Removing stuck cylinder hold open pin on pre-war Smiths?

[cgt4570]

Two of my Smiths (a Registered Magnum and a Model of 1902 M&P) have their cylinder hold open pins stuck in the yoke. I've soaked them with every oil I've got and mechanically agitated them. Any way to get them loose short of drilling them out and replacing them? If it comes down to that, I've got spare pins and springs. I just hate to risk damaging the yokes.

 

[DCWilson]

If they are down in the yoke, they must have been dropped in without any springs behind them. The only thought I have is more Kroil or super-thin penetrating oil, then rap the crane sharply (but not abusively!) on some hard surface to see if the pin can be dislodged by its own momentum. If not, I'd try the mother of all electromagnets.

Or maybe a combo: put a leather pad over the face of a hundred-pound magnet, then rap the yoke on the leather with the pin hole over a cutout in your pad.

I used to use a propane torch on frozen manifold bolts, but I'm not sure how much you'd want to heat up a yoke. If you wanted to heat it up moderately in an oven -- 200 degrees, maybe -- then put in a microdrop of heated penetrating oil, maybe that would help.

You could also use the blunt end of canape toothpick to see if you can rotate the pin in its prison by friction. I doubt that would hurt.

Good luck.

 

[DCWilson]

Or one other thing that occurs to my fevered imagination. Grip the yoke rod in a drill press and spin the whole thing inside a coffee can so you can trap the pin if it comes flying out. If the pin is too close to the center of mass, you might have to build some kind of frame with the yoke attached on one side and a counterweight on the other. If you lube the stuck pin adequately and spin this assembly fast enough, I'd think the pin would come out.

 

[kritter]

they probally still have the springs in there... just "gummed up" and stuck.. but everyones on the right track.. Kroil and tapping the yoke on a padded surface is about the only way.. or at least the only way I've found that works....

 

[enfield]

I read a thread about penetrating oils: one poster stated that a 50/50 mix of ATF and acetone was the best penetrating oil that he had ever used.

I haven't tried it.

 

[cgt4570]

Kroil hasn't worked yet, but I'm still trying. I like the idea of spinning it really fast to let kinetic energy do the work. Not much risk of damage. Like I said, even if I lose the pin and spring, I've got spares.
Thanks for all the responses!