Stuck Filter.

[Keith Tapscott.]

I have a Hoya 1A skylight-filter on my 240mm Nikkor-W lens which I can not unscrew as I don`t have a large enough filter wrench. Any advice?

[Keith S. Walklet]

A rubber band stretched around the outer perimeter will give you additional purchase to grasp the filter.

Similarly, wearing a rubber glove and placing the filter face into the flat palm of your hand and twisting while applying downward pressure will often free them.

[Peter K]

I've good experiences with an oil filter wrench. With this tool the pressure is distributed equally over the whole circumference of filters, lenses etc.

Good luck

Peter

[Keith Tapscott.]

A rubber band stretched around the outer perimeter will give you additional purchase to grasp the filter.

Similarly, wearing a rubber glove and placing the filter face into the flat palm of your hand and twisting while applying downward pressure will often free them.

Thanks Keith, it worked.

[Jerry Bodine]

Keith, I recall some advice from E. Leitz to loosen my Leica filters that worked very well (in case you have the problem again some time). They said to grasp the filter's mounting ring at ONE location between the thumb & index finger and turn the ring. It was so easy and worked every time. Obviously what happens when trying to unscrew the filter (conventionally) by placing thumb at one location and index finger at 180 degrees opposite location and then squeezing for traction, the squeezing causes the ring to ovalize (increase in diameter where not squeezing) thereby creating greater frictional resistance to turning. Hope that's clear.

[Patrick Dixon]

I think that's also why pushing the lens/filter onto a grippy surface and twisting works well - the pressure is on the face of the filter rather than the circumference.

[Eric James]

Glad to hear things worked out. I've had trouble removing filters from time to time so I carry a thin sheet of rubber in my tool kit. Still, I have trouble removing B+W filters from their step-up rings. Curiously, grip strength does not seem to solve the problem, perhaps because I am deforming the ring into an ellipse when I squeeze too hard (consistent with Patrick's and Jerry's observations). What usually does the trick is to apply gentle torque with pressure distributed equally at 3 or 4 points around the ring; a bit of jiggling and off it comes.

[Toyon]

Easy, apply mild heat to the outer filter. The metal will expand and release.

[Brian Ellis]

For future reference - if you press the lens with filter against the palm of your hand and turn, it will usually come right off. After years of using all sorts of different methods - vaseline, twist a little one way, twist a little the other, etc. - someone mentioned this simple method in a workshop a year or so ago and I've used it four or five times since with perfect results.

[Archphoto]

To avoid this, just put a minute amount of grease on the thread.
And then wipe the thread clean again: there will be just enough grease left to avoid sticking.

Peter