Is this gold cap hopeless to remove from the top of my copper Nemesis????

[Vaya]

I'm gettin' hopeless here, guys'n'gals.

i have a copper Nemi. I bought a 3-piece gold ring set to jazz it up a little. Here's the spread:

the he reason there's two sets is because at first, the top cap airflow ring was hopelessly stuck on the copper cap's O-ring, like so:

I COULD NOT get it off or on! I was recovering from thumb surgery. So my friend helped me get it off - and, in doing so, actually snapped it on:

now ow I can't get it off with my hands, pliers, freezing it, or whatever. It's been so stuck for over a week that it won't even turn.

the company felt bad and set me a second set. I just want my copper cap freed but I'm too worried about damaging the soft copper to try a flathead screwdriver or anything.

Can anyone offer me some advice? I'm gettin desperate, here

thanks in advance,

~ Vaya

 

[Johnny Phatsaqs]

First off, good on the company for caring enough to try to make it right. You should name them.

The only thing I could offer at this point is a flat head sandwiched between a thin cloth. Use very small, subtle pries.

 

[Vaya]

First off, good on the company for caring enough to try to make it right. You should name them.

The only thing I could offer at this point is a flat head sandwiched between a thin cloth. Use very small, subtle pries.

Yeah I'm just frustrated; I did give them very positive ebay feedback and called to say thanks.

Thank you for your suggestion; that does seem reasonable.

 

[rurwin]

If freezing doesn't work, try heat.

Both of those work because different metals expand and contract to different degrees. Of course the rings are not solid gold and if they are copper neither heat nor cold is likely to work.

 

[Ryedan]

Can anyone offer me some advice? I'm gettin desperate, here

I'm pretty handy with stuff like this. I worked 20 years as a machinist and that comes with the territory. It also means I have a lot of experience getting tight fitted parts separated. It is tricky if you've never done it before.

If you could heat the outer part and cool the inner one, that would do it. However it's going to be almost impossible because they are touching each other.

I would try a reasonably sharp knife (not one with a rounded cutting edge), a small, light tool to use as a hammer and a magnifier. In my case I would use a steak knife to start with, a 3/8 inch diameter, 1 inch long steel dowel and my magnifying headset. Look at the join between the parts and look for a place where there is less space between them. Working on a hard wood surface I would place the knife's edge on that spot between parts and give the knife a small hit. Check the parts. If they moved apart, you're on your way. If not, hit it a bit harder in the same spot.

If you can move the parts this way you'll see that the small opening has opened up a bit and is likely now the large opening. If the parts are completely together it doesn't matter where you start with the first hit.

What you want to do is gently rock the parts apart, one hit at a time, always placing your separating tool where the parts are closer together. You will have to use thicker tools as the gap widens. The gentler you are with your hits, the more hits you'll have to take, but the easier it will be to get the them separated.

If you use a heavy 'hammer', you need to be careful to hit very gently. The lighter the 'hammer', within reason, the easier it will be to complete this process successfully.

Once you have more of an opening you can try using a screwdriver as a lever between the parts, but keep working gently and slowly around the parts, gently jacking them apart, always making the the small gap slightly bigger. If you find the parts wedged together and you can't open the small gap easily, gently tap the parts at the biggest gap making that slightly smaller and then continue.

I hope this makes some sense. The process is not complicated, it's just hard to explain in text. Kinda like tying shoelaces.

Whatever you try, let us know how it goes.

 

[crxess]

If you have an old Cartomizer
Screw it on the Cap
Get a cup of HOT water
Soak parts for 3-5 minutes
Place on counter with Carto down
Grip Cap and work down over Carto

You need a Rubber band or something to get a decent grip on the trim ring.
Cap is almost ungrippable so Attach to something that is(Carto)

 

[Vaya]

Ryedan, thank you; that does indeed make sense - you did a great job of explaining that. I wouldn't have been able to. I'll try it in the morning and report back...

crxess, thank you, too, for your reply; I'd never thought of using something like a rubberband to grip it, but I have those handy, too.

I'm not sure what you mean about the carto bit, though, TBH; I don't want to pull a carto threaded into the well of the copper top cap out because it'll probably break the carto and/or warp the copper threads. See, the problem isn't with the cap itself; the problem is with the gold ring that tugs onto the cap and is meant to spin, and is held on by an o-ring adjusted to the copper cap. Any tank/Cary/RDA attached to the mid is so by way of the copper piece; it's completely independent of the gold ring (god, this seems so difficult to explain!).

~ V

 

[weinner]

A piece of a paper towel with a little alcohol on it gives excellent grip and is more versatile than a rubber band in my experience.

