Set the freewhweel on the board, large sprocket downwards. Drive a nail in at the trough between two teeth. Repeat the whole way around the large sprocket and then the large sprocket is well and truely nailed to the board. Mount the board in a vice or nail it too something else if you don't have a large enough vice and unscrew the small sprocket. Unless you have an old French freewheel, I think anything in more recent times have only the small sprocket screwed on with the rest on splines.

Incidently, you can make a perfectly acceptable chain whip with an old chain and a pair of vice grips.

Thanks - wood, nails, big hammers - that sounds like my kind of maintenance!

Thanks for the tip on the whip - that's an old bit of chain and mole grips, yes?

 

[tyred]

Yes. Just wrap the chain around the whole sprocket until the two ends meet and grip it tightly at that point. Similar to how an old fashioned oil filter wrench works.

 

[swee'pea99]

Excellent! Who needs knuckles?

 

[spandex]

Arr do not worry about them there over rated....

 

[Joe24]

Arr do not worry about them there over rated....

They just add weight to your body, and you dont really need them.

 

[gbb]

Yah...who needs chainwhips...
http://www.virginmedia.com/images/bond-bad-richard-kiel.jpg

 

[gavintc]

As long as you have the tool for the lock ring, I would have presumed a towel wrapped around the cassette would achieve the same affect of holding the cassette in position. Not tried it but have often pondered it.