That's what I get for typing and answering phones at the same time.  Sorry for all those typos!  I really can spell.

about the poster's original problems:
1.did you make sure you cleaned the connection on the socket and then used flux when soldering?
2.to get out tight soft screws, use the proper sized screw bit in an electric drill. the instantanious torque of the drill tends to pop the screw less before that head strips.
3.usually if you're treading a screw into plastic it doesn't need loctite, since the elasticity of hte plastic will hold it in place, unless it's really loose.

Quote from: dmp221

Quote from: seshadri_srinathThe world's steel supply quality dropped from 85-90 or so. ... But in general 85-90 bikes rusted easy.
Cool.
Srinath.

That's quite a generalized statement, based on nothing but very limited personal observation.  Maybe for some unknown reasons, the entire world steel production quality (from every steel mill in every country on the planet) really did drop for about 5 years...or maybe not.
I'm not quite sure how you would document and support a statement like this.
I DO know that there is another factor no one has yet mentioned, and living in New York's Adirondacks I am acutely aware of this: acid rain.  It was a hugh problem during much of the mid 80's until in the early 90's the Fed and a few state EPA's required a reduction in acid rain, mostly having to do with pollution controls in midwest power (and general industrial) plants...scrubbers and the like.  Now the acid rain is greatly reeduced, but it was a HUGE problem, and coincidentally, rampant during 85-90. Rust?  Yuo betcha!!

Acid rain probably... but that dont really explain how bikes from the early 80's from every manufacturer survived quite well, and the late 80's bikes rusted... Anyway The Japanese use only domestic steel. In fact most companies dont venture very far to buy the components... Why... The obvious reason... shipping costs. Anyway the Japanese must have made some changes to their processes in that time causing a dip in the quality of steel they made. Its more than limited personal knowldge of a few bikes. More than a few mechanics have told me. Also a known and similar fact is the auto industry from 88-92 or so had issues with paint c os they were forced to make a switch out of leaded paint.
Cool.
Srinath.

Interesting...I wonder why???

Because lead based paint is toxic...

BTW- The Japanese import ALL their steel and aluminum, mostly as recycled scrap metal. They have no ore deposits native to the Islands.

One of the main reasons Japan went to war with the US in '41 was because we cut them off from importing steel. After the war they again became one of the biggest importers of scrap metal. Your Japanese built GS may have been a tank or ship that had been used to beat them into submission.

I would go with environmental factors as the problem too (or just age). There is just too many variables between different lots from the same mill not to mention different companies and countries to say everyones steel had a problem.