How to remove old lens element?

cdowell · Oct 29, 2019

Can anyone tell me how to get this lens element out? It is seated in solid bakelite in the back, so I have to assume you are supposed to get this metal ring to pop out so it can come out the front. What would that metal ring be called, anyway?

Thanks for any help.

AgX · Oct 30, 2019

I it is called Circlip.

There are standardised ones that accept standardized tools for mounting and de-mounting. For your sample though you have to make yourself a hook-type tool, maybe two, to get that ring out again.

cdowell · Oct 30, 2019

AgX said:
I it is called Circlip.

There are standardised ones that accept standardized tools for mounting and de-mounting. For your sample though you have to make yourself a hook-type tool, maybe two, to get that ring out again.

Thanks for that information. Maybe I'll try some dental picks. That picture gives me a much better idea than my eyes did.

I'll have to be really careful though since I am in $5 plus postage on the camera.

shutterfinger · Oct 30, 2019

You can generally use two flat blade screwdrivers and spread the ends apart enough to slip it off, hold one end steady while pulling the other out and walk it off the barrel being careful not to scratch the glass.

M Carter · Oct 30, 2019

With a clip like that, which doesn't have circular holes for a snap-ring tool, it's often a good idea to cut a circle of painter's tape a bit smaller than the element and stick it to the glass. If you end up slipping or something pops loose, it can prevent a scratch on the element. the clip, when removed, is a bit larger than the track it sits in, and spring tension holds it in. So it can take a bit of force, and that force will compress it even further, making it easy for the thing to pop out or for your tool to slip.

John51 · Oct 31, 2019

Using 2 blades will more than likely slip. I'd cover the glass with cardboard as well as tape.

You can sacrifice a cheap pair of long nose pliers and grind a suitable flat/point on the ends. If the work is held securely, the pliers can be used 2 handed to open up the circlip.

shutterfinger · Oct 31, 2019

I was thinking it was an expansion to remove but its a compression to remove.
Place the tip of a #0 or #1 flat blade screwdriver, 1mm to 2mm jewelers screwdriver, on the top of the ring at the recess it sits into at one end of the retainer, slip the screwdriver between the clip and the rear wall of the barrel, pry outward, slip a second screwdriver close to the first but further up the clip until the edge of the clip can be grasped and pulled out. Protecting the glass is a very good safety measure if you are unfamiliar with removing this type of retainer.

laser · Oct 31, 2019

It is best to avoid removing the element. When lenses are assembled by the manufacturers the elements are placed using using tools and instrumentation. Typical tolerances for centering is within thousands of an inch and alignment is seconds of arch. The probability of removing an element and reassembling properly is very, very low. If you do this please report on APUG the image quality before your work and after.

It is surprising how little image quality degradation occurs when there is some dust on the surfaces.

AgX · Nov 1, 2019

That element is from a box type camera. And this way of mounting does not show any precision: the lens just was layed onto a rim and that basic circlip just pushed against it to prevent it falling out again.
Single specs of dust of even quite ome size will not be recognizable in the photograph, a slight haze already may have impact. In this case however of a lens with likely a lot of spherical abberation it might pass undetected.

David Lyga · Nov 1, 2019

laser:

I have found this reasoning to be consistently wrong. The circlip simply holds that element in place. The precise placement is a function of the step that the element rests upon, be it a removable washer type or built-in. You will have no problems. However, if there are thin washers that that element rests upon, best to put them back the same way so focus will remain aligned. - David Lyga

cdowell · Nov 1, 2019

I really appreciate all the information. It's definitely a cheap camera and my object is not to clean the lens but to flip it. I've been messing around will doing that on cheap cameras that I wouldn't otherwise use much (or at all). I admit that my pre-flip test roll with this particular camera -- a Spartus 35F Model 400 -- yielded pictures I liked the look of right off the auction block. I'll include a sample below (along with the one of the sort of Flipped stuff I'm doing for fun these days -- (hope y'all don't think I'm too crazy)). Thanks again for all the advice. I feel like if I had a dental pick I could pop that ring out with all upward pressure. I'll definitely go with painters tape for protection.

How to remove old lens element?

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