Ugh - another Novatac bezel victim... now victor!

I finally find a PEU bezel with Trits and am about to pimp my new (to me) 120P and ... you guessed it, in anticipation of the bezel arriving I took a shot at removing the old one. Mouse pad trick, shoes, door jamb, boiling water ... it isn't budging.

Having removed a Dereelight pill someone decided to lock into the reflector with red loctite, I know getting the Novatac bezel off is not going to be a fun task...

At this point, given the $4.95 replacement cost IIRC of a stock bezel - I'm about to sacrifice this one and apply the strap wrench, vice grip pliers...

Just for the record - before I apply the heavy ammunition - if I'm looking at the emitter (straight on to the light) the bezel screws into the light clockwise and unscrews by turning the bezel counter clockwise (normal threading for a screw into a nut) - correct?

Thanks!

As an aside - I wonder if there is any correlation to serial numbers? Mine is 13xxx ...

Re: Ugh - another Novatac bezel victim...

Place the head of the light into boiling water for about 30 seconds, the try the mouse pad trick.

Also, make sure to remove the tail end and battery before doing this.
It may not go on the first try, give it a couple of tries.

Ray

Re: Ugh - another Novatac bezel victim...

Thanks Ray! I tried boiling it one time thus far - got so hot I had to use an insulator to get it out of the coffee cup - but I'll give it a couple more tries..

And I am unscrewing in the right direction, aren't I?

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Yes. righty tighty looking down at the emitter. I guess you tried everything.. sounds like a really stubborn one.
Good luck!

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You would take the pill out as well before boiling right?

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A good point about the led pil. But on the later Novatacs I have found this is not an easy task either. Getting a set of snapringpliers down inside the headtube and applying enough torque to break that ring that holds the Pill in place is a risky delicate business and the chance for marring up the threads in there is great. These lights were so much more fun when they didnt lock the whole thing down like a safe. The boiling water actually worked for me on my last NT quite well , I was surprised. There arent that many threads up there and this method should work. You can try going at the internal retaining ring but be careful!!!!!

Re: Ugh - another Novatac bezel victim...

I did not remove the pill the first dip. Put the head bezel down in about 1/2 inch of boiling water and let it sit for about a minute or so. The entire head was rather hot when I removed it and I got a bit worried about damaging the light. It still didn't loosen it.

I'll give it another shot but took a light look at the retaining ring and it is not moving easily. I'm more worried about marring those threads.

I'll sacrifice the bezel (after carefully masking the head with tape) before I'll risk damaging the interior threads or the light engine...

A rather poor choice it seems. I get the idea but couldn't they have used blue loctite insted of the permanent stuff?

Re: Ugh - another Novatac bezel victim...

Gatsby said:

I'll sacrifice the bezel (after carefully masking the head with tape) before I'll risk damaging the interior threads or the light engine...

Click to expand...

This is what I had to do after numerous other attempts.

Re: Ugh - another Novatac bezel victim...

I hope you succeed one way or another. I had very little problems removing the bezels from my 2 NovaTacs earlier this week with my hand. I guess I was lucky. One was a little stubborn, but I was able to break her free.

For the record both of my NovaTacs are black and have serial numbers 20xxx.

BTW, click below if anyone wants to purchase some beautiful bezels from RPM. Outstanding work.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/236304

Re: Ugh - another Novatac bezel victim...

I used a pen and set it across the grooves on the bezel pushed down and turned. it was tough but was successful.

Re: Ugh - another Novatac bezel victim...

Gatsby said:

I

At this point, given the $4.95 replacement cost IIRC of a stock bezel - I'm about to sacrifice this one and apply the strap wrench, vice grip pliers...

Click to expand...

Absolutely man! I usually don't have to resort to such measures but for the ugly piece of $5 junk that it is, I had no problem when it came for the vice grip. In fact, I didn't even need the strap wrench. The main problem is the lack of purchase on the bezel. Some are just nearly impossible.

Re: Ugh - another Novatac bezel victim...

Get it off yet?

