Yes or No! Should I Take an Ice Pick to This Light? Need feedback.

I decided to have a go at the innards. Things do not bode well. I twisted away with pliers from the top, yanking out a few springs and wires. I finally drilled a hole through and through.

It's solid all the way through. I don't think I'll be able to clear it. I even took a thick heavy steel rod and tried sledging it from both ends...it didn't even phase it.

It seemed like a good idea when I purchased it, but I didn't know I was going to run into this immovable plug.

After drilling a hole clear through the thing, does the material at the top (around the bulb socket. Looks like it has machining marks.) seem to be the same material as the stuff that was poured in from the bottom?

No, it’s some type of plastic/nylon. I’m assuming the stuff that was poured in is some kind of epoxy.

What about doing something like the cheapy smd led bulb replacements all over eBay, only with Cree led's? I'm picturing a copper/aluminum rod sticking up into the reflector with a few stars mounted around the original focal point. Probably unfeasible, but it would be different.

I have a plan, but nothing is going to happen if I can’t clear that plug.

Has something changed recently with the laws of physics/chemistry, where heat no longer softens/melts plastic??

I’ll put that on my list comfy. Do you think I should torch the top end? As a last resort I’ll bring it into the maintenance shop at work.

Burn’em outta there! Just kidding. Heat sounds good, or freezing it. Or Freezing it and then applying heat to the outside maybe.

Or sitting it under the drillpress and pressing it out?

I would probably attack it with one of these: http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Accessories/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=9901

Cut two slots front-to-back so you can break it into two pieces.

I just hit the plastic/nylon part with a mini torch. It started bubbling and burning like a tire. I have it sitting on the cement, it’s still burning away all by itself. Like a tire fire. I’ll just let it burn and see what happens.

Things are starting to heat up now. :slight_smile:

It's still burning!

It’s still bubbling like a witches cauldron. It’s been at it for over ten minutes now.
I guess HID don’t need heat sinking, because even though the thing is on fire, the tube only feels warm.

Video or it didn’t happen!

Video would take too long to upload to youtube.

It's been twentyfive minutes, and it's still boiling away. I realized I forgot to take the o-rings off. Surprisingly, the tube is only warm and the o-Rings come off okay with no damage.

Still bubbling. I wonder how toxic this is.

After the fire died I poked and yanked out crusty things and components with a pliers. There seems to be an integral lip. I think the plasticy front plate was installed from the rear, and the epoxy poured in behind it. I’ve pretty well cleared it out now.
Now what’s left is the epoxy plug. It looks about an inch thick. It’s free and rattling back and forth. I started another small fire to clear the rest of the plastic (what is this stuff).
After the fire dies and I clean things up I’ll figure out how to get that loose plug of epoxy out.

Thanks comfy. Having a bonfire would have never occurred to me.

So is there a pressed in retaining ring behind where the epoxy was? What is keeping it retained so that it rattles around behind that lip at the front?

It's free and clear. Once the charred remains of the plastic and components were cleared, the epoxy plug came out the front. There are two low profile lips in the front that I assume retained the plastic. The epoxy must have bonded it there. There is another wider shelf at the bottom where the contact plate threads in.

A BLF first?

Nice job! :)