mtnjunkie said:
Got mine today too!
The 240 looks great, but, um, does anyone have any good ideas for removing the rear elements from the barrel. Mine won't budge. The front came right off, and I'm reluctant to manhandle this gem too much.
Thanks
Mike
Mike,
The last batch I sold also had one or two with stubborn rear elements. This seem to be caused by them sitting in storage for an extended period. Once you get them started, the rear cell should also also screw right out and not cause further difficulties.
If you plan to get a shutter/scale from someone like SK Grimes, I'd recommend letting them remove the rear cell from the barrel. They will have the proper tools to remove it without any problems.
If you plan to re-mount the cells in a shutter yourself,
do not use any metal tools as the chance of causing damage is too great. So, no monkey wrenches, pliers or vice grips. Also, do not use any kind of solvent like Liquid Wrench or PB Blaster. These may work great on rusty nuts and bolts, but I have no idea what such harsh solvents might do to lens coatings (and I have no desire to find out).
The best tool for removing stuck lens cells is a small strap wrench. If you don't already have one of these, you can probably find one at your local auto parts store, plumbing supply store, Lowes or Home Depot. One of the small inexpensive one with a plastic handle should do the job. Here's an
example of one that should work and not mar the finish on your lens.
If you don't have a strap wrench, there are a couple other things you can try. One of the circular rubber disks sold as "lid grippers" for removing stuck jar lids can be used to get a better grip on the rear barrel. You can use it to grip the side of the barrel (be careful that it doesn't touch the glass), or you can just lay it on a flat surface and push the lens down onto it while turning. In addition to stuck lens cells, this latter method works especially well on stuck filters as gripping them by the sides tends to cause them to deform slightly and bind even worse.
A similar technique is to use an over-sized rubber stopper. I bought a whole set of these in various sizes years ago at Home Depot, but haven't seen them there lately. The key word here is "over-sized". You don't want to use one too small and risk contact with the glass surface if it slips while turning. For the 240mm Germinar-W rear element, a size 11 will work if you are careful, but a size 12 would be better.
Hope that helps,
Kerry