Quote:
Originally Posted by Lainey807
How easy is it to remove the rings? I almost bought one I liked, with rings, but was afraid I would tear it up inside trying to get rid of the rings. Can you just pull them out, or do you have to cut them somehow? What is a dremel tool? Forgive me for being so clueless, but those look exactly like what I have been looking for, and really want some additional protection for my 505.
thanks
Lainey
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Lainey,
You do have to do some cutting to get out the rings, but luckily you don't have to cut the thick metal ring "spine" assembly, just two small rivets holding it in place. I think you are right that if you tried to pull it straight out, the heads of the rivets would have to tear through the inside backing board and the inner vinyl liner, and you could end up with hard-to hide damage.
Dremel is a brand name for a very high-speed, but small handheld drill. Mine has a grip not much bigger around than a broad-tip magic marker. It comes with several different bits, and I used what they call a "cutting wheel' to chop off the rivets between the inside surface of the binder and the "back" of the ring assembly. The rivets are hollow and easily removable if you have experience with the tool, but a novice could end up doing serious damage to both the cover and their own hands.
If you have a friend with any experience with a Dremel, I'd recommend taking it to them. It's about a minute's work. Or, if you have a friend to help hold everything in place, you could probably do the same thing with a coping saw or hacksaw blade.
Otherwise, like I said, it could be done with needle-nose pliers, but will take longer. First, use a flathead screwdriver to pop off the two "dots" at the base of the rings. This lets you see the flared portion of the rivets. Then, with the pliers, you can work your way around the rivets, squeezing them down to a smaller diameter until the whole spine assembly slides off. Then you just need to file the rivets down to get rid of the sharp edges (the nice thing about the Dremel cutting tool is that it simultaneously cuts and files).
This leaves two holes in the backer. I've already replaced my electrical tape with iron-on patches, which look like they'll be quite permanent. The patches can also cover any "oops" moments if you accidentally hit the vinyl surface with the Dremel cutting wheel or your file.
I'm still working on the mechanism for securing the Reader. I decided to go with elastic to hold it in place, with horizontal bands just above and below the screen (that way I can go back to the Sony cover and not worry about Velcro making the whole Reader too thick). But I got to the fabric store after it closed tonight, and will have to try again tomorrow.
Please let me know if I should post additional photos or instructions. If you get really stuck for help, I'd be happy to do that part of the job for you.