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Clark fiber hand guard


Pat Miles

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Has anybody come up with a way to remove a Clark hand guard once it has been glued to the barrel nut. The instructions mention tightening the barrel nut with strap wrench or a pipe wrench (ugh). Can the barrel nut be tightened enough with a strap wrench? Not really too worried about a few scars from a pipe wrench but how to remove after the hand guard is glued on.

Pat

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Has anybody come up with a way to remove a Clark hand guard once it has been glued to the barrel nut. The instructions mention tightening the barrel nut with strap wrench or a pipe wrench (ugh). Can the barrel nut be tightened enough with a strap wrench? Not really too worried about a few scars from a pipe wrench but how to remove after the hand guard is glued on.

Pat

The "glued assembly" can generally be removed and re-installed with a strap wrench.

Sling swivel studs or other handguard attachments may not index the same after

removal and re-torque.

Separating the glued carbon tube from the barrel nut…….might prove more difficult.

Depending on the adhesive used……heat may break the bond.

Good luck.

Patrick

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I used a propane torch turned down VERY low. After the nut/handguard assembly was removed with a strap wrench, I heated up the aluminum from the inside (on the threads) very slowly. Once I got it pretty warm, I took a thick piece of dowel rod and stuck it through the carbon fiber tube. I used it to tap the nut out of the handguard.

Any questions, PM me.

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Are you trying to remove the handguard from the barrel nut or just remove the entire assembly?

This barrel nut wrench attaches from the back of the barrel nut, I used this on my DPMS carbon tube to remove and install the handguard/barrel but. Not sure if the clark is the same

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/sid=13017/sku/Free_float_Tube_Wrench

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Try checking in with a local "higher end" auto body shop.

Ask if they have an induction heater.

One or two passes should do the trick and not harm the nut or the guard.

The induction heater is used to remove body side moldings with adhesive in tact, and also to disassemble adhesive bonded metal parts . . .

An el- cheapo body shop will not have one. They are about $1500.00

That's my plan if I have to take mine off . . .

The shop may charge for this . . .

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I will be doing some research regarding adhesives. Try to find one that will release with a moderate amount of heat. I'm not going to be pulling things apart often, just would like to be able to reuse things. Can anybody tell me if a strap wrench can tighten a barrel nut tight enough to secure an AR barrel without worrying about it creeping?

Pat

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I think when I first started buying these from clark they came with the tube already glued on to the barrel nut, and you installed it as one piece? Unless you have a good reason to take the tube off the nut I wouldn't bother. It seems likely one of two things will happen when you torque it down when you reinstall it...

Either it will go back on with no problem or the glue bond will break loose then you reinstall the nut and glue the tube back.

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  • 1 year later...

I've removed/installed my Clark CF tube several times using a strap wrench. Go slow and be careful. It's easy to index the barrel nut for the gas tube hole using a flashlight. The only downside is you can't torque it to spec with a torque wrench, but it's very unlikely that you will over-tighten it with a strap wrench.

I would stay from moderate or low temp adhesives because that barrel nut can get pretty hot pretty quick. Not sure how secure that tube would be if the rifle was hot.

Good luck!

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I treat them as any other 1 piece free float tube. Never tried to remove the tube from the barrel nut.

Best case strap wrench, worst case wrapped leather belt around the tube at the nut end and pipe wrench. Have not boogered one yet knock on wood. :surprise:

Just like any other 1 piece if you drilled it for sling studs and such if you put it on another upper or barrel combo it most likly will not clock in the same place.

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  • 1 year later...

UPDATE TO OLD THREAD . . .

So, I decided to go with a different HG for the SBR.

My Clark HG was Gorilla glued, with proper prep to the Alum BBl nut.

Went to the local Body shop.

Shop owner and I wanded the induction heater over the BBl nut area of the HG for a good bit, apparently the Gorilla glue is NOT heat sensitive, so it needed some time to warm up . . then he grasped the HG and I the receiver and twisted the bugger off . . .

No damage to bbl nut or HG . .

FYI if you need to remove.

Edited by TISCHLJ
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