Anyone cracked the TK21 head yet?

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond · Jul 21, 2011

I want to put in a neutral XM-L and search has turned up nothing so far.

Anyone cracked the head - it's on there pretty good. My TK35 was a PITA but I finally broke the threadlock - lot's of blue stuff. I can only imagine the TK21 will be the same, but the head design of the two are totally different.

Any links to pics threads appreciated.

Looks like my best option so far is to put the body in the vice and take a strap wrench to the head.

richpalm · Jul 21, 2011

How did you do your TK35? I had to put mine in a bench vise and put a full strength propane torch to it before it would break. A job I never want to have anything to do with again!

Rich

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond · Jul 21, 2011

That's pretty much what I had to do to the TK35. Lot's of torch, head in a vice, and twisting the internals with a strong set of needle nose pliers.

At least with the TK35 it was only internal scratches when the pliers slipped a few times, looks like the TK21 will require torque from the outside. I really don't want to scratch the light - its such a nice light with a great UI and 4 very usefully spaced light levels. Turbo is very impressive for the size.

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond · Jul 21, 2011

I am happy to report that cracking the head was pretty easy.

Put the two flat sides on the button part of the body (but not the button side) in a vice wrapped with inner tube rubber to protect it. Turn the head ccw with a strap wrench. At first it gripped hard to the point of the strap slipping, but after about two very tight slipping turns of the wrench the head let loose and then it was a piece of cake to remove it.

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond · Jul 22, 2011

Grrr.... for anyone looking at this thread - be careful to put some wood (or something smooth) between the rubber and the metal grips of the vise. Just noticed that I twisted to hard a pressured through the rubber and put some marks into the body that I had to sand out.

AaronG · Jul 22, 2011

When you take a torch to the light is there damage to the ano or internals?!

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond · Jul 22, 2011

The goal is to heat the thread lock just enough to soften it and make twisting the head easier.

I use one of those micro butane torches I bought at RadioShack years ago so as to not get things too hot too fast.

I've never seen the heat harm the anno - just my own clumsiness with preparations..........

richpalm · Jul 22, 2011

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond said:
Grrr.... for anyone looking at this thread - be careful to put some wood (or something smooth) between the rubber and the metal grips of the vise. Just noticed that I twisted to hard a pressured through the rubber and put some marks into the body that I had to sand out.

I used scrap wood-worked good. Believe it or not, nothing got chewed up.

Anyone cracked the TK21 head yet?

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