Seized Schwinn Seatpost

I was restoring an old women's frame Schwinn Varsity and I couldn't remove the seat post. I'm not sure how it rusted in there so badly since the rest of the bike looked like it was never really used, but that post might as well have been epoxied in place. I used penetrating oil, my propane torch, and a pipe wrench, and the post wouldn't budge. I was actually bending the top of the post with the pipe wrench.

Finally I tried spraying the inside of the seat tube with Lime-Away to try to dissolve the rust holding everything together. After a few hours I hit it with a hammer to see if it would move:

It did. Very slightly, but enough to break the rust bond. When I started turning it with my pipe wrench it made the most satisfying cracking sound that I've ever heard.

Progress:

Victory!

 

Grease your seatposts. That is all.