how do you get a gear cover off a sealed tuner?

this may be a silly question, as it may simply not be possible.  the only thing that i can think of is to use compressed air to blow it off.  said compressed air ought to get into the casing via the peg and button shaft holes, and thereby pressurise the gear cavity.  i haven't tried this yet, however, unless someone has a better idea i may well do so.

The first question I have is why would you want to remove the cover from a sealed machine head?? It's sealed so no lubrication is needed.

Sounds like a good idea, actually!

this thread <-     has some pics of a broken tuner i took apart. might help you a bit

Those dust covers are a press fit and really, really tight! Sometimes a sharp blow, like banging the machine down hard on a bench, can dislodge them enough to get a tool in to winkle it out but generally speaking I've never had much luck getting them off.
Barry, I've replaced the machines on a guitar and wanted the named dustcovers from the old ones.... didn't turn out well!!

corsair wrote:... I've replaced the machines on a guitar and wanted the named dustcovers from the old ones.... didn't turn out well!!

Exactly. They ain't meant to come apart.

Barry wrote:

corsair wrote:... I've replaced the machines on a guitar and wanted the named dustcovers from the old ones.... didn't turn out well!!

Exactly. They ain't meant to come apart.

Yeah... but ya gotta have a go, eh?! ;-)

Did you heat it first?

Sadly, no!

Seems pointless unless your little cover has a logo and is a valuable guitar. Just buy a new set they're cheap enough.

i've just bought a set of ropey westone tuners off eBay, ostensibly for the buttons ... but if they're salvageable ...

You can purchase buttons,,,cheap, cheap

Westbone wrote:You can purchase buttons,,,cheap, cheap

... not, apparently, buttons that will fit westone tuners (i could be wrong about that but after 3 attempts i've given up trying).

anyway, here's the plan: get a piece of rubber sheet; cut into it a recess in the shape of the gear cover; clamp the tuner with the gear cover over the rubber recess; place it into some sort of pressure vessel; use a car tyre foot pump to pressurise ... and, hopefully, the gear cover will simply pop into the rubber recess. it's important to note that the rubber recess is there to stop the air leaking as the gear cover is pushed out and also to keep it relatively straight too. in other words, the gear cover becomes a sort of piston.

Try Gotoh buttons they fit no worries.

As for the 'blowing off' of the cover, all the best, enjoy.

I've been an engineer for many years and fully understand. I'd just use a compressor. 
Can imagine you pumping a foot pump like crazy.....

I've got them off before by sharply striking the the end of the spindle the string winds around with a hammer. The cover usually pops out.

Tried that, too! If you're going to do that, you've got to bear in mind that the capstan is in mesh with the tuner key and should be a millimetre or 2 off the end cap. If the tuner is in reasonable nick, i.e. not too worn, then tapping the capstan may well not contact the cover plate...
I tested this method to destruction once upon a time and for the life of me, couldn't get the cover off, but another tuner from the same set had the cover pretty much fall off on its own!!
YMMV....

i picked up the tuners from the post office collection depot today.  of the 6, 4 are fine, whilst 2 have bent button shafts ...




... as they're opposite sides, i'll guess that someone whacked their headstock on something solid!

Easy enough to straighten out.

Westbone wrote:Easy enough to straighten out.

... that had crossed my mind.

monkey wrote:

Westbone wrote:Easy enough to straighten out.

... that had crossed my mind.

Well done, no big deal.