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Not yet - I took one swipe with the vice grip but got cold feet worrying I would mangle the bezel and still not get it out (managed to put one small pin prick nick in the head in the process as well...). I got a decent purchase on the bezel but still could not torque it out and could not get the strap wrench tightly enough to not slip on the body.

So I resorted to Ray's heat suggestion and ... well I got it turning some, albeit very very difficultly and slowly. Heated the head in a small amount of water and used a curved metal door jamb which fit nicely in the crenelations to get a grip. Dang there's only two threads in this thing.

I can see that I've managed roughly 1/4 to 1/2 a turn - there is definitely a gap now between the head and the bezel - albeit a small one...

But I seem to have stalled a bit - maybe my grip is weakening - and the last two attempts didn't budge it. It seems like it loosens it just a hair but thus far I've seen no signs of red loctite. I have no idea what they put in the threads but it is giving up very, very, very reluctantly. I'm taking a small break and may give it another go in 30 minutes or so...

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Just hope it isn't cross-threaded :shakehead

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Maybe try a little WD-40 or something.

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Crimson said:

Just hope it isn't cross-threaded :shakehead

Click to expand...

Ugh - I hope not ...

Re: Ugh - another Novatac bezel victim...

Finally! Success! I'd gotten it loose a bit with the application of heat and door jamb into crenelations and had a bit of "working room" so I took another turn with the vice grip (really carefully) and the strap wrench. Yes I'm avoiding work (like all men I can't leave a project half unfinished and focus on something else). Slowly but surely it came out. No cross threading issues but every tiny milli milli millimeter of the threads was coated with red loctite. Even broken free there was so much crud in the threads it just wouldn't turn very easily. So one tiny nick in the head later (still peeved about that one ... oh well it was bought used and is my EDC so it will continue to get used and was not a flawless shelf queen, but still!) one marginally mangled but oddly still usable - as in not bent - (particularly with a bit of sanding) bezel and I'm ready for the tritium bezel install.

Which should arrive any day. Now I just need to find a 3/4" o ring for the small gap on the Novatac lights (or order a UCL 1mm lense... hmm which to do?) and I'll be set. I know that tritium seems like not that important an addition - but I use my EDC a lot at night when one of the kids is up or needs something, and I get up early several days a week to go to the gym - I really think it will be helpful to be able to locate the light on my nightstand. Not to mention taking it camping and being able to find it in a tent!

So what is my advice? I'm not sure - probably persistence and taking some time off when you get frustrated. This has taken me nearly a full day to accomplish - started yesterday afternoon - tried some more last night - this morning and again this afternoon. Start with the least invasive - mouse pad, pen, etc... then move to heat and as a last resort - strap wrench and vise grip. If you do go to the vice grip be super careful - if I had to do it again I'd have masked the head with some electrical tape or duct tape although it is such close proximity that I'm not sure it would have mattered - the vice grip may have slipped slightly and pushed the tape out of the way. Also - that wouldn't have happened if I'd started with a bit more pressure on the vice grip - I was trying to baby it and use as little pressure as I could - bad idea. If you've decided to go with the vice grip you've decided to basically sacrifice the stock bezel anyway - go ahead and get a really good grip on it as it will minimize the risk of slipping and doing damage to the light itself.

All in all - this could have so easily been avoided if Novatac hadn't elected to use red loctite. It appears they may have stopped as higher serial numbers don't seem to have had the same trouble as some of the middle serial numbers have....

Re: Ugh - another Novatac bezel victim...

Just a suggestion but I have found using some of the fine abrasive tape on a roll works nicely when trying to remove circular anythings stuck tightly, wrap it around the device so the vice grips contact the back of the back of the material and the abrasive is to the inside. This trick also works with strap wrenches too.

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Wait till you get a lens cockeyed in there that won't come back out........fun!

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snip

Gatsby said:

there was so much crud in the threads it just wouldn't turn very easily.

Click to expand...

I understand its too late but my 2 cents.

When you finally get the pieces to move, twisting it back works sometimes.

Yeah you usually don't consider going back and tightening the bugger after all the effort to
get it loose, but at this point, the seal is broken giving you wriggle room.

This back and forth movement seems to free away some of the goo caught in the threads.