R.I.P little mini mag

IlikeLEDs

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 21, 2004
Messages
30
Hi all,

I got a bit of a delima. Pulled out the little mini mag (moded with a 3led nite ize type module and a push button switch) i keep in the glove 2 find that i wasn't working. I simply thought that the battery was bone dry because it had probably left in the on position. I open up the little thing and found like a half a cm work of calcium from the battery, baked on in the barrel and no way to get the batts out. The first batt was loose because i heard it rattling and i firstly pored boiling hot water ( as if you get calcium bulid up on you car engine, this is what mechanics recommended) and nothing. So i soaked it a top of boiling water till it cooled and chisselled the calcium off but still no cigar. So now have a mini barrel, with 2 batteries, the end one baked on with calcuim deposits and i cant use the dammed thing! Does anyone have any bright idea to save the light or if not, prevent this from happening again? Thanks all
 

carbine15

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 20, 2005
Messages
1,986
Location
Slaughter, WA
Use the batteries from the same package that are the same voltage and they won't (read shouldn't) reverse charge and rupture. Be happy you weren't using lithium aa or you mighta had a glovebox fire. Not sure what to use to disolve the deposits.
 

prof

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 2, 2005
Messages
463
Location
Western TN
Go buy a new one at walmart for a few bucks, put the nite-eze switch and drop-in in the new one.

I can't visualize where the deposits are. Could you use a wire brush or something? If they're covering the entire end, could you use a dremel or similar tool to remove deposits, being VERY CAREFUL to not penetrate the batteries? Scratch that, probably not a good idea.

Or, try opening the front of the body (remove the thing that says do not remove) and see if you can possibly slip something down to push on the batteries.


Batteries in the glove box -- I do it too, but not a good environment.
 

hank

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 12, 2001
Messages
1,561
Location
Berkeley CA
Yep. You can get the tube sawed off and rethreaded to make a miniminim@g, and run one of the SMJLED bipin dropin LEDs.

You can probably pull out the 'do not remove' bulb holder and then slowly push down through the hole there and push out the mess. You've got corroded crusty aluminum whitish gmnungk holding the battery in place.

They do this. The only light I've found that doesn't seem to dissolve itself over time is the PALight, the little 9v emergency light.
 

Patriot

Flashaholic
Joined
Feb 13, 2007
Messages
11,254
Location
Arizona
I had to do this to a mini mag a few years ago. I removed the bulb holder and mounted the light tube gently in a vice between a couple of 1x2 peices of wood. I then knocked the corroded battery through with a hammer and an Craftsman 8" x 1/4" socket drive extention. Then I clamped an aluminum pistol cleaning rod section (with properly sized brass brush) to an electric drill and cleaned it out with baking soda and water. It made it bright and sparkley again. :)
 
Last edited:

jason9987

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Apr 27, 2006
Messages
141
Location
Dutchess Couty, NY
what about some lime/calcium/rust remover they sell it at hardware stores and probably walmart, its made to get mineral deposits of of plumbing stuff, (faucets and shower heads) it should dissolve the calcium
 

Niteowl

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 1, 2004
Messages
733
Location
S/E Wisconsin
My trusty old mm suffered this same fate when I borrowed it to a friend for camping so he could check out the same Nite-Ize LED set-up. I managed to knock the batteries out but haven't used it since. Dropped the N-I unit in another mm and moved on. Batteries run low have a tendancy to leak. AA's are cheap so I'll put fresh ones in once in a while to avoid such an event.
 

dlrflyer

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Apr 7, 2006
Messages
158
Hmmm, since calcium is a base, you might try vinegar to dissolve it. But, BIG DISCLAIMER, remove the nite ize if you haven't already and wear eye protection and gloves, because i suspect if it worked it will foam over and may shoot out.
 

sawlight

Enlightened
Joined
Jan 2, 2007
Messages
617
Use Coke, fill it up and let it soak. Then get a gun brush about the same size and scrub it good. It's not that hard, done it once or twice:laughing:
 
Top