What do when din fittings are locked shut?

[Joris Vd]

Hello Guys, I've had it a couple of times before that on old regulators the din fittings are locked shut, to the extent that the filter cant even be removed.
Usually I manage to get them out eventually, but now I've had it on an old mares mr22 and my allen wrench broke the din fitting....

Are there any diy solutions to remove the din fitting now it cracked? And are there any ways to gently remove the din fittings if it's locked shut?
It seems to be a reoccuring problem for me with vintage din regulators, maybe I'm doing something wrong, luckily I only paid 15 euro for the mares, so it's not too dramatic if it's trashed, but still a bummer.

Any tips always welcome!

I'd love to hear any of them.

With kind regards,

Joris

 

[lowviz]

Try this: McMaster-Carr and WD-40. Total rebuild and a serious cleaning.

 

[Umuntu]

Someone's used too much loctite on the DIN post threads to hold it in the regulator body.

I had that issue on a DIN regulator recently. That DIN post is now a write off, so no need to be too delicate with it.

I used boiling water and ordinary dishwashing detergent in the ultrasonic cleaner for about an hour. Followed by using a vice grip pliers (see pic) on the end of the din post, alternating anti-clockwise (loosening) and clockwise (tightening) in quick vibration just to get some movement in the threads. Keep that going for a while … if no movement repeat in the ultrasonic bath with more boiling water and dishwashing liquid, then try again …

 

[swimlikethefish]

If you are going to do a full rebuild why not use some heat. That's what I do with stuck fasteners on a vehicle. I would heat it up with a small butane or propane torch, gently. Then take the largest allen wrench possible to it. Or a set of vise grips.

Don't think it would do much damage if it was heated correctly. I just wouldn't go crazy on it like you would with an oxy/acetylene setup.

 

[Umuntu]

If you are going to do a full rebuild why not use some heat. That's what I do with stuck fasteners on a vehicle. I would heat it up with a small butane or propane torch, gently. Then take the largest allen wrench possible to it. Or a set of vise grips.

Don't think it would do much damage if it was heated correctly. I just wouldn't go crazy on it like you would with an oxy/acetylene setup.

Except that all the o-rings and plastic valve seat etc will melt. I wouldn't recommend it.

The Brass could also melt. I try to be as gentle as possible.

 

[swimlikethefish]

With a rebuild o rings do not matter. Boiling water is 212f. You are just going the same thing with a flame. You do not want to melt the thing just heat it. Kind of like soldering pipe.

 

[Scared Silly]

I would disassemble as much of the reg as possible and toss it into an ultrasonic bath with 50/50 water/vinegar and give a good hot soak and cleaning. After that I would put the reg into a vice to remove the DIN fitting.

I would not use a torch on it. Too easy melt something, including parts that may not need to be replaced like a diaphragm and poppets, then you have another mess to deal with.

 

[Umuntu]

With a rebuild o rings do not matter. Boiling water is 212f. You are just going the same thing with a flame. You do not want to melt the thing just heat it. Kind of like soldering pipe.

Yes, the o-rings will have to be replaced, just as with any service. But you don't want to melt them in situ and contaminate the inside of the reg. Boiling water is about as much heat as you need.

 

[Umuntu]

@Joris Vd this is the tool that you need.



If you are in Europe then it can be bought for less than €10 from SCUBA TOOLS | Specialized scuba service and maintenance tools

I have bought tools from (and had some tools made by) Ramon at Scuba Service Tools before and they provide excellent service !

 

[lexvil]

I would toss it in a bag and let entropy handle it, and dive with another reg.