Today's stupid question.

I found the Energiser batteries in my USA made Maglite 2-AA cell torch
had died and expanded. I got the bottom one out by a violent circular
arm swing followed by a short sharp shock, but the one up behind the
bulb won't budge.
The bulb assembly says "Don't Remove" on it, and I feel I must obey, so
I can't poke something through. Has anyone removed a bulb assembly in
one of these?

I've thought of poking an old-style gimlet down and trying to extract
with that, but it doesn't really have a grippy thread. What I think I
need is sort of a self-tapper with a long shaft. A quick gaze around the
shed hasn't given any inspiration. Can anyone suggest a suitable tool or
process?
--
Bill

"Bill" wrote in message
...
Today's stupid question.

I found the Energiser batteries in my USA made Maglite 2-AA cell torch had
died and expanded. I got the bottom one out by a violent circular arm
swing followed by a short sharp shock, but the one up behind the bulb
won't budge.
The bulb assembly says "Don't Remove" on it, and I feel I must obey, so I
can't poke something through. Has anyone removed a bulb assembly in one of
these?

I've thought of poking an old-style gimlet down and trying to extract with
that, but it doesn't really have a grippy thread. What I think I need is
sort of a self-tapper with a long shaft. A quick gaze around the shed
hasn't given any inspiration. Can anyone suggest a suitable tool or
process?

Slide a piece of thin wood down with some strong glue (Araldite?) on the
end. Let it set, then pull out the battery?

On Wed, 9 Sep 2009 17:58:24 +0100, Bill had
this to say:

Today's stupid question.

I found the Energiser batteries in my USA made Maglite 2-AA cell torch
had died and expanded. I got the bottom one out by a violent circular
arm swing followed by a short sharp shock, but the one up behind the
bulb won't budge.
The bulb assembly says "Don't Remove" on it, and I feel I must obey, so
I can't poke something through. Has anyone removed a bulb assembly in
one of these?

It's quite likely that if the battery has swollen, it's also burst and
possibly contaminated the inside of the torch. If this is the case
(!) then you've lost nothing by just dismantling as far as possible
to check or clean the inside.

--
Frank Erskine

On Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:58:24 +0100, Bill wrote:

Today's stupid question.

I found the Energiser batteries in my USA made Maglite 2-AA cell torch
had died and expanded. I got the bottom one out by a violent circular
arm swing followed by a short sharp shock, but the one up behind the
bulb won't budge.
The bulb assembly says "Don't Remove" on it, and I feel I must obey, so
I can't poke something through. Has anyone removed a bulb assembly in
one of these?

Unless they've changed, I used to have one of those circa ten years ago
and the seals in them were sufficiently good that it all comes apart and
then goes back together again and still remains watertight.

cheers

Jules

On Sep 10, 4:58 am, Bill wrote:

I've thought of poking an old-style gimlet down and trying to extract
with that, but it doesn't really have a grippy thread. What I think I
need is sort of a self-tapper with a long shaft. A quick gaze around the
shed hasn't given any inspiration. Can anyone suggest a suitable tool or
process?

Do you have a long coach screw? Drill a pilot hole and screw the screw
in and pull hard

On 9 Sep, 17:58, Bill wrote:

Can anyone suggest a suitable tool or process?

Black powder shooter's ball extractor.

Which you can make by silversoldering a screw (Screwfix goldscrew
style parallel thread) to a rod.

On Sep 9, 5:58*pm, Bill wrote:
Today's stupid question.

I found the Energiser batteries in my USA made Maglite 2-AA cell torch
had died and expanded. I got the bottom one out by a violent circular
arm swing followed by a short sharp shock, but the one up behind the
bulb won't budge.
The bulb assembly says "Don't Remove" on it,

Ignore that, but the inside of the torch will be knackered anyway.

Just buy a new torch, but don't pay for the brand.

MBQ

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:47:43 -0700, Man at B&Q wrote:

On Sep 9, 5:58Â*pm, Bill wrote:
Today's stupid question.

I found the Energiser batteries in my USA made Maglite 2-AA cell torch
had died and expanded. I got the bottom one out by a violent circular
arm swing followed by a short sharp shock, but the one up behind the
bulb won't budge.
The bulb assembly says "Don't Remove" on it,

Ignore that, but the inside of the torch will be knackered anyway.

Just buy a new torch, but don't pay for the brand.

There might be something in that, too. I like Maglites, at least the
bigger ones (I've got an incandescent one here that takes two D-cells and
an LED one which takes three*), and the cases certainly seem robust, but
my little two-AA one that I used to have went through bulbs at an
alarming rate.

* the light output on the incandescent is *way* better than the LED one,
despite the later having more batteries...

cheers

Jules

In message
, Man
at B&Q writes
On Sep 9, 5:58*pm, Bill wrote:
Today's stupid question.

I found the Energiser batteries in my USA made Maglite 2-AA cell torch
had died and expanded. I got the bottom one out by a violent circular
arm swing followed by a short sharp shock, but the one up behind the
bulb won't budge.
The bulb assembly says "Don't Remove" on it,

Ignore that, but the inside of the torch will be knackered anyway.

Just buy a new torch, but don't pay for the brand.

Well, I removed the don't remove bit and the bulb, Then pushed, but
achieved only slight movement of the bulb holder. Went on to the
internet and found lots of info about the bigger Maglites, but nothing
confidence building about these smaller ones.
Tried poking all sorts of things down from the bulb end, and found a
long coach screw for the other end.
Then discovered that if you leave the battery of an Aldi drill in the
charger and the wife unplugs it, the battery seems to discharge. Both
chargers plugged in.

