Taking apart an E2e bezel?

Is there a secret or tip any one can give me to do this?
Thanks
JT

I clamp the hex part in a vise with a rag, heat the bezel ring gently with a torch, then use rubber coated Sears RoboGrip pliers to turn the ring off. I just did another one 2 nights ago to put an LS w/NX05 in it. The only thing that will burn if you use too much heat is the lens gasket, so be careful.
Ron

I also clamp in my vice wrapped in masking tape, but use a strap wrench to unscrew the bezel ring. No heat required.

Be extra careful with the lens, as it is coated on the inside. Be sure to replace it with the coating on the inside.

I use a heat gun. It's safer than a torch. Some bezels need a strap wrench, others do not. Some don't even need heating. I've always been able to remove the bezel ring by first heating for 30 seconds with the heat gun, I then try to turn the ring with a piece of rubber strap (mine is vacuum cleaner belt that I cut). If it doesn't come, then heat for another 20-30 seconds and repeat. You should only need to heat it to about 170 degrees. Once the epoxy lets loose, getting it off will be easy. Oh, and do you the vice, just make sure you have your bezel protected well. If you can use nylon jaws. If you don't have them, they are a good investment.

Ok, thanks it is apart now how about removing the reflector without damage?

The reflector is just a plating on the aluminum. It's all one piece. What are you putting in there?
Rob

I was hoping to make this a working E1e /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Doh! Great idea, though...

You might be able to polish the aluminum under the anodizing to make a working light.

wow jt! you took the metalizing right off /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
(so...gonna sell it cheap? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif )

my first e2e bexel took superhuman strength to remove, whereas my second one came off by accident! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

jtivat,

All is not lost!! Carefully mask off the head (except for the reflector area) and apply a lye solution with a Q-Tip. The thicker you can make the solution, the less likely it is to run. Go slowly as not to slop. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif After a few minutes of working the lye around with the Q-Tip, the anodizing will be gone. Rinse well with cold water and remove the masking to make sure the lye didn't seep under the tape. Then re-mask and polish the reflector with some good mag wheel polish (I like AutoTech Aluma-1, myself). If all goes well, you'll be the owner of a nice red functioning E1e. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif I hope this helps.

Dan

shh! dont' help him /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twakfl.gif

he's supposed to give up and send it to me /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/whoopin.gif

really though, that should work fairly well. you won't maintain the reflectivity of the original reflector, but it shouldn't be too bad.

or you could bore it out and make a led mod out of it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

jtivat,
I've never used mag polish. Sounds interesting. Something else to try. Anyway, if you're going to polish the aluminum you might want to try a couple of polishes with different abrasive levels. Are you going to use a dremel tool? If so, you could try a polish called Red Rouge. It is abrasive enough to take off a noticeable amount of metal if you're not careful (just don't press too hard). It will also provide a dull shine, if that makes sense. If you want to make it really shiny you could try a polish called Fabulustre. It isn't nearly as abrasive as the other and will bring the aluminum to a brilliant shine. Both of these polishes can be found at hobby shops. They are hard polishes and come in sticks.

What I have done with reflector type surfaces is to bring the metal to a shine then hit it with something like 00 steel wool or even some very fine grit sandpaper. I do this because I've found that really smooth or shiny reflectors cause beam artifacts.

Good luck and nice light (using my imagination of course).

Oh, I read in a post somewhere that a fellow cpf'er actually painted a reflector with silver crinkle paint. That may be the ticket.

Thanks for the help everyone I will give this a try. Where can I find the lye solution?

Around here lye is sold in pharmacies and some hardware stores. It is also used to remove the antigrowth paint under boats.

[ QUOTE ]
Chop said:
Anyway, if you're going to polish the aluminum you might want to try a couple of polishes with different abrasive levels. Are you going to use a dremel tool? If so, you could try a polish called Red Rouge. It is abrasive enough to take off a noticeable amount of metal if you're not careful (just don't press too hard). It will also provide a dull shine, if that makes sense. If you want to make it really shiny you could try a polish called Fabulustre. It isn't nearly as abrasive as the other and will bring the aluminum to a brilliant shine. Both of these polishes can be found at hobby shops. They are hard polishes and come in sticks.



[/ QUOTE ]
Are you saying this would be used in two steps or use one or the other? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Lye? Any grocery store, its with the drain cleaners. Grab some Red Devil brand and mix the powder with a little bit of water. Be careful though, lye is extremely caustic and is not kindly to any organic material (eyes, skin, cat, etc.). Good luck and best wishes!

Dan

JT,
I was at Harbor Freight today and they had jeweler's polish. Very similar to the ones described above.

Start with the red rough that will leave a rougher finish. If you want a better shine, then go to the Fabulustre. Or their equivalents.

Oh, I saw some aluminum tape at Harbor Freight too. This was interesting. It seemed to be just too easy. Cut out the tape and stick it on. No lye or polish. I would imagine that you could crumble it up before using it to give it that orange peel effect.

Just something you guys and gals might want to try: Place the bezel in a ziploc bag and throw it in a pan of boiling water for 10 minutes. The bezel will be evenly heated to 212 degrees without ANY risk of damage. Loctite becomes very soft at this temperature. Than you can unscrew it with ease. This trick works well with anything delicate which has been loctited. Try it, you'll like it...

Jeff

Have you thought of trying it as it is first? Might be cool. The CMG Ultra-G is painted and works oK. Just a thought. Could be a dumb one. You could also take it to a machinist to hone for you to a semi-bright condition. Or a plating shop that works with strippers all of the time (Chemical strippers that is /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif ). No use getting lye on you-the rug, the dishes, the nice shoes etc.

Well thanks for the help everyone, I now have a fully operational E1 Red here are some pictures.