Help me take my RE20 apart!

[Sam Inglis]

So I finally got around to buying a re-foaming kit for my RE20, which it sorely needs. The first stage is to remove the headbasket. You use a tiny hex key to unscrew a bolt, and after that, the basket itself is supposed to unscrew from the body tube. The problem is that the headbasket on mine will not shift at all, even with the bolt removed. It appears to be glued in place. I've tried using a small brush to put some solvent into the gap, but it's made no difference.

I suspect the only way forward is to use serious force, but I don't know how to apply it. Because the mic is cylindrical, it slips out of whatever is gripping it before you can apply enough torque. Any ideas?

[ef37a]

Got to be a mic-mech reading this? But for now..

Gentle, well directed heat (you can get a very fine flame on a garage oxy...J.O.K.E!). Hair dryer maybe rather than the Deck&Blacker paint stripper? See, thread lock compound often softens when hot. Use it on amp indicator lamp housings.

What solvent? Toluene will dissolve most organic substances but get it orf ASAP, can attack stove enamel so might strip the plating.

Gripping? Try some big cable ties or fabricate a strap wrench from a leather belt.

Dave.

[Sam Inglis]

Thanks Dave,

I'll bring it home and have at it with the hair dryer and a belt, good plan.

[Hugh Robjohns]

The application of some heat might help, but keep the wind from the hair dryer away from the capsule front!

Personally, I'd try with a couple of those 'stickie cloths' that kitchen shops sell for opening jam jars to provide a better grip. The leather belts might help too.

H