The 'things I (nearly didn't) fix' thread...

[No.3]

Had a few of these lately, I think the result of too much spare time!

Best one, finally got around to fixing a quite handy little torch I have here, it's a $16 hand held alloy no-brand Chinese thing - came with a green plastic case, a sort of functional belt holster, a charger and an 18650 battery and an adapter for 3AAA's. It's actually a usefully bright torch and well worth it for the cost, but the fix list so far includes replacing the body oring which lasted about 2 battery charges, the holster in which the velcro lid closure failed in about 3 weeks so needed a dome added, and the most annoying one in which the little cast plastic dome lense lost it's little moulded spacer ring which is supposed to keep it tight and stop it rattling. I hate rattles...

So I'm sitting there looking at this thing tonight - and I started wondering how I can stop it rattling... I know, that was the warning sign right there!

Nek minute, it's in bits in front of me and I'm looking at the plastic lense and the alloy retaining thingy that the lense is supposed to be a tight fit inside. Hmmm, those spare bits of plastic that fell out come off there - and those keep it tight there... So if I magically had the right tiny little o-ring yeah nah not going to happen. So, if I can't do that, what can I stuff into there to stop it rattling - hang on why stuff when you can pour! A lightbulb moment.

Out with whatever glue I can find and the only thing that looks reasonably suitable is nasty ass cheap superglue - in the 'bulk pour' disposable 5g tube packs. What can go wrong. A careful drop there, a careful drop there, and there and hey this is easy - Fu**it, I've dropped the lot! Ok, that wasn't too bad, just a little drip there which I can wipe off with this piece of - Fu**it, the glue's wicked up and there's glue everywhere and the inside of the lense is now milky with a bloody great fingerprint right there where I just about stuck to it. Gah-rate.

Hmmm how to get superglue off lense plastic... I know lense cleaner (word of advice don't try that it thins wet superglue and makes it run everywhere - Fu**it). Right next to me was the spray and wipe - shrug, spray and wipe. Oh double Fu**it - that reacts with superglue a bit like putting baking soda in it, now I have dried white crystalline glue everywhere! Ahhh - that's not ideal...

Ok, take a minute to deglue myself here - how does one remove white crystalline glue from a lense (thinking while washing hands in the bathroom) - look over and hey, toothpaste polishes, can't cock it up any more! And that actually did work although too slow for me whos an instant results animal - so in the kitchen work area what falls to hand? The Victorionix paring knife with a nicely rounded back edge. A gentle 5 minutes of scraping later and it's mostly sorted back to clear plastic with only a couple of little scratches in the lense to show for my sins, a quick final fluff with the toothpaste and hey presto a perfectly tight and sealed non-rattling lense cleaned, reinstalled and ready to go and the only way you'd know is a couple of tiny little white clumps of crystalline glue. Only took 40mins!

Dumbarse...