does anyone know an easy, non destructive way to remove pot covers?

[caress]

title says it all.
those translucent plastic pot covers that go over the back of some of the alpha pots...

they just take up some needed millimeters.   

edit:  i should add that i've tried to pull them off with pliers and get under the plastic with a razor/exacto but to no avail.

[davent]

 Haven't seen the setup in person but could you use  an IC puller? 

dave

[Fredenando]

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for_Electronics,_pickups/Knob_and_Bushing_Puller.html?actn=100101&xst=3&xsr=108525

[LucifersTrip]

title says it all.
those translucent plastic pot covers that go over the back of some of the alpha pots...

they just take up some needed millimeters.   

edit:  i should add that i've tried to pull them off with pliers and get under the plastic with a razor/exacto but to no avail.

I just use my fingernails and work my way around the edges. You can take em off in 15-30 seconds each no prob.

[caress]

ok i need to have another go at them  maybe i'm just a wuss     hahha

[geertjacobs]

Use a handkerchierf!

[caress]

just to clarify, not removing knobs... but the plastic on the back of some pots.

[Jhouse]

I have some of those at my house. When I get a chance, I'll fiddle with them and see if I can find an easy way to get them off.

[.Mike]

Have you tried heating them up with a hair dryer? Maybe that will soften and expand the plastic, making it so you can slide them off.

Maybe.

Mike

[LucifersTrip]

you said non-destructive...did you mean to the pot or the cover?

As I wrote earlier, I remove then with my fingernails, but if you don't care about the cover, use a blade to slice one side vertically.

[caress]

Have you tried heating them up with a hair dryer? Maybe that will soften and expand the plastic, making it so you can slide them off.

i'll give that a try this weekend.

you said non-destructive...did you mean to the pot or the cover?

As I wrote earlier, I remove then with my fingernails, but if you don't care about the cover, use a blade to slice one side vertically.

non-destructive to the pot!  i don't care about the covers at all...  how do you get under it with your nails?  i could barely cut through it with a razorblade...

[phector2004]

I've been able to fit them up to now, but I've always had my flathead screwdriver on standby. I think you can pry off a side-section to fit it closer to adjacent pots.

[Jimi W]

What I do is grab the cover with some wire cutters so the cutters dig into the cover and then just lever it off. I tend to grab it under the terminals on the hip where the side of the pot meets the back of the pot. You can really dig into the plastic there. Takes about 3 seconds.
Jimi

[Jimi W]

If people are wondering why buy a pot with a cover and then pull the cover off..... I buy them from Tayda for $0.40 and they come with the cover. It's the cheapest Alpha pots I know of. Sometimes height can be an issue when mounting a board on top of pots so it's better to take the cover off and use adhesive pads to prevent shorts and also stick the PCB down.
Jimi

[LucifersTrip]

you said non-destructive...did you mean to the pot or the cover?

As I wrote earlier, I remove then with my fingernails, but if you don't care about the cover, use a blade to slice one side vertically.

non-destructive to the pot!  i don't care about the covers at all...  how do you get under it with your nails?  i could barely cut through it with a razorblade...

With my fingernails, I work my way around the edges pushing down, but don't  worry about that if you don't care about the cover.
You must be using a dull knife, because an Exacto type will slice right through that thin plastic (make a vertical slit) and it comes right off.

[.Mike]

OK, I've got your solution.

1. Grab a piece of flat metal or sturdy plastic.
2. Put a hole in it, and screw in your pot.
3. Stick a flat head screwdriver parallel to the surface of whatever you screwed the pot into, aligned so the screwdriver blade is right under the edge of the plastic pot cover.
4. Rotate the screwdriver so that you use the leverage created to apply pressure to the pot cover, forcing it up.
5. Move the screwdriver around to the other side of the pot. Repeat.

I just tried it on a Tayda pot. It comes right off, with no damage or destruction.



Mike