 

[crxess]

Vaya, You don't pull on the Carto at all. It acts like a Center leg to Hold the Actual Top Cap. Also, a Cartomizer is no wider than the Top Cap's 510 but wide enough to give the 510 support.

With a Carto Snugged and the Center pin Tightened it will not put Pressure on the threads.

The Idea is to have something of significant mass to keep the Top cap from moving. Remember, everything will be upside down and you are Pushing the Ring to the Carto/Counter.

Oh, and Hot water makes the O-ring more pliable. While Freezing helps free stuck metal sections, it Hardens O-rings which could make it more difficult.

 

[icemanistheking]

Vise grip + paper towel to protect finish + textured rubber work glove for grip = home free in under 5 minutes

May not even need the vise grip depending on how bad it is...two textured rubber gloves can do amazing things with the amount of torque they give when twisting.

 

[bluesbishop]

A friend turned me onto latex gloves for removing hard to twist items on your mod.

I've tried the rubber pads for unscrewing lids, and this works so much easier. Gives great grip.

Also, Harbor Freight sells rubber strap wrenches.. Cheap and easy to use as well

Sent from my LG G2 on the Sprint Spark Network

 

[crxess]

Vise grip + paper towel to protect finish + textured rubber work glove for grip = home free in under 5 minutes

May not even need the vise grip depending on how bad it is...two textured rubber gloves can do amazing things with the amount of torque they give when twisting.

Agreed, I have Frosty Grip Gloves and they work on anything I can get a hold of.
Problem is the thin cut of the Nemesis Cap. Almost to thin to grab, thus my other suggestion.

 

[zoiDman]

A piece of a paper towel with a little alcohol on it gives excellent grip and is more versatile than a rubber band in my experience.

The Rubbing Alcohol is a Good Trick that I have used Many Times.

Clean with Alcohol, Grip with a Piece of Rubber is a Great Combo.

 

[weinner]

The Rubbing Alcohol is a Good Trick that I have used Many Times.

Clean with Alcohol, Grip with a Piece of Rubber is a Great Combo.

It really is quite surprising how well it works too. The only reason I know this is because of that 510 top cap on the nemesis. It makes tearing down the kfl+ into 30 second job.

 

[zoiDman]

It really is quite surprising how well it works too. The only reason I know this is because of that 510 top cap on the nemesis. It makes tearing down the kfl+ into 30 second job.

My Mom (84 year Old) has a Drawer full of Gismo and Gadgets to get Lids of Jars. Not sure where she got it or if Someone gave it to her.

And one of them is a Simple round piece of Rubber about 8" in Diameter. Not sure where it came from. But I have used it Many Times around her house to Grip things.

Rubber or Latex Gloves will sometimes work in a Pinch. But they Usually aren't thick enough for the Really Tough Jobs.

 

[weinner]

My grandmother had a drawer with such things. I have also used that rubber circle. I've tried to find a good one when I think of it but they're never that good. Next time the old lady drags me to Bed Bath & Beyond I'll look there.

 

[zoiDman]

This was My Favorite as a Kid Growing up. Love the Mechanical Simplicity of it.

BTW - Peeled, Bottled Asparagus? Yuck. Talk about Puke on a Stick. LOL

 

[zoiDman]

BTW - Thinking about all the Ideas for Removing things spurred me to go to e-Bay and poke around.

Found this item ...

Container Bottle Lid Can Tin Cap Handy Travel Kitchen Rubber Multi Jars Opener Y | eBay

... and being a Sucker for Anything Under $2.98, just Had to get one. LOL

 

[Vaya]

Wow thank you all for your amazing replies...!!

So, it's still stuck. As in, stuck. I'll have to pick up some rubbing alcohol at the store tomorrow, I'll give that one a try.... I actually had latex gloves lying around, and whilst I did have a much better time of gripping, it wasn't enough to free it.

The Idea is to have something of significant mass to keep the Top cap from moving. Remember, everything will be upside down and you are Pushing the Ring to the Carto/Counter.

Can I trouble you to explain this bit further? The rest of your post made sense to me; I think it's excellent advice!

Once again, thanks, all...

~ Vaya

 

[weinner]

Still not turning? If so, soak it in olive oil or vegetable oil.

Once it's free....

Have you tried putting it on the mod and turning the afc ring clockwise as you pulled up?

If that doesn't work use a thin pocket knife blade or razor blade to pry up a little bit at a time all the way around. Anything that might get scratched isn't visible when it's all together anyways, though it shouldn't take that much effort to do any real damage.