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I finally stopped using a heat gun on every stuck lens element
I was working on a 1970s Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 with haze, and the front group was seized. I reached for my heat gun like always, but a retired repairer at a swap meet in Chicago told me to try a simple rubber jar opener first. I was sure it wouldn't work, but after a few minutes of gentle pressure, it twisted right off with no heat at all. I had been risking damage to the cement for years. What other 'go-to' tools do you think we overuse?
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kellyj231mo ago
Yeah, I was the same with lens spanners. Always my first move for a stuck filter ring or name plate. Ruined a couple of helicoids before I learned that a big blob of hot glue on a dowel can get amazing grip without a single mark. Felt like a real idiot that day.
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Oh man, the hot glue trick is a good one. I had a similar wake-up call with my fancy lens vice. Used it for every stuck barrel, until I crushed the threads on a perfectly good 28mm. A strip of inner tube rubber and some hand pressure would have done it.
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