stuck step down ring?

Bob Hart · July 24th, 2008, 11:51 PM

I guess he did not have all the baggage of our collective of suggested remedies and harbingers of disaster frightening the tripes out of him.

So uninhibited by fear, not consumed with dread and supremely confident in his own abilities, he probably strapped on a wrench and gave it about 0.555 more kp of pressure than you did.

Maybe it just slipped off in his fingers and he said to himself, "Mmmh this was easy. I wonder what he was on about".

Truth is, life is so much easier with the right tools and the right knowing of how to go about it.

The good news of course - it's cured. You'll be running about carefully like a kid with the plaster off the broken leg for a few days but you will get your confidence back.

Dennis Stevens · July 25th, 2008, 05:07 AM

Yeah, for now I guess I can put the ring on very lightly, then put the brevis on.

Somebody suggested getting the ring on the brevis (semi)permanently, which is fine as long I use the brevis with an 82mm lens.

Dennis Stevens · July 27th, 2008, 07:02 AM

Hey, guess what?

I put the brand new ring Dennis Wood sent me on the adapter, then I put it on the lens. I was careful not to screw the ring on too tight.

Fine, but after awhile I adjusting the adapter, and I could feel it sudden got on a little tight. I unscrewed the adapter, and the ring wouldn't budge.

Right back where I started, and back to the camera shop, apparently.

So... I guess permanently attach the step down to the adapter? That's all I can think of. I can't see how to use this thing if it costs a few days and $40 to get the thing off.

Igor Babic · July 27th, 2008, 09:24 AM

I was having trouble only with cheap aluminum rings from china (Denis says that he is building yours so this is probably unrelated ) they usualy stuck very bad, but sometimes after a few days or weeks they unscrew like they was never stuck. My brass rings never stuck. I have brass rings on a places that need to be unscrewed more often. I have also noticed that temperature and aluminum oxyde is main reason why aluminum things stuck together (I also have cheap rings that has paint residue in their thread, they stuck very often too).

To unscrew stuck up ring I was using some bigger ring screwed to stuck one. You have achromat lens that is very hard core thing, so try to screw it to your ring and press it to your lens to unscrew it together with your stuckup ring.

I have build small crane that has extension joints that sometimes get stuck. When is cold they work like they never stuck. Those joints are uncoated so after some usage they stuck again from aluminum oxydation. When I polish them they work again. (I will change their construction or anodize them to prevent this)

So, if your ring is aluminum type try to change it with brass one (try to find quality ones, my has glossy polished look if that is some criteria...), and maybe, just maybe to put very small amount of some silicone lubricant in your ring threads to prevent future stuckup's.

PS
Jar opener? Does anyone has guts to try it to remove stuck ring?

Bob Hart · July 27th, 2008, 11:04 AM

That has got to suck to extremity, really and truly. If you are taking it back to the camera doctor, maybe ask if he can dremel or mill two slots across the face of the ring so you can get some purchase against the ring with a flat blade or a special wrench made up from sheetmetal.

Dennis Stevens · July 27th, 2008, 12:20 PM

I'm thinking of cutting my latex gloves into a thin strip that fits around the ring, then tighten the hose clamp on it. Then the screw thing on the hose clamp is like a 'handle', and the latex strip keeps it from just slipping off.

Just another crazy idea... short of whacking it with the spoon I keep handy.... :)

Leonard Levy · July 27th, 2008, 01:13 PM

dennis,
Sorry to hear this has happened again. Try putting a thin strip of gaffer or camera tape around the adapter ring first, then go at it with the gloves.
That latex hose clamp sounds promising too - good luck - your now a pioneer out there blazing trails that thousands may follow.

- Lenny Levy

Dennis Stevens · July 27th, 2008, 06:36 PM

well, I finally got the thing off all by myself. I tried the hose clamp, but it didn't really move. Then I cut the latex glove into a very thin strip, so I was just gripping the ring.

A tug with my bare hands, and finally it came off.

Well, I'm off to buy a gross of latex gloves, cut 'em into little strips, and sell them as Denny's Auto Guaranteed Ring Remover...

As they say, don't dig for gold, sell stuff to the miners.

Bob Hart · July 27th, 2008, 09:15 PM

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Now son.

Listen tah me. This is fer yah rown good.

Now see heyah. Don't be goin' back on that football field so soon after that broken leg is mended. (With apologies to Warner Bros cartoon authors of "Foghorn Leghorn".).

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Now to something more useful.

It may be also helpful to cut a thin paper washer to go between the rear face of the step-up ring and the front face of the filter mount on the lens.

