Hamilton 993 / Buren 1000 stem removal advice

[TimpanogosSlim]

I have a Hamilton T-502 with an issue in the keyless works that may or may not be rust related. It does not have the original signed crown, so a bad stem seal is a possible cause. 

From the back of the movement i don't see any rust stains, but sometimes a little nugget of dark crud falls out. 

The basic symptom is that the crown always winds the watch, but also is not released when i unscrew the stem release screw. 

By taking the spacer ring out of the watch i can finagle things so that i can grip the stem with a pair of hemostats, and i attempted to remove the crown but was unsuccessful - it just spun within the grip of the hemostat. 

Possible solutions i can think of: 

Cut the stem and source another. I'd rather not. 

Apply a small drop of solvent where the stem meets the crown in hopes that some fool glued it on and i can break the glue. 

Apply a small drop of penetrating oil where the stem meets the crown. 

Apply extreme heat very locally at the crown itself -- I have a temperature-controlled hot air wand with a set of nozzles. 

Further ideas? 

Edited August 9, 2023 by TimpanogosSlim
added crown detail

[TimpanogosSlim]

Got back to it just now, after ordering a new stem just in case. 

After getting a better grip on the stem from within the case with a pair of needle-nose pliers I was able to remove the crown, so I was then able to remove the movement from the case, remove hands and dial, etc. 

Nothing seems to be awry with the keyless works. I am sort of at a loss. One of my earlier theories was that perhaps it had the wrong stem installed. I suppose I'll find out. 

[Nucejoe]

1 hour ago, TimpanogosSlim said:

After getting a better grip on the stem from within the case with a pair of needle-nose pliers I was able to remove the crown, so I was then able to remove the movement from the case, 

 Good aproach, works, unless the stem has been soldered to the crown or super glued months ago , as you might know super glue welds, (a chemical bond) the stem to the crown, over several months.