I noticed that everydaysurvivalgear is having the same problem. URGH! I was hoping that Myhken would have to wait longer before I offered my assistance.
Here’s the deal, I’ve dealt with stuck fasteners since before I can remember, and anything with threads that threads into something else is technically the same as a fastener.
1. DON’T force it. It might break free, it might just break. You don’t want that.
2. Combination of patience, lubrication, and heat. I was going to break it down into a longer list, but if you try just one of these it probably wont work. So…… here’s what I would do:
IMPORTANT: DON’T USE MORE HEAT THAN YOU NEED OR YOUR ENTIRE LIGHT WILL FALL APART!!! (Excessive? Maybe, but you think I want those PM’s?)
CAREFULLY soak the threads with WD-40 or your personal favorite, but the milder the better, it’s an electronic device with a reflector designed to reflect…light…. so….do I need to bother? It only takes a tiny bit! Don’t put the lubricant on the reflective surface. DUH!
Be patient and wait over night. You can do it. It will not kill you to wait, I promise.
Tomorrow morning, try the same amount of effort that you tried today. This will usually do it.
IF that doesn’t work, you will have to try HEAT.
People will tell you that heat only works if you know what you’re doing. That is partially true. There are certain situations where the materials involved really matter. Like, reallyyy.
I’m going out on a limb and saying this isn’t one of them. Get your oven mitts ready.
Heat up the thing you want to make bigger, aka the outer threaded portion, aka the pill area, aka the finned copper.
That means you need something that can direct heat onto something. Like, not a campfire or a clothes dryer. Something like a heat gun or a propane torch (US version of the word, what the heck do you guys in the UK call it? I must know!) I usually use MAPP gas, but I’m running out of the real stuff and I’ve heard that the replacement is inferior. Use of heat will probably affect the finish on your light, but seeing that you just want a better beam that shouldn’t matter, right? Moving on
What you need to imagine in your head while doing this is that heat makes things bigger, so the outer threads need to get hot, which will make the inner threads fit looser, and then you can twist them right out.
Note: Everything is going to get hot, just not as hot as where you direct the heat.
IMPORTANT: DON’T USE MORE HEAT THAN YOU NEED OR YOUR ENTIRE LIGHT WILL FALL APART!!! (Excessive? Maybe, but you think I want those PM’s?) It’s good practice to try a little heat and then twist. Use hand protection. Use eye protection. Use any kind of protection you can find. Don’t breath in unless you have adequate ventilation. Have a spotter. Make the spotter do it. What are friends for? Have a shovel ready. If anything goes wrong, deny deny deny.
Seriously though, good luck, be safe, don’t wreck your lights. Patience is #1.