small problem opening KL1

I've had some good luck opening the KL1 until just recently. I've been holding the hex in a vise (using cardboard on the jaws to prevent marring) and simply twisting the top bezel ring off with a strap wrench. after desoldering the emitter board, I repeat on the middle "stage" to get to the goodies. However, the last two I've tried (one scalloped and one non-scalloped) seem to have extra-strength glue just in the very top section, as when I twisted the bezel ring, the middle stage broke free and loosened. Now I can't get enough grip on JUST the middle in order to break the top bezel free from it. My strap wrenches are just too big to grab each part correctly. I've baked these things in my toaster oven and I still can't get em to budge. Any ideas?

tylerdurden:

I ran into the same problem on a L1. The strap just would not hold. I resorted to a piece of wood and a fortnser bit (1" on the L1) then sliced a joint in the end. Once putting the bezel into the hole then clamp the open slot and it forms uniform pressure over the diameter of the bezel. Was then able to use a wrench to open. If any questions pm me and I can send a sketch.

bgill

The middle on mine was the first to break free too... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif I got it apart by tightening it up again (using a strap wrench on the bezel ring only) "maybe a touch" further than original to get it to break loose when I went the other direction.

There was so much epoxy holding mine together that I had to work it in both directions while small particles of the epoxy flaked out of the threads. It took nearly 15 minutes to make it all the way off, but no damage to any components was my reward.

tyler,

this is a very common occurence. I use wood too. Soft jaws on the vice just don't give enough grip where you need it and the strap wrench won't grip while the head is that hot. Just use some soft wood in the vice. This works for me. You just want to watch how hard you tighten down on it, the wood won't mar the finish, but it'll do a pretty good job of warping the head.

How hot are you going with the toaster oven. I've found 175 degrees to be the magic number. Or there abouts.

sigh... Still no luck. I need smaller strap wrenches. It's too hard to grip just the middle section. The only soft wood I could find around here was a box of old natural pencils, which I thought would work, but once I started twisting, it failed.

Chop, the lowest temp setting on my toaster oven is 190, so that's what I generally use. Anything higher than that and the optics will start to deform after a while.

Tyler,

How long did you leave it in the oven? Man, I really feel for you. If there is really a build up of epoxy in the bezel ring portion of the head, you'll need to heat it up thoroughly. Not a higher temp, but for a longer time. I'm not really worried about the optic. Hell, I've broken lots of lens and stuff trying to get these things apart. Some can be a real b!tch.

It's just that I've found that if you thoroughly heat the head and the epoxy to around 170 degrees, the epoxy just gives way. Don't worry about the optic. If you melt it, I'll send you an NX05. I just got four of them on the way. I'm worried about the anode contact housing. Those will melt too.

Have patience. Now might be a good time to invest in a heatgun. With this you could almost localize the heat into the bezel without overheating the lower part of the head. A heatgun is a good investment anyway. They make KL3's, KL2's, M3's, M4's, etc. a snap.

Dont feel bad, mines REAL scratched up, and its STILL not completely apart. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif

You could carefully use a small butane or similar torch to heat it up... This way the heat will stay more localized in the Al, especially at the area you are pointing the flame.

This is how I got the bottom section of my KL3 off. The Al was nice and toasty warm, but the plastic parts were safe. YMMV.

I'd like to add in my experiences with taking apart KL1's. I actually have never heated any KL1's prior to opening them, I just use the strap wrench method along with a thick o-ring (the one that comes on a McLux battery body).

Here're some pictures to help you visualise how the o-ring fits in:


Bigger picture


Bigger picture


Bigger picture

The picture in the middle shows that the o-ring is placed onto the middle section of the KL1 which provides grip on even thick strap wrenches.

There have been a few that did open slightly at the wrong section, but after tightening at the hex/o-ring, the o-ring/bezel ring just comes off no problems.

Hope that helps.

-YC

Sheesh... still nothing. The o-ring seems to be the best bet so far. I managed to get the vise to hold the head totally stationary using the oring, but both my small and large strap wrenches couldn't budge the top ring. I'll try more in the morning.

Yclo, by the way, when using the oring, do you put it above or below the ridge in the middle section?

Exactly as the second picture, below (more towards the hex) the ridge.

-YC