Jammed Filter

[RyanB]

I received a Canon nFD 85mm f1.2L as spares and repairs which I picked up very cheaply. I assumed it would need a lot of work as the photos were terrible but it came fully working with all the damage solely in the filter which is dented from the side.

I have tried heating it, twisting on the rubber sole of a shoe and filing some grooves and using a lens spanner to twist it off but nothing is budging it.

Anyone have any suggestions? TIA

 

[hunnymonster]

One of those cloth things for taking the kids off jars.

 

[Barney]

take the glass out of the filter, snip the edge of the ring with tins snips or wire cutters to weaken it then force it out towards center

or even hacksaw it

 

[dans_shutter]

take the glass out of the filter, snip the edge of the ring with tins snips or wire cutters to weaken it then force it out towards center

or even hacksaw it

I was just writing the same thing.

 

[Kieran_89]

I had this before, wire cutters done the trick, remove the glass and cut away at the side of the filter.

 

[RyanB]

One of those cloth things for taking the kids off jars.

take the glass out of the filter, snip the edge of the ring with tins snips or wire cutters to weaken it then force it out towards center

or even hacksaw it

I was just writing the same thing.

I had this before, wire cutters done the trick, remove the glass and cut away at the side of the filter.

Thanks guys, needs cutting out. I thought that might be the case but I am nervous about getting the glass out in case it scratches the coating of the front element. I'll tape it up first, to stop it falling in..

 

[Mostly Vintage Cameras]

Back "in the day" when customers used to come in store and ask if we could remove a broken filter we would say "certainly sir, we have a machine upstairs for that". We would take the lens upstairs and wedge the filter in a door jam and twist the lens off the filter. There isn''t a filter made that won’t give out to a six foot door leaver!

Or take the glass out by prising the retaining clip from the edge and lifting it up.

Also we didn’t care too much about the office paintwork!

 

[RyanB]

Back "in the day" when customers used to come in store and ask if we could remove a broken filter we would say "certainly sir, we have a machine upstairs for that". We would take the lens upstairs and wedge the filter in a door jam and twist the lens off the filter. There isn''t a filter made that won’t give out to a six foot door leaver!

Or take the glass out by prising the retaining clip from the edge and lifting it up.

Also we didn’t care too much about the office paintwork!

I got it out in the end. First I taped all the glass together and then broke it up in situ, it all came out in one go. The retaining clip/ ring on this one was on the lens side of the filter so that wasn't possible to remove that to get the glass out. Almost all my other filters have the retaining ring on the outside, weird that a Hoya had such a bad design.

I used a piece of card and some microfibre cloth to protect the front element and then used a micro file to very slowly file a slot all the way to the edge of the lens and eventually with a little persuasion pried the filter off. No damage to the lens filter threads either.

Half an hours work and I now have a very nice lens, I think the seller thought the broken filter was the front element hence the ridiculously cheap price of £100.

 

[CharleyL]

I always carry a pair of filter wrenches of the size range of the filters that I am using. One wraps around the edge of the filter, while the other wraps around the end of the lens or previous filter. Squeeze the two handles of each wrench together, and turn. I have only needed to use them once for my lenses, but have saved several photographers nearby during shoots with them. Of course, when all else fails, removing the glass piece by piece and then cutting the ring works when the lens/glass is destroyed anyway, but be careful when installing the replacement, as some thread damage may have occurred to the lens or filter behind the damaged one. Get yourself some filter wrenches of the size(s) to fit your lenses and filters to keep with you. They aren't expensive and work far more times than not.

Charley

 

[Norkie]

That’s a plus result
And another good reason for fitting lens filters for protection.

 

[RyanB]

I always carry a pair of filter wrenches of the size range of the filters that I am using. One wraps around the edge of the filter, while the other wraps around the end of the lens or previous filter. Squeeze the two handles of each wrench together, and turn. I have only needed to use them once for my lenses, but have saved several photographers nearby during shoots with them. Of course, when all else fails, removing the glass piece by piece and then cutting the ring works when the lens/glass is destroyed anyway, but be careful when installing the replacement, as some thread damage may have occurred to the lens or filter behind the damaged one. Get yourself some filter wrenches of the size(s) to fit your lenses and filters to keep with you. They aren't expensive and work far more times than not.

Charley

Thanks, Not a bad idea that.
Most of the time if I have one jammed on too tight the rubber sole of a shoe has always worked for me but if I'm out and about with muck on them or its a CPL some wrenches could come in handy.

I had a close look at the threads and the filter took all the damage, I don't have a replacement UV filter yet but a 72mm hood screwed on smoothly.

 

[RyanB]

That’s a plus result
And another good reason for fitting lens filters for protection.

Thanks!
That's what I'm thinking too, I've been of two minds/ unbothered about filters over the years but I think its time to get some for the few of my lenses that don't already have one.

 

[Yardbent]

my USSR Industar N-61 had a rough spot on its filter threads which prevented a filter being screwed on more the 45degrees

I have a Zeiss UV filter which has a metal thread - using this, I screwed it in-and-out constantly till the burr was removed