Stuck polarizer. Help!

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Xylo

Xylo

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Try some alcohol. Pour a glass, place the lens on the table and admire it.

😂
Sadly, I feel that other than going in with pliers and snips, that's the only thing left to do.
Milk shake and good glass it will be.
 
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I just got some filter wrenches and some lens cleaner. These wrenches are really grippy!
But I tried to remove the ring with them and it still won't budge.
I'm now pretty sure the previous owner crazy glued the filter in place 😣.

Well, at least I didn't cut the filter ring out...

If the lens was made from metal, I would have tried putting some acetone on the threads to soften the glue. But with a plastic bodied lens, the last thing I want to do is melt the plastic.
 

Dan Daniel

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Just because- you tried the freezer? Put lens in plastic bag, freeze for a day or so, then let defrost in the bag.

Probably heading for putting a notch in the filter rim with a Dremel and collapsing the body inward away from the threads. Even if you hit the lens threads, it will work fine. Heck, your new fancy filter wrench might be perfect for the initial collapse.
 
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Just because- you tried the freezer? Put lens in plastic bag, freeze for a day or so, then let defrost
You're thinking of letting the thermal expansion and contraction break the seal...
Maybe that would work 🤔
 

Sirius Glass

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Chilling the camera would reduce the diameter of the filter ring and lens, but hopefully because the filter ring is metal, it will shrink faster.
 

xkaes

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Forget the Dremel/cutting idea. You will only cut the top part of the filter. The inner part with the threads will not be cut, and trying to bend it will simply jam it more into place.

Don't dig yourself into a deeper hole. Just leave it in place as is -- as a good metallic filter thread.
 
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mshchem

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Leave it alone and use it. These lenses are abundant on Ebay if you want a perfect example, the empty ring makes a great story.
 

wiltw

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If worse comes to worse, you can break the Tiffen filter, then use a vice grip to forcibly distort the metal ring to remove it from the lens barrel.
Contrary to OP belief, a Tiffen is NOT a 'fine quality' filter...its coating is, at best, a double layer rather than multicoated! Countless comparisons have proved the Tiffen to not be among the better filters for light tranmission and freedom from flare. BTW I have the personal experience of having destructively removing an unwanted filter from a lens.
 
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mshchem

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eli griggs

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I've found plain flat, wide rubber bands to work most of the time, with stuck filter rings.

Take a flat band and holding the excess 'loop' in your hand, reasonably snug the main loop around the filter, with the excess width, no on the lens barrel.

Over hang the excess width of needed

While holding the filter loop fast, take the excess rubber band and, slightly tensioned, fold it back over, in line with the filter ring.

Hold the positioned band and filter tightly with one hand, and, with the lens on a camera, apply a firm twist from the back side of the camera, for leverage.

If it does not loosen, take a long pencil or wood dowel the same length of a pencil and rap the filter ring all around the outside ring, like it's a stuck jar.

The wood should no deform the filter and after a couple of circuits around, retry the rubber band.

Repeat as necessary.

If still no loosened, I suggest you take a clean cast iron or copper pan, and put it on a stove burner, at the lowest possible heat and allow it to slowly warm enough that when you place your hand a couple or three inches above the bottom, you'll feel a comfortable warm heat.

Remove the lens from the camera and place the filter down upon the pan bottom for about five seconds, no more.

Rap the filter again and quickly try the rubber band again.

The heat should expand the metal rim and the filter come off, though you may have to heat it two or three times before it does.

Do no worry about the accumulated heat from a few heatings of the ring, it may need it, but do no allow w the lens to linger on the pan and do no get impatient and start using a metal tool to strike the ring/lens with.

It will come off, just relax and let the heat expansion and rubber band grip do their jobs.

I hope this helps and,
Cheers!

PS: If you are concerned about filter ring paint or finish melting on your metal pan, just used a paper sheet in the pan, between the metal and ring, it should no get hot enough to burn, which is too hot and an clothing iron on low could be substituted if need demands it so.
 

Steve906

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This may sound daft but I've spent more than half my life undoing things on lenses. (Re-housing vintage cine stuff).
When gripping a thin ring it deforms it into an oval effectively locking it in place. Try as little gripping force as possible and turn gently. maybe use grippy rubber type stuff on the FACE of the ring (Google Dycem and avoid fakes!), anything to stop the ring deforming.
Steve.
 
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If still no loosened, I suggest you take a clean cast iron or copper pan, and put it on a stove burner, at the lowest possible heat and allow it to slowly warm enough that when you place your hand a couple or three inches above the bottom, you'll feel a comfortable warm heat.

You sure this won't melt the lens housing? It is plastic after all.

I'm now pretty sure it was crazy glued in place... so that is a definite problem.
 

DWThomas

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This may sound daft but I've spent more than half my life undoing things on lenses. (Re-housing vintage cine stuff).
When gripping a thin ring it deforms it into an oval effectively locking it in place. Try as little gripping force as possible and turn gently. maybe use grippy rubber type stuff on the FACE of the ring (Google Dycem and avoid fakes!), anything to stop the ring deforming.
Steve.

That sounds quite logical. It is likely that is why the filter wrenches described upthread are useful, they distribute the clamping force better than a hand (or Channel-lock pliers!!! 😲 )
 

pentaxuser

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I'm now pretty sure it was crazy glued in place... so that is a definite problem.
Just another question in this thread that is beginning to resemble the Painless Potter advice for the gunfight scene.😁

If it is crazy glue then isn't there something that can soften/melt it or is the cure in this case worse than the disease because the risk of damage to the lens?

Just a thought

pentaxuser
 

Nicholas Lindan

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Using a proper filter wrench applies force circumferentialy and doesn't deform the shape of the filter. The problem with 'rubber sheet/bung' methods is that it is a polarizing filter so the front of the filter rotates freely.

The suggestion of freezing the lens & filter may have some merit. Try to remove the filter as soon as it is taken out of the freezer - or do it in the freezer if it is big enough. This assumes the aluminum of the filter has a greater coefficient of expansion, er contraction, than the plastic.
 

Sirius Glass

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Chilling the camera would reduce the diameter of the filter ring and lens, but hopefully because the filter ring is metal, it will shrink faster.

Forget the Dremel/cutting idea. You will only cut the top part of the filter. The inner part with the threads will not be cut, and trying to bend it will simply jam it more into place.

Don't dig yourself into a deeper hole. Just leave it in place as is -- as a good metallic filter thread.

Leave it alone and use it. These lenses are abundant on Ebay if you want a perfect example, the empty ring makes a great story.

All good suggestions but one can also take it to a camera repair place.
 
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Using a proper filter wrench applies force circumferentialy and doesn't deform the shape of the filter. The problem with 'rubber sheet/bung' methods is that it is a polarizing filter so the front of the filter rotates freely.

The suggestion of freezing the lens & filter may have some merit. Try to remove the filter as soon as it is taken out of the freezer - or do it in the freezer if it is big enough. This assumes the aluminum of the filter has a greater coefficient of expansion, er contraction, than the plastic.

My Nikon polarizing filter has a stop on the outside ring. It helps in determining where the setting is. Coincidentally it also supports the outside turning part to stop so it aids in removing the filter from the lens.
 

Nicholas Lindan

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My Nikon polarizing filter has a stop on the outside ring. It helps in determining where the setting is. Coincidentally it also supports the outside turning part to stop so it aids in removing the filter from the lens.

Ah, that's what that stop is for.
 
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