Took a chance on using dental floss for that stubborn crank arm removal and it saved me an hour of frustration

After a seized bottom bracket on a 90s Schwinn in Denver left me stuck for 45 minutes, I tried wrapping a strand of waxed floss around the threads before my Park Tool remover and the thing popped off on the first try - has anyone else ever used weird household stuff for bike repairs?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan_ellis1mo ago

Started using dental floss to get a stripped screw out of a lawnmower carburetor last summer and it worked better than any penetrating oil I had. That little trick cracked my whole view on bike maintenance honestly. Most of the time we overthink solutions and buy expensive specialty tools when everyday stuff like floss, rubber bands, or even an old t-shirt can do the job just as well. Your mileage may vary based on the exact situation but I've found that a lot of stubborn metal-on-metal problems just need a little extra grip or a tiny barrier to break the corrosion bond. It's like how people use a candle stub on zippers or WD-40 on stuck jars - the best fixes are usually the ones right in front of you.

rubyshah1mo agoMost Upvoted

It's a clever trick to be sure, but let's not pretend floss is some miracle cure for all mechanical problems. There are plenty of times when a sheared bolt or a truly rusted part needs heat, a proper impact driver, or even a drill to set things right. That old t-shirt trick is fine for a stuck jar lid, but I'd be careful comparing that to the stresses inside a carburetor.

drewgonzalez1mo ago

Hold up, @rubyshah - are you saying that old t-shirt trick actually worked on a jar lid for you? Because I tried that once and ended up just ripping the shirt and having to scrub sticky jam out of the fabric later, which really frustrated me. I'm genuinely curious if there's a specific way to wrap it that I missed, or if my jar lids are just cursed or something.