Removal of MagD snap ring/circlip?

Apologies - not sure that this is necessarily the most appropriate forum for this question, but it's a custom Mag host, so yeah, close enough.....

Now, before I start, I'd just like to say that this isn't a reference to the host I am getting from wquiles - don't want people getting the wrong impression.

Equally, although I have no intention of naming the source, I should in all fairness state that the seller did say that I was getting a pair of bare hosts, and that they weren't sure that they had all the internals to hand. However, I didn't appreciate just how bare these hosts would be.....

Basically, beyond the obvious major assemblies (body tube, head, bezel, tail cap), I have the tail cap o-rings, and..... yeah, that pretty much covers it. No spring, no switch assembly, no switch retaining snap ring, no body o-ring, no lens o-ring, no bezel o-ring, no lens and no reflector.

Not a huge issue in and of itself - one host was for an AW incan driver anyway, and I have a spare switch assembly for the other. I had spare springs laying around. O-rings can be bought at plumbers suppliers or hardware stores. I was going to be using metal reflectors and glass lenses anyway. It's really just the snap rings I need.

That's the long background to this query, now the quick (and rather dumb) question - I have a snap ring in an old, mucked up body tube (someone at work left cheap batteries in their light until they leaked - I'd hoped to salvage at some point in the future), but wondered what was the best tool and/or method to get the ring out. I had a poke around with a few tools, but was just moving the ring from side to side in the groove rather than unclipping it. What's the knack to unclipping this thing? I feel that I must be making this more difficult than it should be. Or are these thing genuinely awkward, and I'd be better off buying a couple of spares and doing a fresh installation?

Many thanks
Stephen

Hi Stephen i can get you brand new 2D's for £10 delivered each but must buy in 3's if any help.

I have a bunch of parts laying around from gutted up dive light conversions. If you need something, let me know. Sure we can work something out.
Hector

My favorite tool is a hooked pick, push it in past the C-clip and pull the point of the pick under the open end of the clip, twist the pic to lift the end of the C-clip out of the groove and pull it toward you and it should pop right out. You can do the same with a thin blade screw driver wedged under the end of the clip and twist to pop it out.....The pick works the best for me and takes just a second.

Hope this helps

Later
Kelly

Did you try the Google box at the top of the page?
Norm

ljw2k said:

Hi Stephen i can get you brand new 2D's for £10 delivered each but must buy in 3's if any help.

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That's a very good deal, and your offer is much appreciated, but unfortunately these hosts were triple bored 1.25D length, so a 2D Mag wouldn't have suited my purpose.

350xfire said:

I have a bunch of parts laying around from gutted up dive light conversions. If you need something, let me know. Sure we can work something out.
Hector

Click to expand...

Hector,

Thanks, I might get back to you on that if needs be. :thumbsup:

Sway said:

My favorite tool is a hooked pick, push it in past the C-clip and pull the point of the pick under the open end of the clip, twist the pic to lift the end of the C-clip out of the groove and pull it toward you and it should pop right out. You can do the same with a thin blade screw driver wedged under the end of the clip and twist to pop it out.....The pick works the best for me and takes just a second.

Hope this helps

Later
Kelly

Click to expand...

Kelly,

Thanks - picks I didn't try, and I do have a bunch, so that gives me something to look in to.

Norm said:

Did you try the Google box at the top of the page?
Norm

Click to expand...

Norm,

Apologies, I admit that I didn't do much searching before posting on this occasion - it was 12.41am in the UK when I posted and I had a 5.30am start this morning (6.17am right now as I type), so I was in a rush to get some kip. I know, that's my problem, not yours!

Sorry
Stephen

The method that has worked best for me is using a thin flat blade screwdriver. But it does require that you remove the switch body first. If you haven't already removed the switch, there's a set screw at the bottom of the hole in the switch button. The older mags use a 5/64" (2mm) allen wrench, the newer ones use a T8 IIRC. Loosen the screw and the switch body will slide out the tail end of the light.

The trick to using the flat bladed screwdriver is not to use the end of the blade to just pry out the ring. Instead, use the corner of the blade to get under the end of the ring while about half the blade is over the ring. Then you give the screwdriver a twist to start lifting the end of the ring out of the groove. But as you've experienced, if you keep lifting the ring will just start spinning. The trick is that once just the end is out of the groove but the rest is still in the groove to keep it from spinning, PUSH DOWN on the ring. Rather than lifting it out of the groove, it prys it out just a little at a time and the ring catching on the edge of the groove keeps it from spinning. Just keep working around by pushing down on the ring and once you are about half way around it usually flips vertical and finishes popping out on it's own.

It's a bit hard to describe, but once you get the hang of it it's not too hard.

Don,

Thanks for your response.

Yes, I have removed the switch assembly - right now I just have the bare body tube with the ring stuck in it.

I was actually using a jewellers/watchmakers screwdriver initially, but having no luck. As you say, I think I was using the wrong technique. I just need to keep fiddling 'til I find the right way. Hopefully your description will help in that respect.

Thanks again
Stephen

I use 2 screw drivers, one to stop the ring from rotating, the other rotate/down motion to yank/push the ring down at the corner.
Once it's out of the groove, it's easy retreval.

Thanks to all who contributed - got the snap ring out. :thumbsup:

Thanks for posting this question and to everyone who contributed... now I know how I will attack the removal of the 1 in my current Mag project - Thanks