Advice needed for stuck lens retaining ring, please

[David Wolf]

Hello All,

Using a lens wrench, I've tried to remove the retaining ring from a Calumet Board with Caltar II attached, to no avail. Several previous posts have suggested applying some combination of cold and/or heat to the board. In order to do this, I'd first need to remove both lens elements.

Unfortunately, the front lens also seems to be stuck in the shutter, in addition to the retaining ring being stuck. (The rear element comes off fine.) I wouldn't want to put a lens into the freezer. . . .

I'm assuming turning Left = Loosen for the front element in the shutter? Any other thoughts before I have to send this to a repair shop? I'm on the West Coast, so a more local, trusted repair shop would be helpful, rather than shipping cross-country to Grimes.

Many thanks!

David

PS Just tried putting the board assembly in the heat of direct sunlight for a safe remedy, but no luck ~

208619208620208621

[Dann Corbit]

Hello All,

Using a lens wrench, I've tried to remove the retaining ring from a Calumet Board with Caltar II attached, to no avail. Several previous posts have suggested applying some combination of cold and/or heat to the board. In order to do this, I'd first need to remove both lens elements.

Unfortunately, the front lens also seems to be stuck in the shutter, in addition to the retaining ring being stuck. (The rear element comes off fine.) I wouldn't want to put a lens into the freezer. . . .

I'm assuming turning Left = Loosen for the front element in the shutter? Any other thoughts before I have to send this to a repair shop? I'm on the West Coast, so a more local, trusted repair shop would be helpful, rather than shipping cross-country to Grimes.

Many thanks!

David

PS Just tried putting the board assembly in the heat of direct sunlight for a safe remedy, but no luck ~

208619208620208621

I don't know if large format lenses are the same, but with regular SLR lenses, sometimes there is a bit of paint or sealant that makes things really hard to open. So a tiny bit of acetone on the end of a q-tip applied strategically to the problem area can help in that instance. If it will help with a large format lens system, I have no idea.

Here is a video that shows that technique when (attempting to) remove fungus from a lens:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MfGg4PnqnU

[Eric Woodbury]

The front element was stuck on my Fuji 360mm and the shutter needed work. My camera repair guy wrapped the front group rim in double-sided tape for a good hand grip. Came off easily.

Hot/Cold is risky business. I wouldn't. Even with fridge temps, you risk condensation.

[Keith Pitman]

Go to Harbor Freight and get a set of strap wrenches. They are very inexpensive. I’d bet that you will be able to get the front element out of the shutter.

As far as the retaining ring; put the shutter and lens board in the freezer for an hour. I’d bet you can get them separated.

Let us know what works.

[Greg]

Have mixed views on using Harbor Freight tools. You get what you pay for... Screwdrivers, sockets, bits, and alike wouldn't touch them with a ten foot poll, they can do more harm than good. Using a cheap strap wrench costing maybe under $10 verses using a quality one costing maybe $20 and risking damaging a lens worth hundreds of dollars is a no brainer. A machinist friend of mine told me that he does use harbor Freight tools when he is counting on the tool breaking before the part that he is working on breaking... FYI: he restores the metalwork on vintage 356 Porsches so I'd follow his advice. I've had good results with putting lenses with stuck retaining rings in a freezer.

[Jon Shiu]

I would suggest using a little stronger adjustable spanner and using some leverage if you need to.

[Jody_S]

I'm honestly surprised we don't have this problem more often with the aluminum barrels of lenses and aluminum threads on shutters. Sometimes they are so welded together they simply will never come apart; I have 2 or 3 of those on my 'projects' shelf. Aluminum threads are notorious for 'galling', where the parts basically weld themselves together and will break before unscrewing. Either from being threaded with excessively close tolerances, or having enough moisture to create more than the usual aluminum oxide buildup. Some suggestions here (https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/general-archive/unsticking-aluminum-threads-76880/): try tightening ever so slightly first, before loosening, and while it is under torque, rap it sharply to see if the vibration from that will break the bond.

[Keith Pitman]

Have mixed views on using Harbor Freight tools. You get what you pay for... Screwdrivers, sockets, bits, and alike wouldn't touch them with a ten foot poll, they can do more harm than good. Using a cheap strap wrench costing maybe under $10 verses using a quality one costing maybe $20 and risking damaging a lens worth hundreds of dollars is a no brainer. A machinist friend of mine told me that he does use harbor Freight tools when he is counting on the tool breaking before the part that he is working on breaking... FYI: he restores the metalwork on vintage 356 Porsches so I'd follow his advice. I've had good results with putting lenses with stuck retaining rings in a freezer.

I agree that a lot of Harbor Freight tools are crap, but the strap wrenches are a good tool for removing stuck lenses in shutters. Guess what? They are only $4.99 for two! What do you have to lose?

https://www.harborfreight.com/rubber-strap-wrench-set-2-pc-69373.html?_br_psugg_q=strap+wrench

[klw]

I had the same problem. After the freezer method did not work, I applied WD40 to the retaining ring and it went off easily. I applied the WD40 with a small brush on the side of the retaining ring. Don't forget to clean everything after the board is removed.