Then, during the forced intermission, climbed on the roof of the shed
under orders to pick the damsons. Further to a question I asked here
some time back, Onduline cladding on the old felt roof seems fine
underfoot and I didn't need to use the offcuts I'd kept as load
spreaders.

Then back to the Maglite, drilled hole in bottom of battery, used lathe
key handle (nearest thing to suitable I could find) to push and coach
screw up the battery to pull, and it all came out.

I've checked the bulb holder and it still seems to work, so all that
remains is to improvise a sort of miniature sweeps brush to clear away
the slight amount of corrosion in the body of the torch. I can get new
batteries in and out, but it's just a bit too tight.

I do have many other torches ready for the winter's political-ineptitude
generated power outages. This Maglite has a certain sentimental value
and is a nice colour.

Thanks to all. Sorry about the bloggish posting.
--
Bill

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:24:10 +0100, Bill wrote:

... so all that remains is to improvise a sort of miniature sweeps brush
to clear away the slight amount of corrosion in the body of the torch.

Had a similar problem with a 3 D cell Maglite but at least you can
strip those down. The corroded area inside the tube I rubbed down
with a bit of ali oxide paper on the end of stick.

After a battery leak I'm always concerned about on going corrosion
from the chemicals. Assuming an "alkaline" battery what would be a
suitable household chemical to neutralise and residue after manual
cleaning?

I found a flash gun in the back of a draw the other day. Got the
batteries out and the leakage was bone dry powder it had been there
so long. I'd like to clean that up a bit, I do find the residue will
eat away any flat plate type battery contacts given time.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:15:08 +0100 (BST), "Dave Liquorice"
had this to say:

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:24:10 +0100, Bill wrote:

... so all that remains is to improvise a sort of miniature sweeps brush
to clear away the slight amount of corrosion in the body of the torch.

Had a similar problem with a 3 D cell Maglite but at least you can
strip those down. The corroded area inside the tube I rubbed down
with a bit of ali oxide paper on the end of stick.

After a battery leak I'm always concerned about on going corrosion
from the chemicals. Assuming an "alkaline" battery what would be a
suitable household chemical to neutralise and residue after manual
cleaning?

Probably a mild acid such as citric (lemon juice!).

--
Frank Erskine

On Sep 10, 8:15*pm, "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:
On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:24:10 +0100, Bill wrote:
... so all that remains is to improvise a sort of miniature sweeps brush
to clear away the slight amount of corrosion in the body of the torch.

Had a similar problem with a 3 D cell Maglite but at least you can
strip those down. The corroded area inside the tube I rubbed down
with a bit of ali oxide paper on the end of stick.

After a battery leak I'm always concerned about on going corrosion
from the chemicals. Assuming an "alkaline" battery what would be a
suitable household chemical to neutralise and residue after manual
cleaning?

I found a flash gun in the back of a draw the other day. Got the
batteries out and the leakage was bone dry powder it had been there
so long. I'd like to clean that up a bit, I do find the residue will
eat away any flat plate type battery contacts given time.

A dishwasher is a great way to do the final clean, once all the crud
is scraped off.


NT

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dave Liquorice"
saying something like:

After a battery leak I'm always concerned about on going corrosion
from the chemicals. Assuming an "alkaline" battery what would be a
suitable household chemical to neutralise and residue after manual
cleaning?

Vinegar.

On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:23:40 +0100, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

Assuming an "alkaline" battery what would be a suitable household
chemical to neutralise and residue after manual cleaning?

Vinegar.

I'd already thought of that and any other acid as you don't know how
much to use so could end up with an acidic residue rather than
alkaline.

Idealy the products of reaction with the battery residue need to be
neutral and the substance itself neutral. I know bicarbonate of soda
would be good for acids but I did organic chemistry to A level so the
inorganic side is a bit, erm, hazy...

--
Cheers
Dave.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dave Liquorice"
saying something like:

Vinegar.

I'd already thought of that and any other acid as you don't know how
much to use so could end up with an acidic residue rather than
alkaline.

Idealy the products of reaction with the battery residue need to be
neutral and the substance itself neutral. I know bicarbonate of soda
would be good for acids but I did organic chemistry to A level so the
inorganic side is a bit, erm, hazy...

I'd flush it out with plenty of water afterwards, in any case.

In the case of my original torch, someone privately suggested that they
had got a battery out by squirting WD40 down.
I haven't done this, but I was thinking of squirting something down
after the internal cleaning. If the batteries are out and the reaction
has stopped, isn't all that's needed is a coating to bind the residue
and stop further air getting to it.

I was thinking WD40, but lately I've been applying another aerosol that
came from a pound shop called something like "sprayable grease". It's
like WD40, but leaves a thin layer of grease as a residue. It seems to
be grease in an evaporating thin solvent, and I've used it in lots of
places recently and it seems to lubricate much more than WD40.

I don't really want to put acid onto a stable ex-reaction and get it
over the other unblemished surfaces. Am I wrong?
--
Bill

All- MAG Industries will replace your torch if the batteries are Energizer, Duracell or Ray-O-Vac at no cost to you. They have an agreement with these companies.

If you are using some other brand, they'll replace it for $12 USD, you cover shipping.
check out this pages for details,
FAQ Mag Instrument, Inc. - Manufacturer of the Maglite® Flashlight

I am sending them one that leaked and cell is stuck and another that was crushed and then pinched the battery. I hope they replace the 2nd one, worth a shot.

I will say that after many years of owning MAG products, these are one of the best flashlights on the market. the only other light I light more is made for scuba diving. If MAG made dive lights, theirs would be my first choice every time.