Seiko 6105-8110 crown rebuild...disaster, please help!

[Barnaby]

So I was following a tried and tested procedure for replacing the gasket in the crown of this Seiko diver. For those who don't know, it involves stuffing small gaskets into the available space, squishing them down, which results in the washer popping off so you can get the old gasket out. (See here for more info: https://adventuresinamateurwatchfettling.com/2015/10/12/crown-revival-seiko-6105-and-62mas-crown-gasket-replacement/)

 

I used a pendant tube to do the squishing. It worked: the washer came off, got the old gasket out, But now the pendant tube which I used to do the squishing is stuck! In the photo I've put another of the same tubes next to the crown so you can see which is the part which I need to unstick.

 

I have tried:

 

pulling it out with a pin vice

heating it

dissolving it in alum

pulling it out with a magnet

pulling it out with a pin vice +superglue

soaking in acetone to dissolve any remaining rubber which might be sticking it

vibrating it in the ultrasonic washer

soaking +vibrating in WD40

[jdm]

39 minutes ago, Barnaby said:

pulling it out with a pin vice

Do you have a good hold with the pin vice? I doubt you do, because the nose of the collet is almost flat.
Anyway, if you can't grab it, you can cut it, ideally on a lathe. Since you probably don't have one, I would then take two sharp screwdrivers, 2 or 2.5 mm. See if you can cut some grooving on two sides. Then prying there up with two drivers.

[HectorLooi]

You could try gluing a longer, tight fitting tube over the pendant tube and wriggle it out. Hope it doesn't end up like the nursery rhyme "Why did the old lady swallow a fly?"

[Barnaby]

2 hours ago, HectorLooi said:

You could try gluing a longer, tight fitting tube over the pendant tube and wriggle it out. Hope it doesn't end up like the nursery rhyme "Why did the old lady swallow a fly?"

I'm actually right now in the process of doing just this, just waiting for the glue to set properly. And the thought did occur to me that I might be making things worse!

[Barnaby]

6 hours ago, jdm said:

Do you have a good hold with the pin vice? I doubt you do, because the nose of the collet is almost flat.
Anyway, if you can't grab it, you can cut it, ideally on a lathe. Since you probably don't have one, I would then take two sharp screwdrivers, 2 or 2.5 mm. See if you can cut some grooving on two sides. Then prying there up with two drivers.

This might work, though I'd be concerned about damaging the sides of the crown while prying with the screwdrivers...

[jdm]

35 minutes ago, Barnaby said:

This might work, though I'd be concerned about damaging the sides of the crown while prying with the screwdrivers...

Then place a roundel of copper or other suitable material on top of the crown. Once you get a good grip, not much force should be needed, but if the tube has been really press fitted then it will have to be cut. 

[Barnaby]

Phew! Done it.

Superglued a stump from the jewelling set onto the tube.

Then couldn't get the stump out, no matter how hard I gripped with the vice. Eventually jammed it in a door, gripped the crown with wire cutter wrapped in a cloth, and pulled with my whole body weight. Came apart in the right place, crown undamaged, tube removed!

Thanks for your help and suggestions.

[HectorLooi]

4 hours ago, Barnaby said:

Phew! Done it.

Superglued a stump from the jewelling set onto the tube.

Then couldn't get the stump out, no matter how hard I gripped with the vice. Eventually jammed it in a door, gripped the crown with wire cutter wrapped in a cloth, and pulled with my whole body weight. Came apart in the right place, crown undamaged, tube removed!

Thanks for your help and suggestions.

That sounds worse that pulling teeth. And I should know because I'm a dentist! 

[spectre6000]

It's always fun when those weird things you really don't expect to be issues become HUGE issues. Reminds me of a freeze plug in an old decommissioned military truck I once had. One of those nothing jobs that nearly broke me. I still have the ring of shrapnel in a tool box somewhere as a reminder.