Got a 302 with a "stuck" shell....

[Partyline4]

I got a 302 in this morning with no cracks in the shell, but wont seem to budge....Anyone got a good tip for removing it without damaging it?

[HarrySmith]

I usually stick a screwdriver in the hole where the line cord exits and pry up. YMMV.
I have heard some really stuck ones that needed to be heated, with a hair dryer or heat gun.

[WEBellSystemChristian]

I usually stick a screwdriver in the hole where the line cord exits and pry up. YMMV.

I actually made that mistake once. I pried up, got the housing off, and realized that I punctured the condenser with the tip of the screwdriver! Fortunately, I didn't single-handedly destroy it, someone else somewhere along the line made the same mistake, and made a much bigger hole next to mine.

I have never had any terribly shrunken housings yet, so I haven't needed to heat the phone to get the shell off. I usually very CAREFULLY use a wide flat blade screwdriver to pry the housing off the top lip of one foot, and slowly separate the housing that way. Just do the same thing along all 4 feet until the housing is loose.

[TelePlay]

To get it back on, there are tips in other topic on the forum for cutting/grinding/bending the corners of the base to make it "smaller" as seen by the shrunken housing. IIRC, that metal work was preferred over sanding out the inside of the housing thereby making it thinner which would make it more susceptible to future corner cracking.

Some housings I've had that were stuck on were just due to dirt built up and acting like a glue. That's different from housings shrinking over time. Cleaning the dirt, if that's the cause, should not require metal work.

As usual, every phone is different. If the housing shrunk on the base, the dial may also be very tight due to the shrinkage.

[HarrySmith]

I actually made that mistake once. I pried up, got the housing off, and realized that I punctured the condenser with the tip of the screwdriver! Fortunately, I didn't single-handedly destroy it, someone else somewhere along the line made the same mistake, and made a much bigger hole next to mine.

I have never had any terribly shrunken housings yet, so I haven't needed to heat the phone to get the shell off. I usually very CAREFULLY use a wide flat blade screwdriver to pry the housing off the top lip of one foot, and slowly separate the housing that way. Just do the same thing along all 4 feet until the housing is loose.

Obviously you need to be careful where you pry! As I guess you discovered!

[Doug Rose]

Harry...I agree....I have never had a problem. Screwdirver in mouse hole to the back of the metal on he base, lift the shaft of the screwdriver up against the top off the mouse hole....done...perfect every time....Doug

[Partyline4]

Well..This was was STUCK!

ended up putting it in a box with a hair dryer and let it get nice and HOT.

lifted right off...Turns out I got an all dates matching 11-47 Manual 302!

Had to reheat it to get the shell BACK ON.

[Doug Rose]

 Never used a hairdryer on a phone. Been about 30 years since I used one as designed. I guess I never had one that was stuck. Rapid heat and cooling could cause a crack. Forcing it back on the metal base when it is too small by heating it up is a crack in the making.

[Partyline4]

forgot to mention that I had to hammer the edges of the base to taper it so the housing would fit "better"....no cracks..

[Jim Stettler]

I had some 302 housings (black) that had shrunk so much they would not fit on bases. These were made of "soft plastic" (tenite).
Most 302's are NOT made of tenite.
Tenite has a distinctive smell. It reminds me of vomit.
JMO,
Jim S.

[Jester]

I use the screwdriver differently.  I place the blade between the shell and the edge of one of the feet and tap the handle to wedge the cover up.  If done slowly and alternatively between two corners, the cover comes off every time-- no cracks or collateral damage.

[HarrySmith]

Harry...I agree....I have never had a problem. Screwdirver in mouse hole to the back of the metal on he base, lift the shaft of the screwdriver up against the top off the mouse hole....done...perfect every time....Doug

Yes, exactly and I put the line cord, if it's still there, between the screwdriver & the case as a padding.

[Doug Rose]

Going the mouse hole usually take less than a minute, no matter how stuck it is. I have never nicked the condenser as it does have a metal cover. Then again I have boxes of spare condensers from damaged 302s. 

For the really stuck ones, the hookswitchs  usually gets stuck as the top sides of the shell shrinks there as well. Sometimes you can cut the rod in the hks and it will work...Doug

[Partyline4]

Going the mouse hole usually take less than a minute, no matter how stuck it is. I have never nicked the condenser as it does have a metal cover. Then again I have boxes of spare condensers from damaged 302s. 

For the really stuck ones, the hookswitchs  usually gets stuck as the top sides of the shell shrinks there as well. Sometimes you can cut the rod in the hks and it will work...Doug

I had this problem, Doug! Took some novus 3 on a paper towel rapped on a piece of wire, and used a power drill to clean out the holes....Made a huge improvement without any damage...