caffeineshutter said:
Right...but what about when you want to remove the adapter from the body?
As dptrzldkcvptrazptrkla noted, usually you can use a lens as a wrench. Just screw the lens into the adapter fairly firmly, then press the bayonet release on the camera body and twist. Unless the body's bayonet mount is really, really stiff, the adapter will usually un-bayonet from the body before the lens unscrews from the adapter.
Once the adapter has twisted to the fully released position, it will stop there. Then, if you want to remove the lens from the adapter, you can go ahead and unscrew it. In the released position, the adapter will lift easily out of the body's bayonet mount.
Times when the skate key comes in handy: (1) When you need to get the adapter out of the body (perhaps to mount an M-mount lens) and don't have a screw-mount lens handy; (2) if the bayonet mount in your camera is really tight, so tight that the lens unscrews from the adapter rather than turning the adapter to the unlocked position.
Tip: If you only need to do this occasionally (or once) and don't want to buy a pin wrench just for that purpose, get some rubber tape from a hardware store and put two small strips on opposite faces of the adapter. Then press the bayonet release button with a finger while twisting the adapter with your thumbs. The super-friction of the tape gives you a strong grip that will usually be enough to twist the adapter.
Incidentally, rubber tape is useful for a lot of other camera and household chores, such as unscrewing front lens rings, wind-lever hub rings, stubborn jar lids, etc. This is
not thin vinyl electrical tape -- it is made of flexible, rather tacky rubber, about 1/16 inch thick, and has a peel-off liner on one surface to keep the tape from sticking to itself.
Its intended purpose is to insulate and waterproof electrical connections -- it's so "gooey" that it fuses to itself as you wrap the splice (so it's sometimes called "self-fusing tape.") But this same gooey, tacky property makes it very handy for any time when you need to create a cushioned, high-friction gripping surface to help you unscrew stuck parts by hand.