July 24th, 2008, 11:51 PM	#46
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,476	I guess he did not have all the baggage of our collective of suggested remedies and harbingers of disaster frightening the tripes out of him. So uninhibited by fear, not consumed with dread and supremely confident in his own abilities, he probably strapped on a wrench and gave it about 0.555 more kp of pressure than you did. Maybe it just slipped off in his fingers and he said to himself, "Mmmh this was easy. I wonder what he was on about". Truth is, life is so much easier with the right tools and the right knowing of how to go about it. The good news of course - it's cured. You'll be running about carefully like a kid with the plaster off the broken leg for a few days but you will get your confidence back. Last edited by Bob Hart; July 24th, 2008 at 11:52 PM. Reason: error

July 27th, 2008, 09:24 AM	#49
Igor Babic Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Zagreb, Croatia Posts: 171	I was having trouble only with cheap aluminum rings from china (Denis says that he is building yours so this is probably unrelated ) they usualy stuck very bad, but sometimes after a few days or weeks they unscrew like they was never stuck. My brass rings never stuck. I have brass rings on a places that need to be unscrewed more often. I have also noticed that temperature and aluminum oxyde is main reason why aluminum things stuck together (I also have cheap rings that has paint residue in their thread, they stuck very often too). To unscrew stuck up ring I was using some bigger ring screwed to stuck one. You have achromat lens that is very hard core thing, so try to screw it to your ring and press it to your lens to unscrew it together with your stuckup ring. I have build small crane that has extension joints that sometimes get stuck. When is cold they work like they never stuck. Those joints are uncoated so after some usage they stuck again from aluminum oxydation. When I polish them they work again. (I will change their construction or anodize them to prevent this) So, if your ring is aluminum type try to change it with brass one (try to find quality ones, my has glossy polished look if that is some criteria...), and maybe, just maybe to put very small amount of some silicone lubricant in your ring threads to prevent future stuckup's. PS Jar opener? Does anyone has guts to try it to remove stuck ring? Last edited by Igor Babic; July 27th, 2008 at 09:43 AM. Reason: some additional advices...

July 27th, 2008, 11:04 AM	#50
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,476	That has got to suck to extremity, really and truly. If you are taking it back to the camera doctor, maybe ask if he can dremel or mill two slots across the face of the ring so you can get some purchase against the ring with a flat blade or a special wrench made up from sheetmetal. Last edited by Bob Hart; July 27th, 2008 at 11:07 AM. Reason: error

July 27th, 2008, 09:15 PM	#54
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,476	"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Now son. Listen tah me. This is fer yah rown good. Now see heyah. Don't be goin' back on that football field so soon after that broken leg is mended. (With apologies to Warner Bros cartoon authors of "Foghorn Leghorn".). """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Now to something more useful. It may be also helpful to cut a thin paper washer to go between the rear face of the step-up ring and the front face of the filter mount on the lens. Last edited by Bob Hart; July 28th, 2008 at 12:01 PM. Reason: error

July 25th, 2008, 05:07 AM	#47
Dennis Stevens Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston, Massachusetts Posts: 425	Yeah, for now I guess I can put the ring on very lightly, then put the brevis on. Somebody suggested getting the ring on the brevis (semi)permanently, which is fine as long I use the brevis with an 82mm lens.

July 27th, 2008, 07:02 AM	#48
Dennis Stevens Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston, Massachusetts Posts: 425	Hey, guess what? I put the brand new ring Dennis Wood sent me on the adapter, then I put it on the lens. I was careful not to screw the ring on too tight. Fine, but after awhile I adjusting the adapter, and I could feel it sudden got on a little tight. I unscrewed the adapter, and the ring wouldn't budge. Right back where I started, and back to the camera shop, apparently. So... I guess permanently attach the step down to the adapter? That's all I can think of. I can't see how to use this thing if it costs a few days and $40 to get the thing off.

July 27th, 2008, 12:20 PM	#51
Dennis Stevens Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston, Massachusetts Posts: 425	I'm thinking of cutting my latex gloves into a thin strip that fits around the ring, then tighten the hose clamp on it. Then the screw thing on the hose clamp is like a 'handle', and the latex strip keeps it from just slipping off. Just another crazy idea... short of whacking it with the spoon I keep handy.... :)

July 27th, 2008, 01:13 PM	#52
Leonard Levy Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,684	dennis, Sorry to hear this has happened again. Try putting a thin strip of gaffer or camera tape around the adapter ring first, then go at it with the gloves. That latex hose clamp sounds promising too - good luck - your now a pioneer out there blazing trails that thousands may follow. - Lenny Levy

July 27th, 2008, 06:36 PM	#53
Dennis Stevens Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston, Massachusetts Posts: 425	well, I finally got the thing off all by myself. I tried the hose clamp, but it didn't really move. Then I cut the latex glove into a very thin strip, so I was just gripping the ring. A tug with my bare hands, and finally it came off. Well, I'm off to buy a gross of latex gloves, cut 'em into little strips, and sell them as Denny's Auto Guaranteed Ring Remover... As they say, don't dig for gold, sell stuff to the miners.