Star Nut Conundrum

[cmb5286]

Originally Posted by GregL

This has been covered in multiple threads over the years. I once removed a star nut from a Cannondale carbon fork (which was approved for their specific star nut). The previous owner had pushed the star nut down into the steerer tube and used a compression plug instead. Before building up the bike, I decided to remove the star nut and carefully inspect the steerer tube.

I secured the fork so that it could not move, then drilled out the star nut very carefully. The key was to NOT have the drill bit become stuck, spinning the star nut and ruining the fork. I started with a drill bit that was just slightly larger in diameter than the threaded center hole in the star nut. I then used progressively larger drill bits until the star nut fell apart. The process was quick, easy, and effective. The fork served me well for years to come.

Greg

I think the key here is not to have the star nut spin. Trying to think of a way to ensure this.