Liquid Fusion
Established
Did that. Nothing moved. Possibly needs the CLA spanner wrench I ordered. It might not arrive before the deadline I have to return this lens.
Used rubber kitchen gloves - as suggested by a forum member - for a super tight grip. Very concerned about damaging lens with soft glass - that might be returned. Next step = Cool in freezer / heat in oven - thermal expansion ? Right!! Would only do that if I decided to keep it.
Liquid Fusion
Established
Did it come off easily? How come my lens won't do what everyone elses will do?
Possible due to corrosion in the thread. In which case, it's best left to the experts.
Liquid Fusion
Established
Ordered one of these - Wrench not lens
Corrosion might be very real .... how do the experts unscrew a thread with corrosion? Lighter fluid? Cooling / Heat?
Doing this you'd have to be extremely careful not to get any on the glass of the lens....
Corrosion might be very real .... how do the experts unscrew a thread with corrosion? Lighter fluid? Cooling / Heat?
Doing this you'd have to be extremely careful not to get any on the glass of the lens....
Liquid Fusion
Established
Three more photos.... Strange what the marks might be. Other than the marks - it's a clean lens.
Liquid Fusion
Established
Here's more - looking through the rear lens at what's under the front lens.... a fingerprint? Former botched repair job?
Mr_Flibble
In Tabulas Argenteas Refero
The front group on mine was screwed on very tight as well. I doubt it's corrosion.
It's a weird smear that's for sure. At this point I'm not sure if it's fungus, separation or a fingerprint.
It's a weird smear that's for sure. At this point I'm not sure if it's fungus, separation or a fingerprint.
Liquid Fusion
Established
How did you get your lens open? Heard lighter fluid can work wonders.
Liquid Fusion
Established
If I can open this beauty and clean the marks off inside...
The white reflection inside / at the back of the lens is actually reflections from inside of the lens coming back out the front!!! There's a lens cap on the rear of the lens. Look at how clear everything is. Wondering how one could miss the marks I saw. Noone ever shines a light / LED flashlight through a lens these days?
The white reflection inside / at the back of the lens is actually reflections from inside of the lens coming back out the front!!! There's a lens cap on the rear of the lens. Look at how clear everything is. Wondering how one could miss the marks I saw. Noone ever shines a light / LED flashlight through a lens these days?
rfaspen
[insert pithy phrase here]
WD-40 is a very, very bad idea in camera/lens repair. Very.
Did the ring wrench arrive yet?
Did the ring wrench arrive yet?
Liquid Fusion
Established
Wrench arrives by Dec 16th.
Mr_Flibble
In Tabulas Argenteas Refero
I either unscrewed it by hand or a used a rubber friction pad to get a better grip on the rim.
Lighter fluid is great for dissolving old dried-out grease and washing away dirt...it also flushes away oil. The danger is using too much of it and you flush the oil, dirt and grease into 'critical' part like lens surfaces and the aperture blades. I use it very sparingly.
WD40 is a no-no on lenses.
Fixcinater
Never enough smoky peat
Try a bit of lighter fluid wicked into that area where you know they separate (according to pictures). You can start with a Q-tip soaked in Ronsonol, pressed against it.
Might take a few applications.
Might take a few applications.
Liquid Fusion
Established
Made lens cleaning soln - Windex / H202 - dabbed it on - light circular motion - hardly any pressure. Cleaned all my lens / viewfinders. A+
Will get lighter fluid and try that - on the barrel where the front lens unscrews - not the lens!!
Great if someone can take a photo series of the Summitar Front lens coming unscrewed / then off. Thanks again!!
Will get lighter fluid and try that - on the barrel where the front lens unscrews - not the lens!!
Great if someone can take a photo series of the Summitar Front lens coming unscrewed / then off. Thanks again!!
Kent
Finally at home...
Sometimes - and for whatever reason - the different parts of the lens body can be totally jammed. I once gave my Summitar for "CLA" to a repair expert, a really good and experienced one - and he could not get it apart entirely. He said, going any futher might damage the lens and we agreed to stop at that point.
mcfingon
Western Australia
Splitting...
Then, split...
Then, split...
Liquid Fusion
Established
Great photos!!! Thanks!!! Very clear.
Seller just refunded 100.00 due to the condition of the "haze" in the lens. Lens is now mine!!!
When I get the CLA wrench, I'll try to pop open the Summitar. If I need to, send it in for pro cleaning: 125.00.
Seller just refunded 100.00 due to the condition of the "haze" in the lens. Lens is now mine!!!
When I get the CLA wrench, I'll try to pop open the Summitar. If I need to, send it in for pro cleaning: 125.00.
David Hughes
David Hughes
Tell us the exact time you'll attempt it and we'll all cross our fingers and wish for you...
Liquid Fusion
Established
We're dealing with whale oil here.... Just like with my reel-to-reel multitrack tapes!! (another story).
There will be 2 CLA wrenches - one large (wraps around the front doublet) and a smaller wrench (wraps around the barrel just below the focusing ring).
Here's the rundown of how they operate:
<< It is very common for Leica lenses made prior to 1960-70’s to have “haze” inside the lens, due to Leitz used whale oil as aperture blade lubricant, over the years, the whale oil evaporate and created haze on the element behind the aperture blades. This is the most common problem we have seen today, despite there could be other problems, depending on the past usage and storage condition of these lenses.
