Lower End Doesn't Want To Come Off

[Skull diver]

As I write this problem I honestly feel like an idiot, but hey, it's a good thing to share the idiocy and avoid problems for others.

I have a stuck lower end on the shaft of my Manticore.

Despite the long-lasting lubricant I have applied in the past to each freshwater bath after saltwater sessions, I have now found the lower end causally stuck in place in the middle segment.

I have tried soft and hard methods to remove it by sliding it down, but no amount of pulling or pushing will do.

I also heard some carbon crunching noises that I did not like at all when I tried using a table stand with a sliding hammer.

Good old candle wax is still the best...I just needed to use it first.

[F350Platinum]

This is helpful and a word to the wise, I too had this happen with a different carbon fiber upper, it got stuck at the top. Nothing short of a rubber mallet and WD40 got them apart with much resulting scratches. 🥲 For appearance sake I replaced the damaged parts.

I don't submerge my detectors as much as you do, but now I remove and wipe all sections down with ceramic car wax when I clean them up for the day. 😇

[TampaBayBrad]

35 minutes ago, F350Platinum said:

but now I remove and wipe all sections down with ceramic car wax when I clean them up for the day. 😇

Good idea! Think I'll start doing that before mine explodes too far. 👍

[blackflag]

Deep creep …. It works 

[F350Platinum]

11 hours ago, TampaBayBrad said:

Good idea! Think I'll start doing that before mine explodes too far. 👍

Joe D. and I use this stuff: 

 

I use it on my truck, RV, cuts, sprains and bruises. 🤣

[rvpopeye]

800 ,not a Manti but I haven't tried to remove the shaft end in a long time . Now is a good time to check it. 

Thx for pointing out the ceramic stuff can do other things too 350 !

After reading the label , I think I might have found another use for it. " Intense shine and protects "

Toothpaste   ! 👍

I already have some Fluid Film , wondering if that might work ?   

Might make it too slippery for the clamp to grip ? 

That part will be immediately answered  lol.     Gonna try it   

[GB_Amateur]

On 3/9/2025 at 7:15 AM, F350Platinum said:

I too had this happen with a different carbon fiber upper, it got stuck at the top. Nothing short of a rubber mallet and WD40 got them apart with much resulting scratches.

Can you elaborate on the cause?  For example, was it simply salt buildup on the surface of the inner shaft or some more egregious problem like the saltwater impregnating the bare shaft end, resulting in swelling/flaring?  I have no idea if either of my examples (particularly the second one) are possible -- just hoping they will prompt a response for anyone who has had this problem.

Hammering on a detector (well, hopefully just on the disconnected shafts!) seems like a scary proposition, but I get it if that's the only solution...

[F350Platinum]

55 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

Can you elaborate on the cause?  For example, was it simply salt buildup on the surface of the inner shaft or some more egregious problem like the saltwater impregnating the bare shaft end, resulting in swelling/flaring?  I have no idea if either of my examples (particularly the second one) are possible -- just hoping they will prompt a response for anyone who has had this problem.

Hammering on a detector (well, hopefully just on the disconnected shafts!) seems like a scary proposition, but I get it if that's the only solution...

I have a SteveG shaft for my Deus 2, one of the first he made. I noticed it developing spider cracks on the handle, let him know, and he asked me to take it apart and he'd send me the improved handle/cuff section. I had never shrunk that part, and when I tried to do it it was jammed up with salt and beach sand 😬

Took quite a bit of work to get them apart, and when I did it scratched the shaft the RC attaches to, badly. I believe I paid him for my negligence. 😇 Regardless, SteveG is the best! 🙂

[F350Platinum]

On 3/10/2025 at 9:05 AM, rvpopeye said:

800 ,not a Manti but I haven't tried to remove the shaft end in a long time . Now is a good time to check it. 

Thx for pointing out the ceramic stuff can do other things too 350 !

After reading the label , I think I might have found another use for it. " Intense shine and protects "

Toothpaste   ! 👍

I already have some Fluid Film , wondering if that might work ?   

Might make it too slippery for the clamp to grip ? 

That part will be immediately answered  lol.     Gonna try it   

Sorry I missed this RVP, gave me a good laugh this morning 🤣

I would be careful particularly with SteveG made lowers and shafts, as he uses coatings that may be sensitive to petroleum based solvents. The plastics that XP uses are definitely sensitive to solvents, I found out the hard way once. 😬