WHAT THE HECK......PM6 Clickie!!!!!!

Guys... I need help.

I am eagerly awaiting my McModule from Mr. Bulk and have already obtained my PM6 host. I hate flashlights that don't have a clickie option on the tailswitch and decided to try the PM6 Mod from flashlightlens.com and I am simply miffed!!!!

I have strugled and strugled and I cannot get the tailswitch on a black PM6 apart!!! I was able to get the first black spacer and brass button/spring assembly out without any problems at all. Then the plastic washer took me about an hour to chip out in a billion pieces. Now, the final brass piece that contains the actual switch mechanism SIMPLY WILL NOT BUDGE!!!

I've tried pliers (broke two pair), made my own gig and several other ridiculous attempts. The thing will simply not come apart...

Any ideas!?!?!? At this point I am basically destroying the threads on this tailswitch assembly.

I'm so ticked, that if anyone has a spare black tailswitch, let me know. I'd love to buy it off of you. What a pain in the butt! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

MSax

I know what you mean. I too have taken apart my Black Pelican M6 and got just as far as you did. From other posts here, some people mentioned that the Black version tailcap varies in size from one to another. That might be part of the reason, but did they put that part in while the metal was still hot or what? And now it has shrunk since it is cool.

Actually, what I think it really is, since you mention that you had to chip out the rubber washer, is that some of the Pelicans have the washer glued in and others not. As a result from the glue, there is residue on the threads. When you try to remove the last piece, that glue is blocking the threads. I have tried to remove the glue piece by piece, but eventually gave up as I couldn't get everything. If you deform the treads, then there is no easy way to remove the last piece. I am looking for some sort of solvent to dissolve the glue.

Will see what happens.

Wow! With my sample of exactly one black Pelican, I had no problem taking the switch apart. My switch was WAY flaky, and with a bit of sand paper and some conductive grease it now works quite well. I still don't like this kind of switch, mind you, but I sure had no problem getting it apart.

Yes, a PM6 clickie is mandatory!

Just get the SureFire Z49, I keep telling you guys!!!

I had no problems with removing the old switch parts but had to file down some threads to get the flashlightlens.com clickie part in the tailcap. All is well now and I was able to leave my SureFire Z49 on my G2 / KL3.

Since I filed down the threads, re-assembly of the stock switch is not possible. But not needed either.

Charlie,

Thanks for the advice. My PM6 switch works fine on the stock light but not with my McModule 1W I got from McGizmo in place (fully screwed in it still only goes on with pressure on the spring). The Z49 not only works better, but it shortens the overall length. Not a clickie, though. And I guess I need to get a BLACK Z49 since this OD one looks kind of weird.

Now I'm a little leery of buying the clickie from flashlightlens if I have to do major work like what's been mentioned.

Steve perhaps you are thinking something else is the Z49, because the 49 is indeed a clickie, as well as longer than any of the Pelican or SF twist-on switches. In fact a SF clickie in OD is actually the Z48... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have a silver PM6, and I had no problem removing the Pelican switch parts and dropping in the clickie Kroll from FlashlightLens. I even pushed out the "rubber" button and the thin, split, plastic washer that retained it so that I could thoroughly clean the threads and lube with the conductive grease. I also applied a thin coat of greese to the Kroll switch before dropping it in.

I used a pointed tweezer to unscrew the two components that had the spanner holes. The plastic washer just fell out with a little tap.

I wish it was this easy to disassemble the Z57 on my L4.

Chuck

Charlie,

Do you have a picture of the PM6 with a SureFire Z49 on it?

If so could you post it for us.

Thanks,
MSax

I also have the silver PM6 and have had no trouble removing the old switch and replacing it with FlashlightLens clickie. It seems that most people are having problems with the black version of the PM6. Larry.

I have a silver Pelican M-6. I also had no problem with replacing the switch with the FlashlightLens clickie. Can some one confirm with Pelican regarding this problem? Is there a benefit to the 'glued' switches on the black PM6s?
Myron

Charlie,

Not only am I not talking about the right part, I'm not even talking about the right material. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif Actually what I did was just grab the stock nitrolon tailcap off of that cheap G2 I just got. It's very, very ugly and no clickie, but it'll work for now. Guess it's time to contact local Surefire guy to see about a Z49 and A19 (maybe).

[ QUOTE ]
MSaxatilus said:
Charlie,

Do you have a picture of the PM6 with a SureFire Z49 on it?

