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Lens step-up ring stuck with little leverage room to remove it?


Jared Hall

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I bought this camera and didn’t realize this was a step up ring until today. I bought the correct 43mm accessories, but that of course won’t work until I remove the step up ring. I’ve tried to creat as much pressure with my fingers as possible and twist, but it’s just hurt my fingers and not gotten me anywhere. 

I can’t just buy the correct sized accessories for the step-up size, so i need to remove it. Any ideas on how I could remove this with not much room to fit anything on the sides? Maybe needle nose pliers?

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Try a rubber grip of some sort - I have a variety of tools to remove lens lock rings  most of which I’ve made myself. You can start with rubber dishwashing gloves, or a bath plug, or something like that. I have made some tools using a cylinder with O ring rubber glued to the end. You can put a drop or two of oil in the step up ring threads to help free it. Last resort might be to drill a couple of small holes in the ring and use a lens wrench.

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1 hour ago, Dom Jaeger said:

Try a rubber grip of some sort - I have a variety of tools to remove lens lock rings  most of which I’ve made myself. You can start with rubber dishwashing gloves, or a bath plug, or something like that. I have made some tools using a cylinder with O ring rubber glued to the end. You can put a drop or two of oil in the step up ring threads to help free it. Last resort might be to drill a couple of small holes in the ring and use a lens wrench.

Thanks! I’ve tried rubber gloves and another thing to open hard but this thing seriously will not budge. I think my main issue is that i can not grab the sides of it to twist. it sits flush with the lens hood mount and focus ring. whoever screwed this thing in here this tight is an idiot and making my life quite difficult right now lol. So i’m pushing on the inside to try and turn it which i feel like just makes it push harder against the side. really sucks lol

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Can you use 2 pair of needle nose on each side and with the help of another person to unscrew?

What about screwing an adapter ring onto it to extend it and use permanent Loctite on the threads. Let it harden and maybe you can unscrew it that way from the extension ring.

They make pliers for expanding chain links for electrical lightning. You may see if you can find one of that style that fits from the inner ring to unscrew. It expands instead of compressing.

Good luck!

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If rubber tools using friction won’t work, the simplest, non-damaging thing is to just drill two small holes in the flat surface on opposite sides and then use a lens spanner wrench, which you can buy on eBay for as little as $10. I’ve done this dozens of times to remove difficult lens lock rings and other things. It will undo the ring and leave the threads undamaged if you ever need to use it.

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Cover the lens glass first with thick wad of tissue or cloth to insulate it. Try some canned air directed onto the lens ring with the little plastic straw with the can turned upside-down so that liquid gas comes out onto the lens ring. This may contract (shink) the metal enough to thermally shock the seized thread loose. Try removing the chilled lens ring before it can warm up again. On another forum it was suggested that a piece of automotive inner tube or other thin sheet rubber on a flat surface may find enough grip on a stuck lens ring to shift it if it is pressed firmly whilst being turned. Be extra careful not to get any liquid gas onto the glass because it WILL shatter from thermal shock.

Edited by Robert Hart
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This is a problem we all have at times,  me included. I don't think, Jared, the previous user "idiot" tightened it on purpose ! Somehow these rings seem to tighten themselves. I haven't tried Robert's canned-air trick though sounds a good one. Whatever method is taken, I suggest covering the lens element with some protective tissues and perhaps some stiff card. It's all too easy I've found,  to slip when using pliers or whatever.

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