Topic: Cap stuck on mic body

[ts]

I don't think it is over tightened. It's probably been 10-15 years since this cap was removed. The mic works. Was going to switch out the card cap for omni, but it won't budge. I'm fearful of using pliers or any type of solvent to loosen it. Any other ideas? Thanks.

[SmokinJoe]

What kind of mic?  I'm curious if it's aluminum or brass.  If it's aluminum on aluminum (Naks?) it's quite possible for the aluminum to corrode a bit and seize over time (that fine white dust).  Brass  shouldn't seize.

I would resist pliers and solvents as well.  I'd start with a rubber "strap wrench".  If that didn't work, I'd move up to pliers with rubber (bicycle inner tube?) wrapped around it, but I wouldn't go nuts on it.  If that doesn't want to budge, I'd leave it there.  I think if you squeeze the pliers too hard it would be entirely possible to dent or collapse the tube before it unscrews, and once you make the joint out of round, it's definitely not going to come apart.

If you think it got cross threaded and someone managed to "wind it on there one last time", I wouldn't mess with it.  You could end up with the damn thing half-apart (won't go forward or reverse) and then it's useless.

[audBall]

I second the rubber strap wrench technique.  I had a capsule stuck on a mic once and ended up using two ~3-4" rubber shims to "grip" each section of the mic and unscrew. 

[JD]

 

[ts]

It's a Nak. So the cap is stuck on the barrel between the mic body and the cap. The barrel comes off the body but the cap will not come off the barrel. It doesn't appear to be cross threaded so corrosion is the likely culprit. I'll try the rubber strap technique. Was also thinking a very small amount of WD on a qtip

[SmokinJoe]

If it's a Nak then that cap is short.  You won't get the strap wrench to grip such a small area, you would have to go with "pliers with rubber padding".

Speaking only for myself, I wouldn't try the WD-40.  I think the odds that it will help the problem versus somehow get on the diaphragm and ruin it are about 50/50.  If you are determined to try it, I'd use Liquid Wrench instead of WD-40.  WD stands for "water displacement" and it leaves a film that attracts dust and dirt, Liquid wrench not so much.

[OOK]

Why not stick it in the fridge and chill it over night.  In theory the metal should shrink a fraction of an mm or so, but maybe enough to loosen it.  just make sure you let it warm up to room tempture before doing anything else.

I would stay away from wd40.  I don't know what would happen to the capsule if you got some on it.....but I am sure it is not good. 

OOK

[ts]

The cap is off.

Thanks all for the advice.

[Chuck]

So, how'd you get the cap off?

[ts]

So, how'd you get the cap off?

freeze spray and those rubber band plier thingies. i cooled down the vented portion and the cap twisted right off. found all the tools at work.