LSH-P lens replacement

[sharkeeper]

How hard is it to do this?

The stock lexan lens is slightly scratched from wiping it off with a rag when it was dropped in a bilge with nasty water in it. Light works perfectly but the lens is not clean like if it were glass.

Cheers!

 

[shiftd]

You will need to remove the retaining ring either by heating or dremel it (not recommended). The ring is being held by loctite, and applying some heat will loosen the loctite a bit (or so i am told). when the loctite is loose, you can unscrew the ring and the rest is plain simple.
don't forget to order the UCL lens from chris at flashlightlens.com. he has the right lens.

 

[cy]

I would recommend not changing out the lens. Polish it instead with plastic polishing compound or toothpaste.

Anytime you desturb the original Potting/loctite. You risk destroying the integrity of the light.

Even if you manage to get the light apart without destroying some little part (which is no longer available). Assembling the parts back (repotting/loctite) takes experienced hands.

 

[sharkeeper]

Loctite removal sounds easy enough.

I will have to do this as polishing the lens will never bring back the transparency that a proper glass lens would have in the first place.

I can't believe how much better my Arc4+ is with a glass lens! Too bad the LS is a bit harder to get to.

Cheers!

 

[cy]

[ QUOTE ]
sharkeeper said: Loctite removal sounds easy enough.

[/ QUOTE ]
That depends upon the luck of the draw. providing you have the correct tools. there is a slew of home made tools posted.

I use a pair of German made Knipex internal retaining ring pliers. (can be purchase off the Matco truck in US)

Some of the rings can be removed by brute force after a little heat is applied. Some are so stubborn dremeling it out is the only option.

Green thread locker as used, according to Loctite requires 550degrees F to release.

 

[LitFuse]

Heat has never helped me, not once. And it wasn't because I didn't get it hot enough either, I've had them smoking!

A tool that fits well, a soft jawed vise, and brute force are the only way I've found to get them apart. I too have had to use the Dremel on occasion. On the other hand, I've had a couple that had *no* loctite at all and could be spun apart with a pair of tweezers.

Most of the ones I've taken apart have had green threadlocker in them. This is some very tenacious stuff, and even after you "crack" the ring loose, the fun is not over yet. This stuff will often wedge in the ring and fight you all the way out. This where I usually throw in a healthy dose of choice expletives, to no avail. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rant.gif

Any cy is right, it's easy to ef something up in there, so be careful.

Peter

 

[sharkeeper]

[ QUOTE ]
Red thread locker as used, according to Loctite requires 550degrees F to release.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well if they were designed to be removed by Arc, I'm sure we can do this. I can heat this part to this temp and beyond quite precisely without damage to surrounding areas. I have access to all sorts of goodies. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Tools aren't a problem and if we don't have something to fit I will send a request to the precision engineering department to make it for me!

Cheers!

 

[EchoSierraTwo]

[ QUOTE ]
sharkeeper said:
Tools aren't a problem and if we don't have something to fit I will send a request to the precision engineering department to make it for me!

Cheers!

[/ QUOTE ] STRONG !

 

[cgpeanut]

This is what I've done, scrap as much loctite out with a probe tool expecially near the two holes of the retaining ring. I find that most of the loctite are in there, once your satisfied clean it by wiping excess residue with a soft cloth/rag. At this point, some of the loctite might have gone in the lens so there's no turning back /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

With a clean, new soft cloth fold it lengthwise like a ruler and wrapit around the arc head the thicker the better, Place the head in a vise and with filled down needle nose pliers and a metal rod across the handle of the pliers TURN! counter clockwise (lefty loosy - righty tighty) like there's no tommorrow! if you hear it click your in like flin /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif otherwise, it dremel tool time /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif be carfull with the dremel there's little room in there and it's easy to hit the spinning bit on the anodized portion of the head that's why you wrap the head with cloth to protect it and for grip.

Hope this helps

 

[Sengoku]

If heat doesnt work, how about freezing it? put it in a plastic bag and leave it in the freezer for a few hours, should crack loose.

 

[cgpeanut]

probably mess up the electronics once it's melts /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[nikon]

I've removed loctite from camera lenses by letting the area soak in alcohol, which acted as a solvent. I imagine that lighter fluid would work more quickly. Either of these will damage some plastics, but I have no idea how they affect the epoxy of an LED. I'll give it a test later and see.

 

[louie]

I had success with a tough Arc LS by making sure my ring removal tool was very stout, with very short pins, and clamping that in the vise. Then I used a strap wrench and my moist, bare hands to move the Arc on top of the tool/vise. I had to wiggle it back and forth to loosen the Loctite, and it ended up working fine. Got blisters on my hands, but nothing was bent or broken, although I scratched the retaining ring by slipping off the tool a couple of times. I just sanded the scratch down after it was removed. Heat never seemed to help me on Arcs like they do on Surefires.

The plastic optic retainer ring usually comes out easily with light tools like ring pliers or tweezers. Note the notch in the ring for the optic tab. It is tricky to reassemble the LED and final ring and center it. I do not use any Loctite for reassembly.

 

[stefx]

My LSL-S wasn't loctite-glued at all (new from factory). Threads were absolutely clean. I was able to unscrew the pcb retaining nut and the nylon optics retainer with two very small screwdrivers. I did this to replace the emitter (HD) and the optics (Fraen, had to file down the lobe a little bit).

Centering the LED is easy if you don't screw down the pcb too hard. Just shift the PCB around by applying side-force to the raised positive contact till the LED is centered.

Stef(an).

 

[EchoSierraTwo]

Hmmmmmm, had anyone asked Gransee/Arc what they had done in the pat? sounds like something for me to do If I get another EDC to replace my LSH-P.

 

[fuelblender]

[ QUOTE ]
stefx said:
Centering the LED is easy if you don't screw down the pcb too hard. Just shift the PCB around by applying side-force to the raised positive contact till the LED is centered.
Stef(an).

[/ QUOTE ] Be VERY CAREFUL; I crushed the LED on my ARC LSHP doing this. It's too easy to do -- trust me!!

 

[markdi]

while you are replacing the lens replace the optic with the so17 reflector-much nicer