U2 - Big Problems Removing The Plastic Tube

I've had a U2 for close to a year and have been using CR123As. However, after reading all of the great posts about using 18650 I decided to remove the black plastic tube from the inside of mine before I purchase my rechargable batteries and charger. A search on previous posts gave several excellent ideas, but none have worked for me so far. At this point I'm on the verge of giving up because I don't want to damage my U2 anymore than I already have. But, I sure would like to use 18650s.

I disconnected the head and tail switch before performing the following:
1. First tried to lightly clamping the body into a vise and tapping the black sleeve with a small screwdriver (from head-end down toward tail-end). All this accomplished was scratching and cutting the sleeve near the top.
2. Tried freezing for 15 min. and then repeating step 1. Repeated this whole process five times.
3. Using a small screwdriver tried to pry a small opening in the lip-end between the sleeve and the body and poured Acetone in between and let it sit for several minutes. Then repeated step 1 again.
4. Went to Wal Mart in search of the "bottle capper" with no success.

Please help!

Thanks in advance

Keep trying acetone. After removal from acetone you must QUICKLY work with the tube.

Find a 3/8 socket extension. That's what I used. It's tight enough to have a friction effect on the insert but not tight enough to get stuck. I used a husky and craftsman extension.

When the extension is in the insert wiggle it and pull it through a little at a time. Keep reapplying acetone. The acetone will NOT hurt the insert.

Make sure you remove orings.

I HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS with this , spray the crap out of the tube the sudden super freeze cracks the glue

Gads, I can't believe so many people have such a time removing that silly sleeve.

Just take a small flat blade screwdriver and FORCE it down the length between the plastic and the body. Then while the driver is in there, take a knife with the dull side of the knife against the wall of the body, and cut the sleeve full length down the gap created by the driver. It can then be removed with a pair of needle nose pliers.

Jeeze, we are talking about a 60 second operation here.

After the plastic is out, you can take a pair of snips and trim about an eighth of an inch down the length of the sleeve. That allows you to put it in and out easily with your fingers.

The freeze spray worked for me.
Took me only a few minutes.
(yes, mine was not covered in glue, so it only took my finger to pop it out; your mileage may vary)

I just recharged my 18650's last night!

I had a hard time getting the sleeve out too, but it did come out without any damage to the torch body, and the tube could still be reinserted if I were sadistic enough to do so. I combined freezing with tapping the sleeve out using a screwdriver and mallet. It took several cycles.

I tried the 3/8" extension suggestion, but my Craftsman extensions were too-small diameter.

It only stands to reason that some tubes have more glue on them than others, and mine seemed to have a lot. I read some posts indicating that they froze their tube and then slid out the sleeve with their pinky. I wish!

Before you bash someone for having a hard time getting out their plastic sleeve, consider that you might have gotten off easy with an inadequately glued one!

I tried your suggestion some time ago when I got my U2 and found that the sleeve wouldn't pull out and instead broke off leaving an even harder to remove section of a sleeve... I personally think they reworked how they were glueing those damn things in there. I *REALLY* don't understand what it is with Surefire and their seeming hatred of 18650 cells. If they would make another body for the U2 for 18650's they could make a killing easily. I'm sure most people would pay almost anything for a real 18650 SF part.

What finally worked for me was:

1. submerge the entire battery tube in ethyl alcohol for 2 days

2. 15 minutes in the freezer

3. insert pinkie

4. drag it out!

The ethy alcohol doesn't seem to damage the o-ring, although mine was protected with Nyogel.

Does somebody tried to cook the tube?

Best regards

_____
Tom

That's a damn good idea... I suspect the glue used is CA based and around 300-400F that stuff breaks down. I wish I had thought of that.

The glue is NOT CA based. It appears to be some type of silicon adhesive.

The real holding strength comes from the tight fit. The glue is secondary. Most anything would work.

Also, to the smart person who said to insert a screwdriver the entire length: Ex-squeeze me! The insert is TOUGH and THICK. I don't see how this could even be done with a vise, hammer, screwdriver. The end result is sure to be a scarred U2 tube.

Even though the glue is not CA. I stint in the oven could still work.

[

Also, to the smart person who said to insert a screwdriver the entire length: Ex-squeeze me! The insert is TOUGH and THICK. I don't see how this could even be done with a vise, hammer, screwdriver. The end result is sure to be a scarred U2 tube.

.[/QUOTE]

Hey turbogog, That's how I removed mine. It was quick and easy. I just removed the bezel and tailcap, stood the tube on end, and pushed a small screwdriver down between the sleeve and tube with the palm of my hand. There is hardly a line like you would draw with a pencil inside the tube. I don't know, maybe my sleeve is thinner than yours. Maybe a sixteenth of an inch.

There must simply be a variation in how much glue is used and how well it bonds to the insert and the aluminum. I was the first to report the plastic insert so I wasn't sure how tough it would be to remove. I grabbed a small precision flathead screwdriver and pushed on the tube quite hard - out it popped, no marks, no problems. All done in less then 10 seconds - guess I was lucky.

They are a for-profit business. I expect that they make lots of money on sales of their branded 123 cells, LOTS more money than they could make selling a single 18650 tube to each interested customer for a 1-time fee.

Prototype3a said:

I *REALLY* don't understand what it is with Surefire and their seeming hatred of 18650 cells. If they would make another body for the U2 for 18650's they could make a killing easily. I'm sure most people would pay almost anything for a real 18650 SF part.

Click to expand...

freez it again, put your index finger in the tube, and pull it out as hard as you can... eventually it'll work.

-David

It's funny how the U2's body started out being about to accept 18650s. A sleeve was later added, semi-permanently. The latest models have no plastic sleeve and cannot accomodate 18650s. I wonder if this has to do with the Kroma sharing the same body as the U2. Maybe Surefire wanted to save on manufacturing costs by producing a single identical body for both the U2 and Kroma?