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I was overhauling a coaster hub the other day. The snapring was recessesed and no screwdriver in my arsenal was small enough to remove the piece.
Park recommends using a small screwdriver to remove the ring:
I resorted to digging it out with the small blade on my Swiss army knife. I know this is stupid for several reasons; that's why I'm asking if there's a better way. Is there some kind of weird pliers or something that's designed to make snapring removal a snap? Or is there a better way?
The ends of the ring often taper, sometimes only one end does. That makes it slightly easier to get a screwdriver under the ring. But doing that often just pushes the ring around. Better to use a pair of pliers to spread the end, then a screwdriver to lift it. It will usually pop off, but the plier hand can usually block it from flying across the room.
I've commonly used the circlip pliers that force something open. They're reasonably well designed for the task although grinding the outer surfaces flat improves things. Even so, I often find that the job really requires three hands - for the pliers, a screwdriver and to catch the ring. Plus another to hold the wheel if you don't have an axle vise. AFAIK there is not easy way to do it - I've seen a number of mechanics who work on these a lot and all of them use either pliers or a screwdriver or both. Practice seems to make it faster rather than easier - they've all ended up chasing the ring around the cog at times.
Unless you have a spare pair of those pliers or work in a bike shop I think you're better off buying a proper small screwdriver than the pliers, because small screwdrivers have more uses.
Note that the bottom right pair open the jaws when you squeeze the handle. This is what you want.
I've attempted to use screwdrivers and mechanic's picks to remove it, which works, to a degree (be sure to wear eye protection when doing this).
Reinstalling is another matter entirely. Sometimes a screwdriver can be used, but can be a frustrating and time-consuming process.
There are tools available for the job, though—lock ring pliers.
It may not be clear from this image, but the sides of the nose are rough in order to grasp the ring ends so that it can be expanded/contracted. These pliers make the job of removing and reinstalling snap rings much easier (and quick).
