Stuck End Caps

This is part of a series of posts I've written about common Maglite repairs. I've also covered the following topics:

Removing Battery Corrosion and Straightening Bent Lights
Stuck Batteries
Stuck Retaining Rings
Switch Removal and Stuck Switches
Switch Disassembly and Repair

Disclaimer: I'll start out by saying that these repairs are tedious and challenging. It is very rewarding to make an old Maglite light again though. If you have a special light and don't feel up to the challenge I do restorations and custom work on most vintage flashlights. My contact info is at the right side of the page.

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I'll also be performing this procedure with a Streamlight (3rd Gen  Kel-Lite) as I'm not currently working on any Maglites with a stuck end cap and I didn't grab pictures in the past. The light is almost identical to a Maglite but I figured I'd make that disclaimer lest anyone is confused. I know this blog is mainly geared towards Maglites but I do restore lights for friends and other folks too that aren't always Maglites. I also collect some Kel-Lites myself.

The first step is to identify the problem. 99% of time a stuck end cap results from stuck batteries. The alkaline leaks from the cell and expands. If the leak is near the end cap the alkaline usually migrates into the threads and corrodes the metal. You can see the result of this in my 2D restoration post. Anyway this is usually identifiable as the end cap cannot be removed by hand or there are marks from pliers on the end cap. Do not try to use vice grips or pliers to remove an end cap as they will damage the finish and most times will cause the rend cap to go out of round. You can see the end cap below with the typical vice grip marks.

After identifying the problem and verifying the end cap cannot be removed by hand wrap the light in a heavy duty tape. Duct tape works best but any kind including electrical tape will do. This is to protect the finish of the light from the pipe vice and pipe wrench that we will be using on it. Below is how it should look.

Next you'll need a pipe vice and pipe wrench. Luckily I do a lot of pipe work so I own one. Most folks probably don't though but I made a few suggestions above for getting one. Do not use a regular vice for this. The light must be tight enough so that it doesn't spin when the pipe wrench is applied. Using a regular vice will flatten the barrel of the light and cause it go out of round ruining the light. Set the light up in the pipe vice as shown below making sure the tape covers all of your contact surfaces. Tighten it slowly at first. Cranking down on the pipe vice will yield the barrel of the light and it doesn't need to be super tight.

Next use the pipe wrench on the end cap being sure it doesn't cut through the tape and damage the end cap. The end cap should easily remove. If the barrel spins tighten the vice a little more until it doesn't. Be careful not to tighten it too much though especially on the new Maglites with the thinner barrels as it will crush the light. I've removed about 2 dozen stuck end caps like this and not had an issue.

And below you can see the results. This light has a lot of alkaline stuck in the threads but luckily very minimal corrosion.

Below you can also see how the tape should work, it provides the friction needed to turn the end without damaging the finish. The more tape the better.

As always I'm looking to buy Vari-Beams and Vintage/Rare Mags. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.