Maglight Helll...!

[pk99]

Evening all

First post here..
Paul in UK, Im assuming most of you are in the US ..??

So i have a x4 D Cell Maglight.

And its been in the cupboard for a while.. quite a while well actually a dammn long while.

6 Years to be exact..! In point of fact id totally forgotten about it.

So when i eventually dug it out, yes the batteries are not only flat they have exploded inside and turned their inards to somting resemeling partially dry clay..
Im under no illusions its probably toast, but i like to try with these things first. After all with covid hanging around us all a little light entertainment is well received.

Battery One.Pull tequnique via a coach bolt and block of wood...
FAIL battery innards to far gone to support the pressure needed for extraction. Barttery drilled out and its case fused to the aluminum hammered away with a screwdriver.

Battery Two. Pull tequnique via a coach bolt and block of wood...
SUCCESS Clean extraction

Battery Three. Deep in the torch barrel now. Thinking cap on.. Penatrating oil... Nope that diddnt help using threadded bolt hammered in to the battery to try and pull it out.
FAIL.. Again the battery innards have turned to mush. Though I managed to pull the back cap off the battery and removed most of the crud with a long screwdriver extension bit.

Battery 3 still has its case fused to the torch body. I have found some small "circular saw" cutting disks on flea bay on order that i will try to attach to the threaded bolt and hope to cut the case out usind a drill.

Batery Four. I dont have a plan yet..... Yeah im still working on that one !!

Has anyone ever rescued a Maglight from a simmilar situation. (or managed to get out a Battery four thats swolen up like a balloon...)
I would just bin it and get annother but they are like £45 here not cheap...

All the fun eh..

 

[Labradford]

Vinegar has always worked for me. Good luck !

 

[Beamhead]

:welcome:
After alkyleaks ruined a Mag for me I won't put them in anything. Good luck, mine became part of the tube.

 

[jabe1]

I recently had a similar incident with a 3D that was forgotten in my wife's car.
vinegar helped a lot. One cell was stubborn and I had to remove the switch assembly from the front of the light and use a dowel to drive it out. Afterwards I rigged up some sand paper on an old hole saw to hone all the crap out.
Way to much work for a lower priced somewhat primitive light.
But I defeated the dreaded alkaline batteries.

 

[Jean-Luc Descarte]

Yes, bin it. That 45 quid is done for, any attempt to salvage it is either EXTREME dedication to modding and troubleshooting, or far more likely, sunk cost fallacy.

For now, I'd recommend you upgrade to something more modern. A Lumintop Tool AA and a pack of Eneloops is a good place to begin.

 

[treek13]

IBut I defeated the dreaded alkaline batteries.

I applaud you, sir!

Plus another vote for vinegar.

 

[greenpondmike]

I'd take the lockring out and remove the switch from the front and knock it out like jabe1 said. You will probably have to take the switch apart and clean it also. A penny saved is a penny earned and it is worth it if you like the light. I have good lights both incan and led, but I wouldn't mind having a 4d incan also even though I may never use it just like my new 6d incan. Maglites just seem to look good laying around. I guess you can call the big mags a flashaholic's what nots.

 

[idleprocess]

I'd take the lockring out

I'm reminded that I have some maglites with fossilized D cells in them to rescue and still lack snap ring pliers which would make said task a simpler affair involving the application of basic linear force...

 

[jabe1]

You can get the lock ring out with a couple of small screwdrivers.
Not optimal but it works.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

Better off just working the hours you would spend trying to get the light fixed and buy another one like it somewhere online.
Flashaholics don't let friends use alkaleaks in lights.

 

[idleprocess]

Better off just working the hours you would spend trying to get the light fixed and buy another one like it somewhere online.

That's the economist's view for sure, which would have us maximizing our wealth potential by working as much as possible doing things that are profitable to us and hiring out nearly everything else to those who can perform it more efficiently than we can ourselves, which presumably is done at the expense of generating wealth. Reality is that there tend to be limits on our primary means of making a living (i.e. the 40hr week with overtime employers are reluctant to dole out, or working on a a salary), the labor market not conveniently frictionless to the point that one can easily work small stretches of time on demand to make extra money, and we tend to have other non-economic needs to address during our spare time - some of which can be uneconomic undertaking such as resuscitating old maglites with negligible resale value.

Flashaholics don't let friends use alkaleaks in lights.

Aye. They are best avoided.

 

[pk99]

Success !!!
All exploded and very very aged batteries now removed.

So the third battery was the last one that had exploded and fused to the case. The fourth was just flat, It actually helped hammer out the remnants of the third when i eventually worked it loose.

If anyone else ever needs to know, I got some Hobby circular saw blades 22-40mm from the bay. Attached one to a length of 6mm threadded bolt and used a 30mm wood boring drill attached to a 20mm extension bit and using a power drill reamed the inside of the battery out. Before cutting through the case with the saw blades.

Working on that third batt was a real PITA but such things dont beat me.

As the last battery before the switch was in a good state im thinking the switch itself is still likley to be good.
Will take it out later to check.

So the question is has it survived all the bashing, drilling, vinear and oil its taken to get it this far.
Ive a replacment spring on the way, so will find out in a couple of days..

Maglights may be tough but are they this tough !!!
ATB
P

 

[bykfixer]

Happy endings are cool.

 

[Monocrom]

Success !!!
All exploded and very very aged batteries now removed.

So the third battery was the last one that had exploded and fused to the case. The fourth was just flat, It actually helped hammer out the remnants of the third when i eventually worked it loose.

If anyone else ever needs to know, I got some Hobby circular saw blades 22-40mm from the bay. Attached one to a length of 6mm threadded bolt and used a 30mm wood boring drill attached to a 20mm extension bit and using a power drill reamed the inside of the battery out. Before cutting through the case with the saw blades.

Working on that third batt was a real PITA but such things dont beat me.

As the last battery before the switch was in a good state im thinking the switch itself is still likley to be good.
Will take it out later to check.

So the question is has it survived all the bashing, drilling, vinear and oil its taken to get it this far.
Ive a replacment spring on the way, so will find out in a couple of days..

Maglights may be tough but are they this tough !!!
ATB
P

Any updates? Would love to know if the light works as good as new.

 

[pk99]

Not yet mate..

Post in the UK is so delayed the replacment spring still hasnt arrived yet and im not trying it with the old one which looks in a rough state.
Got the switch out which out which was a bit of an effort theres a little plastic collar which stops it comming out of the front ! grrrr

Anyway the switch itself looks in good nick and no corrosion so im hopefull.
Will prob get an LED upgrade for it, IF it still works...

 

[greenpondmike]

They must have replaced the metal lockring with a plastic collar.

 

[DavidABQ]

I had a flashlight destroyed by alkaline batters. I just tossed it, the damage was too severe for me to even try to save it.

 

[TorchBear]

Brewsters sell Mag D switch assemblies for a lot less than the shysters on UK ebay. Have you thought about dipping all the bits in a caustic solution, to fully de-anodise? Lovely raw aluminium finish after. Nice rubdown with wire wool after. I did that with a moderately alkaleaked 3C, and it helped clean up the mess inside too.

Don't forget to upgrade to reflector and lens with some bits from Kaidomain. Or how about forgo the reflector entirely and get a Fusion 36 LED drop in?

Nothing lovelier than a resurrected and upgraded Maglite imho. The worse shape it's in to begin with, the lovelier it is when it's fully restored.

 

[greenpondmike]

I've rescued several and IMHO it is fun and rewarding. I even want to rescue ones belonging to other people. Yeah I know time is money, but not a big deal if you are enjoying yourself.