Advice not to break 2nd stage case with sticky Inlet Fitting

[emoreira]

Several dive friends gave me regulators to overhaul because they have them and not dived it since several years.
All threads were sticky and with plastic 2nd stages the risk to crack the case trying to disassemble the valve is too high.
This happened to me in two ocassions. In the first the case was already broken and glued with cyanoacrilate. The second case it was my fault.
I've learned the lessons and since then I had good luck with this :

I covered the rounded part of the case with electric tape and put a clamp well tightened. With this I can make more force with the nut wrench.

 

[Open Ocean Diver]

Try soaking in hot water.

 

[axxel57]

Several dive friends gave me regulators to overhaul because they have them and not dived it since several years.
All threads were sticky and with plastic 2nd stages the risk to crack the case trying to disassemble the valve is too high.
This happened to me in two ocassions. In the first the case was already broken and glued with cyanoacrilate. The second case it was my fault.
I've learned the lessons and since then I had good luck with this :
View attachment 738740
I covered the rounded part of the case with electric tape and put a clamp well tightened. With this I can make more force with the nut wrench.

Good idea, but still the work of loosening the housing puts quite some strain on the plastic part, and it's working only for a few 2nd stage models.
Long time ago I had several totally corrode fleet R190s, which I hardly got open, so I built me 'tools', which work in most of those cases.
For 2nds with no hole on the opposite side of the lever I got me a tool from Scuba Clinic, which works reasonable, but not perfect. The two 'teethes' are too thick for some valve housings models.
But it's better than nothing......

 

[emoreira]

Totally agree and good tools.
I also build my own tools. Perhaps not so nice and shining like tools offered in the market, but quite effective.

 

[rhwestfall]

The whole thing in an ultrasonic with heat multiple times....

 

[emoreira]

I was told and read several times here not to ultrasonic bath plastic parts.

 

[tursiops]

I was told and read several times here not to ultrasonic bath plastic parts.

@rsingler

 

[rsingler]

Put it in the freezer for two hours. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself.
S620Ti frozen plastic knob assembly.
A700 frozen plastic adjuster.
My wife (food scientist) taught me.
The big part doesn't contract around the little part, making things worse. Instead, everything contracts and gaps get bigger. It's now worked three times for me, and twice more for my Seminar students.
Everything is more brittle, so be careful. But it works!

Also, How to Disassemble Frozen Downstream Valves

 

[emoreira]

Good idea, but still the work of loosening the housing puts quite some strain on the plastic part, and it's working only for a few 2nd stage models.
Long time ago I had several totally corrode fleet R190s, which I hardly got open, so I built me 'tools', which work in most of those cases.
For 2nds with no hole on the opposite side of the lever I got me a tool from Scuba Clinic, which works reasonable, but not perfect. The two 'teethes' are too thick for some valve housings models.
But it's better than nothing......

With this type of cheap second stages, the only choice is the one I mentioned :

 

[axxel57]

With this type of cheap second stages, the only choice is the one I mentioned :

True.....