TOP CAP IS STUCK!

[christov11]

I was going to take apart my cartel to give it a nice vinagar bath.

and then i noticed the top cap wasnt coming off...

I thought i was maybe just tired and needed someones fresh or bigger arms lol. hand it over to one of my collegues who is litterally a fridge. bodybuilder and all.. no joke he is HUGE

obviously if im writing here it means that he had no luck...

weve been 4 guys trying to get this thing off and it will not move...

im hoping the vinagar bath will maybe out of some act of god make it easier to take off afterwards but im hesitant as i dont want it to be locked for good... any problem in putting it in like that? any problem for the insulators to be in vinagar? i havent found anything online saying DONT DO THAT and thats why i am coming to this infinite well of knowledge haha

I used to have some grip pliers thing with rubber strap instead of pinchers but thats long gone. the tools are limited to screw drivers hammer and needle nose pliers lol so thats not going to help much.

Ive heard of tricks like putting it in the freezer or boiling or whatnot. just wanted to see what you guys came up with

p.s. I have searched through a few pages of old posts because i remmebr seeing a member that had a similar issue but... you can tell that if im posting this my search wasnt very successful

I JUST WANT A CLEAN MOD !!! lol

[copper]

The best luck I have had with similar situations is to use both hot and cold water (or ice) to independently heat and cool the two part that stuck. I know that may not be easy, but do the best you can.

Assuming that one part is male and the other is female, heat the female part while cooling the male. This causes the male part to shrink slightly and the female to expand, thus loosening the connection.

If all else fails, check the phone book for a machine shop nearby. They will have it off in no time.

HTH

[Earthling789]

If it is a Copper Cartel, you'll have issues removing it... Copper on Copper will "weld" themselves together if the threads are not properly coated with anti-seize or Vaseline.

Copper (above) has a good method... heat the tube (put it in your pocket for body heat, or wrap it in a hot, moist towel, fresh from the microwave), and then touch the cap (only) against a couple of ice-cubes for a few minutes... that will SOMETIMES be enough to separate them. Copper is highly conductive of heat... it will expand when hot, and contract when cool, which is what you're trying to do... contract the male threads of the cap away from the female threads of the body.

Hopefully you can get them apart, and once you do, clean them thoroughly, threading included (stiff brush), and then coat the threading with anti-seize compound or at the very least Vaseline, to prevent them from melding together again.

[christov11]

its brass.... im guessing itll do... AHHH THIS IS P*SSING ME OFF....

What about throwing it in the vinagar bath while its stuck? is that going to damage the insulators or anything of the sort? im guessing the vinagar is going to seep into the threads and remove some "much" locking it into place no?

[Compenstine]

I wish I could help yea. I do know vinegar is an acid and will cause some issues with the brass if left in to long or not rinsed off well afterword. It will discolor and may cause it to seize more if it corrodes. I have not heard of doing this before.

[christov11]

i just thought if its because its dirty or the change in temperature... omg thats it.... the change in temperature.... damn canadian climate....

since vinegar (hey i finally wrote it correctly haha) i guess will dilute any crud on there... might seep into the threads... ugh....

[sparc]

Already a lot of good suggestions. If all else fails contact Cartel to see if they may be of some help.

[Earthling789]

Vinegar will etch the metal (eat into it) given enough time and strength of solution. It WILL cause threads to lock-up further.

Brass is high concentration of Copper mixed with Tin (and sometimes other metals), but Brass and Copper react similarly to heat... only Copper is affected more.

Try taking a wet towel, place it in the microwave until it is steaming... wrap it around the tube and let it get the tube good and hot... then touch the cap to some ice-cubes for a minute or two (while the tube is still wrapped in the hot towel)... that should do the trick to allow you to unscrew them...

[christov11]

Thanks earth!!!

I have the bath ready... my patience was getting the best of me but im glad you came to save the day haha

[christov11]

OH MY DAYS!!!!!!!

DUDE THAT WORKED!

It took 5 seconds haha

Youve never seen me so happy to see 2 peices of metal in my life LOL

didnt have a cloth so i used paper towel lol... im at work...

nuked it for 45 seconds. had time to bring it to my desk

wrapped it and held it for 30-45 seconds. then touched the top cap onto an ice pack that i miraculously found in the fridge.

it came RIGHT off

im amazed honestly.

p.s. the big guy i was telking about. you should of seen his face LOLLL

Edited November 13, 2014 by christov11

[christov11]

I doubt this is the first time this has happenned... maybe we should pin it?

[Compenstine]

I'll have to try that with my Magneto. The lock ring is stuck on it. It is stuck open so I can still fire it so I just didn't bother after a many failed attempts. LOL

[Earthling789]

Glad you got them separated... that trick works (almost) every time, and when it doesn't, it's usually because you didn't get one of the parts hot enough. Basic laws of thermodynamics wins again

Now, lube up those threads after you clean it... if you don't have any anti-seize compound, basic Vaseline will work... a thin layer on the male threads... screw them together, then apart... a couple times to spread the compound evenly as possible, and you'll likely not have to break out the heat and ice, ever again

[christov11]

p.s. should i remove the insulators?

[jasonculp]

p.s. should i remove the insulators?

I have been thinking about this. I have never tried it, so YMMV.

If the insulators will come out easily I would remove them. I would hate for some of the liquid to get trapped and slowly seep out and cause problems. That being said, if they are difficult to remove, I wouldn't risk damaging one and having to go through the trouble of finding a replacement.

Of course this is all speculation!

[christov11]

exactly what I did. I took out the rubber part on the fire switch but the top cap insulater stayed there durring the bath since it wasnt going anywhere. a couple hours later it was cleaner then it was going in... i think lol I should of taken before and after pics!

anyways it feels smoother ahaha

Just waiting to get some vasoline or something to put on the threads so they dont lock up again...

[smacksy]

exactly what I did. I took out the rubber part on the fire switch but the top cap insulater stayed there durring the bath since it wasnt going anywhere. a couple hours later it was cleaner then it was going in... i think lol I should of taken before and after pics!

anyways it feels smoother ahaha

Just waiting to get some vasoline or something to put on the threads so they dont lock up again...

Naolox works great on threads..buttery smooth, helps conductivity and works good as anti seize.. I use it on all my copper mods and Atties and never had them get stuck anymore...lol Edited December 15, 2014 by smacksy