a filter from hell?

[milkandhoney]

Ive got a scratched UV filter (62 mm) that is stuck on my nikon 24-

105mm lens. its doesnt move. it appears that the filter has shifted

off the threads on one side like it was dropped. I know this is

kinda a wierd post, but if anyone has any tips or has had a similiar

problem I would appreciate it. I have a new filter just waiting for

its moment in the sun ;)

[michaelging]

You can try taking a hot wash cloth,wrapping it around the filter to expand it and then unscrew it. You can also take a thick rubber band and use it around the filter to give you a good grip. I have also used wire cutters to snip the filter to remove the glass and then just pull the metal out of the threads. You can do this with a hack saw to cut the rim as well ,but do it slow.Some filters have a retaining ring that can be removed and then you can remove the glass. Good luck

[stephen hazelton]

Best stuck-filter solution I've heard (on PN) was to get some sort of rubber pad, put the filter down flat on it, and turn the lens. The idea being that gripping the filter in the normal way distorts it some, which is part of what keeps it from coming off. It worked on mine.

[alan_chan4]

If you believe it has been misthreaded, don't force unscrew it. Wear a rubber glove and try to shift it a little back on track first, then try to unscrew slowly. Unscrew stuck filter is about "angle", not force.

[skipd]

Another way to remove it in a way that will save the threaded ring on the lens is to break the glass (very carefully, of course) and cut the ring (again, very carefully) as much as you can without cutting the threaded ring on the lens. Then you can pry the ring out without rotating it.

 

I would use a sharp punch and a small hammer to break the filter and a Dremel tool with an abrasive cutting wheel to score the ring. Of course, I know how to use these tools and would not be experimenting with them.

[erin.e]

Another thing that will often remove a stuck filter is to hold the lens well supported in your hand and the filter supported by two fingers, tap carefully but firmly on the opposite outer side of the filter a few times with something narrow and reasonably heavy, turn the lens around to a couple of different positions. This will often centre the filter in the thread and it can then be unscrewed by hand in the normal manner.

[edgreene]

Since the item to be removed is a lowly scratched filter, do as I have done before and will again if need be: remember, it is a filter which more than likely will be damaged BEYOND USE. <P>DO this: dismount he lens/filter from the body. Carefully insert the filter into a large vise by its thread (<I>being certain not to push it too far so the jaws are contacting the lens thread</I>), tighten the jaws and twist (<i>it's a freakin' scratched filter-remember</i>?). Maintain a firm grip on the barrel of the lens.<br>Usually a slight twist will do the trick.

[dan flanders]

Heating will expand the filter ring, not reduce it. Try dry ice. Chances are that the lens bezel is a harder material than the filter threads so it is unlikely that unscrewing will harm the lens. The threads on the filter are probably already crossed and can be sacrificed. A rubber glove, a band, or a bezel wrench will likely provide the purchase you need. Stay away from vises, you can easily distort the bezel and then nothing will fit properly.

[awindsor]

Dan,

 

Unfortunately I think that the threads on the lens are often of plastic or polycarbonate while most filters are made of aluminium (there are some filters with softer brass rings). I am not convinced that the threads on the filter will not cross thread the lens if you use force.

 

I have never had a filter than I could not move with a combination of tapping and using rubber dishwashing gloves. It took me much longer to get a tripod bushing out of an expensive ball head (I now use only brass bushings).

[dan flanders]

I should have added that if cross-threaded it is best to turn the filter clockwise attempting to re-seat it in the proper thread position, then back it out. Of course each situation is different and any measures have to be adapted thereto. It has been my experience that there is a rational approach to any such situation. In a shop where I was employed we provided used Pentaxes for students at the nearby Community College. We would sell the cameras at the beginning of the term and then buy them back at its end. Stuck or bent filters were standard repair problems and we managed to free most without damage to either filter or lens bezel. Usually a good turn with a bezel wrench would do the trick but for stubborn cases the dry ice method was almost always successful.