Conventional Fixtures Strand SL Coolbeams

Has anybody ever had to replace the lamp sockets on these fixtures? sl.jpg
I cannot get the backs apart.
Strand used steel screws into the Aluminium housing and basicly the screws have rusted, I'm thinking from the heat, and I can't get them out.
I can deal with the hundreds of lock washers, but I keep breaking the screws off or striping them.

I'm wondering if I'm going about this the right way?
 
If they have steel screws into an aluminum housing, you may just be out of luck. Due to Galvanic Corrosion
On larger screws you usually can brute force them out, but smaller stuff will often break or strip as you are finding...
Perhaps give it a try while the fixtures are hot?
Good Luck!
 
By the time I get to them they have cooled down. I've tried torching them to heat them up with no luck. I'm sitting on a graveyard of 18 SL fixtures.
 
You could try heating the housing then applying a penetrating oil such as wd40 or Kroil onto the hot screw. I would give the screw a few gentle taps with a small hammer as it cooled

and keep in mind that it will be the last screw that will give you the most trouble
 
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Contact your dealer or the manufacturer and see what they recommend.
 
I hope your joking. ;)

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For anyone who hasn't learned yet, I REALLY hate SL instruments.

Wait until you do get the lamp holder out, or open up the side of the instrument, to discover that the reflectors are all cracked. I worked in a venue with 30 SLs, and when we opened them up (at just over a year old) for routine cleaning/maintenance/PAT, we discovered 24 out of the 30 had cracked reflectors. Strand then assured us that cracks up to 30mm were "acceptable" and the instruments would continue to operate normally, but they didn't seem to have an answer when I said "so what do I do with the reflectors which have fallen apart in my hand due to the cracks going right the way through them?". We did get a few replacement reflectors, but certainly not 24 replacements. I don't work there any more but I suspect the units are still up in the air with cracked reflectors.
 
You could try heating the housing then applying a penetrating oil such as wd40 or Kroil onto the hot screw. I would give the screw a few gentle taps with a small hammer as it cooled
WD40 is a garbage lubricant, soak them in PB Blaster.
 
WD40 is a garbage lubricant, soak them in PB Blaster.

Don't diss WD-40! :evil: That's great stuff!

There are a few ways to remove the stuck screws: cold, heat, penetrating oil, drilling and retapping. I suggest you do a Google search for stuck bolts on outboard motors. Outboards often have the same issues of steel fasteners frozen into aluminum parts (with salt thrown in). There are lots of articles out there that may give you some ideas like this one:

Fire and Ice: How to free stuck nuts and bolts and fasteners on a marine engine.

In the future I would coat the threads of the screws with Permatex Copper Anti-Seize. That's what is used on automotive spark plugs and oxygen sensors. It will stand up to the heat of the instrument and prevent seizing.

http://www.permatex.com/products/Au...ts/Permatex_Copper_Anti-Seize_Lubricant_b.htm
 
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What's UL Listing?.........Just Kidding. No Seriously, What is it?
 
Very Clever! It won't look the same as your ETC Model. Another thing is using them to drive nails.
 
We have a few of these our school bought used for next to nothing. They are a big upgrade from the old Colortran lights we have, but one reflector has already shattered. I wonder how much longer the others are going to survive.
 
...I wonder how much longer the others are going to survive.
I wonder how long replacement SL reflectors will be available, or even if they are at present. Does anyone know if the reflector for SPX or new Leko Lite will work in an SL?
 
Sorry for jumping in so late, I am at USITT right now so I have not been on CB.
I don’t have any good tips for getting the screws out that have not already been covered above. If the screws have seized up, then it is not easy/impossible to get them out without sacrificing something, either the screw or some plastic.
Not to tell you what you have already been told, but yes, small cracks are considered ok and not out of spec on reflectors.
Reflectors are still available. With the exception of I think one bad batch a hand full or two years ago, they should last just like any other glass reflector in any other instrument. They are the same reflector that is used in the new Leko.
 
Hey there,

I have 80 SL's in my house, and I know this thread is older. I am almost positive that the screws on the top of the socket, that go through the porcelain are fused somehow with the heat sink at the base. I say this because when you spend your 75 USD to buy it, it comes with the heat sink attached. You remove the socket by taking the three long screws out of the back of the cap, pulling all the plastic parts off. You will then expose a single screw that will detach the heat sink and base inside. My SL's are 10 years old, and I am needing 20 bases at this point, likely more, because they are just wearing out. The only person I know of that was more supportive of Strand, was / is Bobby, but this really disappoints me in Strand.

I am not happy with the price of replacement buying them from strand, and wondering if anyone else found a source for the base, or if they (strand) built a custom base for this fixture and is the only source for replacement.


Sean Patrick Small
 

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