Help getting SF tailcap apart

I just bought a couple of these: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb//showthread.php?t=225625 for my G2 and 6P.

I am trying to follow the instructions for taking the old parts out of the tailcap, but I can not for the life of me get the retainer to turn at all. One thread I saw suggested heating it up a bit, but I am nervous about this on the G2 since most of the tailcap is plastic.

Anyone have any hints for getting that retainer piece to screw out??

Thanks

On my M2 I just grasped the metal contact plate piece and... pulled. It popped right out. That little "pin" in the middle is just a press-in fastener that is pressed into the soft plastic. Its not really threaded.

wquiles detailed the disassembly process for the switch in a post about the Sandwich Shoppe 2-Stage Switch.

kramer5150 said:

On my M2 I just grasped the metal contact plate piece and... pulled. It popped right out. That little "pin" in the middle is just a press-in fastener that is pressed into the soft plastic. Its not really threaded.

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No I got that part. The next step is the one I am having trouble with. The plastice retainer that is threaded. I can't make it budge.

lewong said:

wquiles detailed the disassembly process for the switch in a post about the Sandwich Shoppe 2-Stage Switch.

Click to expand...

I found that one too. He recommends heating it to get it to move. I tried a little heat, but was hesitant about putting too much heat to a G2 since it's all plastic.

Vrocco, I had the same exact problem as you trying to take apart a G2 tailcap. I pulled as hard as I could and nothing... not a budge. Finally, after more pulling and some wiggling if came free.

I took apart two of the G2 tailcaps. One I had to chisel the retainer ring out. The second I heated in boiling water for about 10 minutes --- and had to chisel the retainer ring out of. Although the second did come out nicer than the first. I basically carefully cut the retaining ring in 2 places with a chisel, then twisted it out. Needless to say, the retaining rings were destroyed. Heat didn't seem to help me out much.

I've used a suitable coin held by pliers to remove the plastic washer part. Fortunately, the few times I've done it, it barely marked the part.

Old style G2 tail caps would sometimes fall apart just looking at them. New ones do OK if you put them in a tightly sealed plastic bag and dunk them in very hot water for a very short time. Some long needle nosed pliers can help too but this has been suggested before. Take your time and toy with it. Solvents are usually a no-no with plastics.

vrocco said:

No I got that part. The next step is the one I am having trouble with. The plastice retainer that is threaded. I can't make it budge.

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????
I just unscrewed it. Opened up some needle nose pliers to fit into the large slot cutout and gave it a twist. I found that step easier than step-1, pulling the plate out.

Sure enough, today I did the same thing on my 6P and it screwed right out. The G2 will still not budge. I am at the point now where I have started to damage the tailcap now. Anyone have a spare G2L tailcap (preferably with the guts already out)?

Plastic retainer in my 6P's tailcap was really hard to get out. I had to use dremel before I was able to loosen it.

Excuse the bump, just came across this while trying to disassemble my G2 tail cap.

Man the G2 tailcaps are a PIA to take apart. I was able to disassemble a Z41 with less effort. First it took some force to pull the metal parts out (and damaging the them in the process).

Now like the others have said, the plastic ring is not budging after several attempts with pliers and a flat part of a pry bar. Boiling in the bag = wet and still not budging. Anyone else got any other ideas?

Edit: I think anything short of cutting it with a Dremel won't work. Tried Kramer's idea with the pliers and some coins (from another thread) and the darn plate won't budge. :scowl:

i've taken apart three G2/G3 tailcaps to put in the soft-start incand switch. same disassembly-reassembly procedure as you need to do.

on all three tailcaps nothing would get them apart easily. it was simple up until the last step of disassembly. the rubber switch boot and the switch itself came out easily, but that last retaining ring would NOT unscrew.

heat+the-needlenose/spanner trick did absolutely nothing except to grossly deform the two rounded grooves/cutouts that the points of the needlenose went into, making it impossible to attempt further unscrewing attempts. could not pull it out either, nor pound it out.

final solution in all three cases, was to select the appropriate bit for a Dremel and very slowly and carefully with ample illumination, cut that ring with the now deformed cutouts (i wish i could think of a better term, but i think you know what i mean) into two pieces, being particularly careful NOT to cut into the tailcap proper. after cutting it into two pieces, it was a simple matter to pull out the rubber switch boot and [mis-]using a small screwdriver and a very small hammer to pound the ring out from the outside (viz., from the bottom of the tailcap from the rubber switch boot was removed).

Half-Witt,

Thanks for the ideas, glad I'm not going crazy. At this point, like you I've deformed the plastic ring from all the twisting. I think I will see if my friend has a Dremel and is willing to cut it for me.

Sounds like SF makes these parts impossible to remove (and I hate Loc Tite) but its not like they made a plastic clicky anyways and the Z58 doesn't look right on a G2/3.

Excuse the rant but this is driving me nuts!

Try rolling the tail cap between your palm and the table top. Apply downward pressure. The cap will slightly deform, helping to break the loctite bond. Works on G2 tail caps and bezel retaining rings.

Not So Bright said:

Try rolling the tail cap between your palm and the table top. Apply downward pressure. The cap will slightly deform, helping to break the loctite bond. Works on G2 tail caps and bezel retaining rings.

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Tried it several times (maybe I should try some more?) and its still not budging. All its doing is further destroying the plastic ring inside. Whats surprising and annoying is the ring hasn't broke under all this stress.

Regarding heating the G2 tailcap. The Nitrolon polymer is a very resilient material in many aspects including heating. Boiling water is only 212 degrees F well below the melting temperature of Nitrolon. Case in point did the plastic bag you boil your cap in melt. Most likely not and the nitrolon is a much tougher plastic than a zip lock. Because of the poor thermal transference of the nitrolon you may have to boil for a longer time. Also being that it is not a electronic part you really do not need the plastic back just throw the cap in and let it boil and it should help release the retaining ring. After boiling mine it came out pretty easy.

Viper715 said:

Regarding heating the G2 tailcap. The Nitrolon polymer is a very resilient material in many aspects including heating. Boiling water is only 212 degrees F well below the melting temperature of Nitrolon. Case in point did the plastic bag you boil your cap in melt. Most likely not and the nitrolon is a much tougher plastic than a zip lock. Because of the poor thermal transference of the nitrolon you may have to boil for a longer time. Also being that it is not a electronic part you really do not need the plastic back just throw the cap in and let it boil and it should help release the retaining ring. After boiling mine it came out pretty easy.

Click to expand...

Somehow the bag busted a hole somewhere and the water started to fill the bag while it was immersed.

I'm more worried that the ring is stuck inside now. After prying, twisting and banging on it I'm begining to think the ring might have become cross threaded.