Parks Graflex disassembly. Advice needed!

I have a spare Roman’s V1 red button, which appears to be a match for the Parks red button.

You’re welcome to it, in the event you need to damage the Park’s button, in order to remove it. Just send me your address.

IMG_0334.jpeg

IMG_0335.jpeg
 
4str0m3ch said:
What about a strap wrench?
Click to expand...
I did consider a strap wrench, but weighing it up against the soft grip pliers, it seemed that the pliers would give me more control without the handle inadvertently touching the Graflex body. Guess I'll see if I made the right choice when it arrives.

Also, I've tried the freezer and hot water method other members recommended. No dice. Maybe it'll work once I have some more leverage.
 
Hello there Heilander
Unfortunately as you have experienced those suggestions are not going to work in this instance.
I'd also recommend not spraying any more lube or oils on it because your only making a mess of things and the inner bulb socket
will be an oily mess once you remove it.
(Once you get it apart You'll want to wash the entire thing is some good dawn de greaser dish soap until all the oil is gone otherwise
it will be an oily fingerprint mess for days)

I have disassembled thousands of Graflexs over the years since 2005 especially the Earlier Parks units and I used to be in communication
with Parks quite often in the early years so I believe I know what is going on here.

One of two things is happening.
1. The Button is simply torqued down really tight and requires enough grip and force to remove it.
2. The Button is or shell one of the mis-threadded units and will require a significant amount of force to remove it.

I had issues with this many years ago and after talking to Him about it he explained why they can be so tight...
Because he built most of the sabers himself Parks used to use a custom made button socket tool to tighten down the buttons
thus making them difficult to remove but it allowed him to work faster and in the event the threading was off he could just
forcefully torque them down into place.

Either way you will need to use a pair of pliers with the inner Jaws to lock into the splines to get a proper grip on the button
so you can break it free or start the rotation.

Typically it is scenario #1
IF it is simply tightened down so far it is just stuck tight, once you get it to rotate it should then be easier to get it to come off
and it will free up.

However if it is scenario #2 and is actually the mis-threadded type then it will require torque with each turn to get it off completely.
Keep in mind if it is #2 and requires force to remove it like this it will most likely require force putting it back but you won't
know until you try to remove it and see what happens.

I recommend using masking tape over the flash and you can wrap some around the button but not so much that it will slip.
I attached an image with out masking tape so you can see how it needs to be gripped.
It is simply a matter of brute force and having a solid grip on the button with out it slipping in order to do it with out ruining it.

This can take some practice to do it consistently with out damaging the button and in all Honestly You should be prepared
that this button may get damaged a bit in order to get it off.

I think once you "feel" the engagement of the grip teeth of the pliers on the button splines you'll have a good idea as to
how much force you are comfortable applying to start the turn and you'll really need to squeeze to hold it and not let it slip.

Again cover the shell and button tab with a good few layers of masking tape to prevent from scratching the shell
put a layer or two of tape on the button, grip down and give it hell!


MTFBWY
always
YODA of FX-SABERS
 

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YODAofFXSabers said:
Hello there Heilander
Unfortunately as you have experienced those suggestions are not going to work in this instance.
I'd also recommend not spraying any more lube or oils on it because your only making a mess of things and the inner bulb socket
will be an oily mess once you remove it.
(Once you get it apart You'll want to wash the entire thing is some good dawn de greaser dish soap until all the oil is gone otherwise
it will be an oily fingerprint mess for days)

I have disassembled thousands of Graflexs over the years since 2005 especially the Earlier Parks units and I used to be in communication
with Parks quite often in the early years so I believe I know what is going on here.

One of two things is happening.
1. The Button is simply torqued down really tight and requires enough grip and force to remove it.
2. The Button is or shell one of the mis-threadded units and will require a significant amount of force to remove it.

I had issues with this many years ago and after talking to Him about it he explained why they can be so tight...
Because he built most of the sabers himself Parks used to use a custom made button socket tool to tighten down the buttons
thus making them difficult to remove but it allowed him to work faster and in the event the threading was off he could just
forcefully torque them down into place.

Either way you will need to use a pair of pliers with the inner Jaws to lock into the splines to get a proper grip on the button
so you can break it free or start the rotation.

Typically it is scenario #1
IF it is simply tightened down so far it is just stuck tight, once you get it to rotate it should then be easier to get it to come off
and it will free up.

However if it is scenario #2 and is actually the mis-threadded type then it will require torque with each turn to get it off completely.
Keep in mind if it is #2 and requires force to remove it like this it will most likely require force putting it back but you won't
know until you try to remove it and see what happens.

I recommend using masking tape over the flash and you can wrap some around the button but not so much that it will slip.
I attached an image with out masking tape so you can see how it needs to be gripped.
It is simply a matter of brute force and having a solid grip on the button with out it slipping in order to do it with out ruining it.

This can take some practice to do it consistently with out damaging the button and in all Honestly You should be prepared
that this button may get damaged a bit in order to get it off.

I think once you "feel" the engagement of the grip teeth of the pliers on the button splines you'll have a good idea as to
how much force you are comfortable applying to start the turn and you'll really need to squeeze to hold it and not let it slip.

Again cover the shell and button tab with a good few layers of masking tape to prevent from scratching the shell
put a layer or two of tape on the button, grip down and give it hell!


MTFBWY
always
YODA of FX-SABERS
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for this comprehensive explanation. This may have just decided it for me that messing with the button is more bother than it's worth.

Once the pliers arrive, I'll briefly try it with the soft jaw protectors on, but I'm not going to be killing myself. If it's stuck, it will remain stuck. A shame, but I don't want to risk causing irreparable damage.

Thanks a lot!
 
Well the soft grip pliers didn't work, so that's that. I'm not willing to butcher the button by grabbing it with bare metal teeth with uncertain results, even with Captain Dunsel's very kind offer. Based on what YODAofFXSabers said, there's no guarantee a replacement button would go back on smoothly, so that's a bigger risk than I'm willing to undertake unfortunately.

So I guess this is going to remain a static prop, which is what I originally bought it for, so no biggie. I have a Wannawanga kit ready to get it looking perfect, so it's not the end of the world.

Maybe one day I'll pick up a blade-ready Graflex that I can make my wall display out of. Thanks everyone for your input.
 
Very kind of you to offer, but honestly, I've been thoroughly put off by the stress and worry of it at this point. And it's not just about getting it off, but getting it (or a replacement) back on. Just seems like it's not meant to be. :(
 
Last edited:
HEILANDER said:
Very kind of you to offer, but honestly, I've been thoroughly put off by the stress and worry of it at this point. And it's not just about getting it off, but getting it (or a replacement) back on. Just seems like it's not meant to be. :(
Click to expand...
Baaah once you break that stinka free you’ll be good to go ;)
 
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