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MEW 186 laser alignment article

Difficulty trying to separate the two main body halves

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John Coates13/02/2012 08:27:18
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558 forum posts
28 photos
Hi folks
 
I have bought one of these lasers but am struggling to separate the two halves of the main body. The lens cap is off but the rest is just too slippery to get a good grip. I have tried cloth under pliers but it just slips.
 
I am trying not to mark the outer body. Any suggestions?
 
Thanks
 
John
maurice bennie13/02/2012 12:03:19
164 forum posts
1 photos
HI John , I would try my wifes jam jar lid remover,the one with the rubber strap. one on the lid and another on the jar . I dont know if they will be small enough . I can not remember exactly what they are called.
Best wishes Maurice
John McNamara13/02/2012 12:32:32
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1377 forum posts
133 photos
Hi John
 
I would take two small pieces of steel or aluminum and place together in the drill vice, then drill a hole in the join line creating two 180 degree halves. Using a drill just slightly oversize compared to the laser body.
 
then wrap the laser body with masking tape to fill the gap and clamp the two pieces over the lot.
 
Its a delicate balance between too tight and too loose but a wrap or two of tape and your part will be a tight fit in the custom made clamp.
 
You may have to make two clamps. if both ends are hard to hold.
 
I have used this method many times On bigger stuff I dont worry about protective tape.
I used it to unfreeze a rusted in shaft a while back 30mm in diameter. there I used a metre long bar of 50 x 25mm sq with a small length for the other half of the clamp after cross drilling a couple of M12 set screws and nuts were used to clamp the pieces together. I bored a 30mm hole through the two pieces while they were clamped together. (Using a piece of cardboard to create a gap)
 
The shaft was not damaged. The long leverage allowed me to work the shaft back and forth (with lots of oil) to clear the rust. and remove the shaft.
 
Cheers
John
Ed Duffner13/02/2012 12:39:38
863 forum posts
104 photos
A couple of things I try with stiff threads are:
 
1) Try tightening a little, then undoing.
 
2) Use more turn and less squeeze (if that makes sense).
 
Good luck.
John Coates13/02/2012 13:27:26
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558 forum posts
28 photos
Thanks guys, it's off !
 
Inspired by your suggestions I put electrical tape around each half then clamped the pliers onto this and they came apart.
 
Gordon W13/02/2012 14:43:59
2011 forum posts
For the next time :- Try a suitable size of worm - drive hose clip (Jubilee).
John Coates13/02/2012 14:55:36
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558 forum posts
28 photos
Gordon - the OD is only 12mm and the lower section only 9mm high so not sure a Jubilee clip comes that small
Ian S C14/02/2012 00:50:25
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7468 forum posts
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John, I think I have some clips down to 8 mm. Ian S C
John McNamara14/02/2012 01:02:16
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1377 forum posts
133 photos
Hi All
 
The catch is Jubilee clips do not exert even pressure. The saddle that houses the worm creates a pressure point.... They work very well on rubber or plastic hose that can redistribute the uneven pressure. But for the proposed job (the laser pointer) There is a risk the thin laser pointer tube would be bent out of shape.
 
The method I proposed was designed to avoid damage to the pointer.
It works well in other applications too.
 
Cheers
John

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