How do you get a dime out of Fenix lens?

[Wits' End]

Before my son left for Thailand I gave him my Fenix L1D CE, to make room for my NiteCore light, didn't want to sound too generous
As I was chatting w/ him this AM/PM

Dru: Hey--one more question:
How do you get a dime out of Fenix
lens
I have one firmly stuck in my flashlight...it won't come out


Herb: on the outside?


Dru: Yes


Herb: A dime in mine [L2D] is smaller. Is it stuck by friction w/ sides? Or a sticky substance?
Or...?


Dru: just friction


Herb: Is there depth not "used" by dime?
Can you tap it on a surface?


Dru: A fraction of an inch
like 1/64th
My wife is looking rather emaciated; I should go feed her


Herb: Try tapping it face down


Dru: I tried. I tried beating it against a concrete wall too
Goodbye


Herb: Enjoy your meal
I'd try a dull table knife
Bye

So any suggestions?

Also looking for thoughts on buying a motor bike in Chang Mai

 

[ninjaboigt]

hmm.....my first thought is to super glue the dime to a stick or something so u have a handle on the dime to pop it off?


lol my second thought is the old soap and water trick to get a tight ring off a finger, maybe the soap will loosen it up some how....

i'll keep thinking...

 

[ninjaboigt]

hmm if hes willing to beat it against a concreate wall....i wonder if hes willing to drill the bezel slightly, to create a scalooped bezel or a " strike " bezel that way he can fit something under there like a smaller drill bit and pry it up.....

 

[BIGIRON]

I'd try a dental pick or like.

Then I'd try temperature differential. Try heating the head with a hairdryer - keeping the heat away from the dime until the head was pretty warm. Or try chilling the dime -- a piece of ice might work but a shot of butane or similar would probably do it.

Don't think you have enough room to drill and insert a pulling tool - dental pick - or screw but you might drill a very small hole at the edge of the dime, marring the light (but he's already beat it against concrete) and use the pick.

edit - I like the superglue idea.

 

[Zenster]

Put it in your freezer for about 20 minutes. The cold will cause the dime to shrink perhaps "just enough" so that you can tap it on a wooden table and dislodge it.

There's another technique using a hammer and chisel, but we'll try that later if when if we can't come up with a plan to get it out an easier way.

 

[TITAN1833]

A dime? thats almost enough to buy a new Fenix.:devil:

Jk,try drilling two holes opposite one another,into the dime taking care not to go to deep..then use long nose pliers to twist it out...or you could try freezing then placing it into hot water.

good luck.:thumbsup:

 

[LukeA]

Put it in your freezer for about 20 minutes. The cold will cause the dime to shrink perhaps "just enough" so that you can tap it on a wooden table and dislodge it.

There's another technique using a hammer and chisel, but we'll try that later if when if we can't come up with a plan to get it out an easier way.

Then heat the aluminum head with your hand to increase the thermal difference.

I also like the idea of attaching the dime to a dowel. That would make it easy.

 

[LED_Thrift]

If you have any money left over that was not spent on lights, then don't expect any sympathy here.

PS: Look at the bright side...at least the beam isn't ringy now.

 

[TITAN1833]

If you have any money left over that was not spent on lights, then don't expect any sympathy here.

PS: Look at the bright side...at least the beam isn't ringy now.

 

[alphazeta]

I would just unscrew the head off, then unscrew the reflector out, let the lens pop out from the back & then just poke out the dime with my pinky
-AZ

 

[Wits' End]

I chatted him this thread, he got it out before reading
Dru Lattin: Repetitive beating against a concrete wall made me see the light
Dru: Thanks for all your sage counsel



Herb: the shock of hitting a flashlight on concrete, on purpose!


Dru: It took a multiple hitting/gradual loosening approach to disengage it, but I got it

Dru: And it still wotks
And a dime


Herb: oh you got it out?


Dru: Yes!
I just beat it against a concrete post until it fell out
I tried prying it w/ fingernails, and beating it face-down, but that didn't work.
Insistent high-impact tapping is what what was needed


Herb: OK did you get it out before you asked me?


Dru: After I asked, before I came up and saw your lengthy response
ironic.


Herb:

 

[Wits' End]

I prefer the solutions here to his--Thanks

 

[jag-engr]

Wit's End,

I'm glad the problem worked out. I'm not sure I'd use the same method, but all's well that end well...


On a different note, a lot of people seem to be recommending thermal methods. That's probably the simplest solution if the head has never been disassembled before.

Note that the freezing or ice cube methods, in all likelihood, will only make the problem worse. Cold will shrink the metals and the aluminum bezel will shrink much more than the dime will, actually makingit tighter.

Try the heating method - I've heard of blow dryers being used to heat up flashlight heads for disassembly. The dime will expand, but the bezel will expand more. I think that I would make sure that the bezel were face down so that the dime would fall out rather than possibly seating farther into the bezel.

 

[TONY M]

LOL!

This is truly hillarious, one of the funniest things I have heard since someone (I forget who) got distracted by a phone call when his E01 was in the oven.

I'm glad its all sorted now.
Zensters idea of putting it in the freezer was my favourite.

 

[DM51]

LOL! I would have gone for the glue idea, but I can see that the kinder, gentler solution of beating it against a massive lump of concrete might work too. Was there no jack-hammer or high explosive available?

 

[PhantomPhoton]

Hmmm well I was going to suggest the easiest way to remove money for most anything nowadays. Bring it to a gas station.

 

[litetube]

I think the super glue idea would have been best, very innovative. a toothpick or small stick and a drop of glue on the dime. Let it harden then I bet that dime would have popped right out attached to the stick.

 

[RebelXTNC]

I wonder if a really good brand of gaffer's tape, like Pro-Gaff, would have had enough pull. Probably if you cleaned the dime and fully rubbed a small piece onto the surface and then pulled carefully it could have worked.
(I'm lucky to have a budget for things like $13 rolls of tape... very handy stuff) Or fiber-reinforced clear packing tape might be more readily available.
I've never had much luck with superglue on metal unless the surfaces mated perfectly. Plus you run the risk of permanent fingerprints from the glue's vapors adhering to the bezel or window. What if the glue made it into the gap with the dime! Then you'd really have trouble.
I think a needle or straight pin inserted at the edge of the dime would also pry it loose since the aluminum bezel and the dime would be soft enough for the steel to wedge in and then pry out. Damage would be very tiny.

 

[ninjaboigt]

alright! good to hear it came out, atleast it still works and we know it can take a beating ; )

 

[gratewhitehuntr]

is there a lot of American coinage in Thailand?

where did he get a dime?