In order to clean off the haze, you need to open the front lens head. The common rigid Summicron, Summicron DR, collapsible Summicron and Summitar lenses have similarities on the lens head design. They all screwed into the lens front part. Conventional lens pliers may do this job in some cases.
Certain lenses, especially the rigid Summicron and Summicron DR, have very tight front head. In most cases, you will never get the lens head loose with conventional lens pliers. The tightness of a particular lens head varies a lot due to lenses were made in the “match and fit” era.
To date there is no special tool made just for these lenses in the DYI market. Improper sized clamp wrenches, do not fit the lens rim/barrel well, could break the lens elements due to uneven force and brittle glass in the lens. This tool set is precision designed and made of stainless steel, hand polished. It fits very well on these typical lens heads since it was precisely measured based on these lenses.
For Summitar – besides the common haze problem, a lot Summitar lenses have the tight aperture ring problem due to the tight fit of the aperture ring. To solve this problem, you need to unscrew the lens head with the large clamp wrench, then carefully unscrew the two screws on each side of the aperture ring, clean off gummed up old oil residue and apply new grease, it will work like a magic.
Further the Summitar front lens head has two parts, if you have two large clamp wrenches, you may also open the front part. But in our auction we only include one large wrench this time. Also be careful the front part has very venerable coating.
For rigid Summicron and Summicron DR – you need first unscrew the lens head from the base, as we know these kind of lens heads are removable for close up device. Then put the smaller clamp wrench to the end of back barrel threaded area, put the large clamp wrench on front rim.
Both wrenches have long handles, you will be easily unscrew the lens head. For lens cleaning, make sure use high quality optical cleaner. You rather do less than too much. All these lenses have soft coatings. You need to be careful on the cleaning job. As for how to clean a lens element, please search for varies websites or find out books on this subject.
Zhou >>
There will be 2 CLA wrenches - one large (wraps around the front doublet) and a smaller wrench (wraps around the barrel just below the focusing ring).
Here's the rundown of how they operate:
<< It is very common for Leica lenses made prior to 1960-70’s to have “haze” inside the lens, due to Leitz used whale oil as aperture blade lubricant, over the years, the whale oil evaporate and created haze on the element behind the aperture blades. This is the most common problem we have seen today, despite there could be other problems, depending on the past usage and storage condition of these lenses.
In order to clean off the haze, you need to open the front lens head. The common rigid Summicron, Summicron DR, collapsible Summicron and Summitar lenses have similarities on the lens head design. They all screwed into the lens front part. Conventional lens pliers may do this job in some cases.
Certain lenses, especially the rigid Summicron and Summicron DR, have very tight front head. In most cases, you will never get the lens head loose with conventional lens pliers. The tightness of a particular lens head varies a lot due to lenses were made in the “match and fit” era.
To date there is no special tool made just for these lenses in the DYI market. Improper sized clamp wrenches, do not fit the lens rim/barrel well, could break the lens elements due to uneven force and brittle glass in the lens. This tool set is precision designed and made of stainless steel, hand polished. It fits very well on these typical lens heads since it was precisely measured based on these lenses.
For Summitar – besides the common haze problem, a lot Summitar lenses have the tight aperture ring problem due to the tight fit of the aperture ring. To solve this problem, you need to unscrew the lens head with the large clamp wrench, then carefully unscrew the two screws on each side of the aperture ring, clean off gummed up old oil residue and apply new grease, it will work like a magic.
Further the Summitar front lens head has two parts, if you have two large clamp wrenches, you may also open the front part. But in our auction we only include one large wrench this time. Also be careful the front part has very venerable coating.
For rigid Summicron and Summicron DR – you need first unscrew the lens head from the base, as we know these kind of lens heads are removable for close up device. Then put the smaller clamp wrench to the end of back barrel threaded area, put the large clamp wrench on front rim.
Both wrenches have long handles, you will be easily unscrew the lens head. For lens cleaning, make sure use high quality optical cleaner. You rather do less than too much. All these lenses have soft coatings. You need to be careful on the cleaning job. As for how to clean a lens element, please search for varies websites or find out books on this subject.
Zhou >>
Liquid Fusion
Established
Yeah!!!!! Opened the lens in seconds!!!! With the right tools / torque!!!! Archimedes said," Give my a lever and I will move the world!!" The "fingerprint" is still there - visible just inside the 1st lens of the front group. Might have to buy a second set of these CLA wrenches (another 25 days to wait) to open the front lens group.
My Wishful Thinking Plan -
1) open front element group with 2 CLA wrenches - Zhou says -"the Summitar front lens head has two parts, if you have two large clamp wrenches, you may also open the front part. "
2) repeatedly boil the front lens in water / cooling it - to separate elements without breaking the glass vs heating the lens in an oven cracking the glass
3) clean the lens elements - then glue it all back together
Even if I can open the front lens group with 2 CLA wrenches, then boil the glass to separate the elements - gluing it all back together is where the pro is needed!!!!
Comments welcome.
My Wishful Thinking Plan -
1) open front element group with 2 CLA wrenches - Zhou says -"the Summitar front lens head has two parts, if you have two large clamp wrenches, you may also open the front part. "
2) repeatedly boil the front lens in water / cooling it - to separate elements without breaking the glass vs heating the lens in an oven cracking the glass
3) clean the lens elements - then glue it all back together
Even if I can open the front lens group with 2 CLA wrenches, then boil the glass to separate the elements - gluing it all back together is where the pro is needed!!!!
Comments welcome.