If so could you post it for us.

Thanks,
MSax

[/ QUOTE ]

Okay. Here is MR Bulk's personal Pelican M6 w/McModule (ooh, personal!):



Showed ya two so's you could see what a nice complement the brass clip button is to a black Pel. Also there is normally a rubber shroud around the clickie button so you can stand it on end, but I felt it got in the way of activation slightly...

Charlie,

Looks great!! Thanks for the pictures. All I need now is that McModule!!

tehehehehe..../ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

MSax

Man, that SF clickie just looks huge! At least to me, anyway.

As far as the clickie mod goes, I had no trouble with mine at all, my washer dropped right out, and all threaded pieces unscrewed easily with my skinny needlenose pliers. The only bit of trouble I had was that the clickie switch itself was a really tight fit, it didn't want to slide down at all! But it went with a little bit of coaxing, and I have been blinding my friends with it ever since... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Now, if my McModule would only get here... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif


Chris

UPDATE:

Well, I think what rookie said is exactly the problem that I have. Some residual glue that was holding the washer in has bound itself up on the threads. Unfortunately, since I was beating on that last part, I inadvertently damaged the threads. I can get it to move a bit but then it binds up tight. I am going to try to dremel tool it out next, if that doesn't work.... det-cord!

I had similar problems with mine (also black). I had to chip out the isolating disc with a screwdriver and a wrench (playing the parts of chisel and hammer respectively). Mine was the first I heard of having problems and there was a thread discussing it at the time.

Once I finally got the disc out, there were some bits of glue still stuck in the threads. I took a slot screwdriver with a fairly fine tip and ran it around the threads starting at the bottom (phonograph style). I felt for bumps and when I found them I used the tip to scrape the glue out (I also inspected it carefully under good lighting).

That got me most of the way there and I could unscrew the brass bit about half way. The threads were slightly damaged, however, and that made it bind. I screwed it back down and repeated the process with the screwdriver. A little gently scraping and general fiddling around finally ironed it out enough to get the brass bit out. It took a lot of time and was quite frustrating.

In the end it all turned out okay. As long as your threads aren't too severaly damaged you can probably recover. If you can't unscrew the brass bit at all then try screwing it down a bit harder if you can. That may expose some glue that trickled down before it set.

Mine has a few marks in the anodizing outside from the wrench I used to grip it but other than that it works beautifully. It was much cheaper than a Z49 (which costs more than the actual PM6) and smaller and lighter, too. The original switch was a bit flaky as others have noticed, but so far the clickie has been rock solid. The completed package is noticably lighter, too.

Good luck. It's painful work but I hope you succeed in the end.

- Russ

MSaxatilus,

The other thing you can try, or any elese for that matter, who has an iteration of the switch with glue in it (PITA??!?) is to stick the switch in the oven at 175F and let it get up to temp. Most adhesives I have encountered will soften or mechanically degrade at these temps and be more prone to giving it up.

EDIT: Oh yeah, you can get O-ring picks that have bent ends which are a great tool for getting into threads and removing balled up adhesive.

- Don

Sounds like when Pelican started gluing their innards in the switches, they were planning for brisk sales of replacements for broken ones...hey waitaminute -- does Pelican have a warranty like Brinkmann? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif

I just received 3 more MP6s - 1 silver, 2 black. I already have a silver one in which I have installed the Kroll kit. The silver ones gave me no trouble at all with changing the tail switch to a Kroll, but the two black ones were a bear!

McGizmo suggested putting the tailcaps in the oven at 175 degrees to loosen them up. I decided that boiling water would be hotter and safer. So, I boiled them for several minutes before each attempt to disassemble them. I wish I could say that this made it easy, but it didn't. I had to repeat this cycle many times.

Once I got the black plastic piece out, I drilled a small hole in the plastic washer. Then, I screwed in a sheet metal screw. This lifted the washer up and away from the brass piece under it.

The brass piece was the most difficult. I gave up on using a spanner - it was not rigid enough to break through the glue. So, I went back to the short, pointed tweezers. Using my fingers, I could not apply enough force to break free of the glue. My fingers are still very sore from trying.

I finally put an adjustable wrench around the tweezers, and a strap wrench around the tailcap. This combination gave me the leverage I needed to get past the glue.

Well, that was quite a challenge! But I did it without damaging either of the tailcaps.

If you don't want to go through all this to change the switch in your PM6, I would suggest that you get the silver one.

Chuck