8 1/2 inch Ektar in Acme shutter

[Simon Benton]

I have just acquired an 8 1/2 inch Kodak Ektar lens in an Acme #4 shutter. There are a few large specks of dust internally on the inner lens surfaces but I have not been able to unscrew the front or back lens cells to get in there to blow the dust out.. Is there some trick to unscrewing them or am I not applying enough force to unscrew them? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Simon Benton

[Ralph Barker]

Both the front and rear elements should simply unscrew from the shutter in the usual counter-clockwise direction. A sheet of rubber or leather may help to improve your grip on the rim of the lens elements. Alternatively, a strap wrench, similar to those used in plumbing applications, can be made with rubber or leather to get a bit of extra leverage.