Endcap removal tool?

[Ken_NJ]

Anyone come up with a tool or method to remove endcaps so you don't butcher up the acrylic tube or resin encap? A screwdriver just butchers it. I tried putting sytrene sheet between them, awkward.

[Subculture]

A bicycle pump. Don't pump too hard!

[RCSubGuy]

A bicycle pump. Don't pump too hard!

I blew one of my endcaps across the room years and years ago. It was an older D&E 3.5" cylinder. Scared the ever-living s$!# our of me! I was being lazy and used my compressor, thinking I could tweak the airflow. Nope!

The new cylinder design (if I ever get the chance to finish up the prototype, won't have this issue.


Bob

[redboat219]

Lego brick separator.
Should be easy to 3D print something similar.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

You pussies! pry away, damnit! You're not conserving a ****ing Rembrandt here! Tool marks won't kill you.

David

[Subculture]

Don't use a compressor, or anything with a large reservoir of air to blow off the caps, that's asking for trouble.

A bicycle pump is totally safe as you can precisely control the build up of pressure.

I find a light grease of the seals before laying up makes it easy to separate endcaps with radial compression. If you can source 55 shore o-rings in the right size, they compress a lot easier than the normal 70-80 shore type.

I made a little wtc for a fellow modeller with a Norbert Bruggen Deep Rover model which had a cylinder with an equatorial opening that he couldn't get watertight. As he had the room I machined the endcaps with a large lip that overhangs the cylinder walls, which made it a cinch to remove the cap with his pinkies. If you have room you could bond on a ring from some glassfibre or brass sheet to achieve the same thing.

[Bob Gato]

How about a blind brass grub nutsert just screw in a bolt and pull? If you want a special tool just add a handle to the bolt.

[Ken_NJ]

OK Mr David. But I like things looking as perfect as they can be.

I do 'grease' the o-rings so they go in and out easier. Still the endcap comes off with trouble. If you use a little bit of compressed air it may only pop off one endcap, still need to get the other one off.
When using a screwdriver, the square edges tend to dig into the resin and damage the acrylic tube ends. That's why mine looks the way it does.

I made my own tool. Before anything that matters is trashed, I always take things apart and save items I think may be useful. I had a bad doorbell, took the aluminum bar out of it, that's what I used here. I cut and ground the end down so it fit in the pry slot of the resin. The corners of the pry part were rounded with a file. Stick it in and twist and it pops the endcap out some. When it's far enough out use the other edge to shimmy the endcap out the rest of the way. Works well so far. Could ground the edges of a screwdriver down but don't have one to waste, besides didn't have one that was as wide as the slot.

[Rick Teskey]

Harbour freight plastic dash board removal tools , pry bars wedges, grease

[Rick Teskey]

Also comes in yellow

[biggsgolf]

Great idea! Hell, I have one allready! If I can find it!! Lol

[redboat219]

Shard. Even has a bottle opener for your beer