[pgk]

You could always use a Dremmel or similar hand held grinder and cut into the retaining ring until you can snap it off but will obviously need a new one if you do.

[Dann Corbit]

If you want to use the method of cutting the retaining ring, find the replacement first.
I spent quite a while unsuccessfully searching for a Shannel shutter replacement ring.
I ended up buying a ring that is 1/2 millimeter too large. Hot glue time.

[Ron (Netherlands)]

penetrating oil or WD40 did the job for me

[Greg]

penetrating oil or WD40 did the job for me

WD-40 worked for me one time on a beater SLR lens. Make sure that the lens is face down when you apply the WD-40, Through capillary action it will seep up into the threads. Since the lens was a beater and I was more interested in just getting the ring off the lens, I applied the WD-40 with the lens face up. Instead of applying a drop, I accidentally squirted out more than a few drops which seeped down the edges of the front elements. After getting the ring off, I put the ring inside the dishwasher with the next load of dishes... ring came out totally clean of WD-40. I've found that running simple parts in the dishwasher really degreases and cleans them up.

[pgk]

Fortunately Copal 1 shutter retaining rings are readily available for a few $.

[cowanw]

Your retaining ring has 4 slots. You could make a tool with apiece of wood, like a 4 inch piece of 2x4 and nail in 4 nails whose heads fit the slots with just enough exposure to catch the slots. That way you can turn the ring with great force without distorting it.

[Alan Gales]

PB Blaster is the go to for stuck nuts and bolts on an automobile. It works better than anything else. PB Blaster is mostly naphtha and petroleum oil.

[David Wolf]

Thank you Everyone for taking the time to help me out, I appreciate your suggestions!

The good news is the retaining ring is now unstuck! I was hoping the simplest, most conservative approach would work, and I lucked out ~

I brought the lens to a former teacher of mine who restores cameras professionally, with much more camera know-how and tools than I. He put on latex gloves and used a lens wrench similar to mine, but perhaps a little beefier. (Mine is made by Rodenstock; his by Toyo and badged by Calumet back in the day.)

Maybe it was the added grip, stronger tool or that I had managed to loosen the ring a bit, but it came off easily with just a bit of extra effort.

So thanks again to all for your interest in helping me out. Now I just have to learn how the use the new camera the lens is now mounted to! But that’s another post . . . stay tuned.

[GoodOldNorm]

Thank you Everyone for taking the time to help me out, I appreciate your suggestions!

The good news is the retaining ring is now unstuck! I was hoping the simplest, most conservative approach would work, and I lucked out ~

I brought the lens to a former teacher of mine who restores cameras professionally, with much more camera know-how and tools than I. He put on latex gloves and used a lens wrench similar to mine, but perhaps a little beefier. (Mine is made by Rodenstock; his by Toyo and badged by Calumet back in the day.)

Maybe it was the added grip, stronger tool or that I had managed to loosen the ring a bit, but it came off easily with just a bit of extra effort.

So thanks again to all for your interest in helping me out. Now I just have to learn how the use the new camera the lens is now mounted to! But that’s another post . . . stay tuned.
Run a graphite pencil around the retaining ring thread, it will prevent it from sticking next time, works on filter rings as well.

[MorgenRios]

Hey! I'm sorry you're having trouble with the retaining ring on your lens. It can definitely be frustrating when things don't go as planned. However, I'm glad you found a replacement ring, even if it's slightly larger. Hopefully, the hot glue will do the trick!
BTW, have you ever heard of a mood ring color chart (https://www.aurorapromise.com/pages/mood-ring-color-meanings)? It's a fun way to see what your current mood might be. For example, if your ring is green, it could mean that you're feeling balanced and calm. If it's blue, you might be feeling relaxed or content.

[BrianShaw]

Have mixed views on using Harbor Freight tools. You get what you pay for... Screwdrivers, sockets, bits, and alike wouldn't touch them with a ten foot poll, they can do more harm than good. Using a cheap strap wrench costing maybe under $10 verses using a quality one costing maybe $20 and risking damaging a lens worth hundreds of dollars is a no brainer. A machinist friend of mine told me that he does use harbor Freight tools when he is counting on the tool breaking before the part that he is working on breaking... FYI: he restores the metalwork on vintage 356 Porsches so I'd follow his advice. I've had good results with putting lenses with stuck retaining rings in a freezer.

No disagreement in general. The strap wrench that I got from HF, though, was actually a rather good product. I’d be more concerned about the application. I bough the step wrench for the same problem… a stuck front element. It was perfectly clear to me, though, that such a solution is fraught with potential damage. Despite the strap there is still a likelihood of points of extreme pressure. Once it worked for me and once it damaged the shutter. Now I use

238368

[nolindan]

I use 'anti-seize' on things that are likely to seize - inventive of me, isn't it. The product is made from finely powdered metal and high temperature grease. Works especially well on aluminum-on-aluminum threads.

There are many grades - differing by heat rating.

I use it whenever assembling mechanisms that may benefit, even though they have never seized in the past, it's insurance.

Available from Amazon.

[Drew Bedo]

You could always use a Dremmel or similar hand held grinder and cut into the retaining ring until you can snap it off but will obviously need a new one if you do.

And I was going to make an unhelpful smart remark about a hacksaw.