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Pro tip: the $8 heat gun trick for stuck filter rings actually saved a client's lens
A guy brought in a 20 year old zoom with a filter ring welded on from years of grit, and I was sure it was a lost cause. My old boss once told me heat guns warp coatings, so I had avoided them for a decade. But after soaking it in solvent for two days with no movement, I tried low heat for about 40 seconds and it spun off like it was new. The glass came out clean and I only charged $45 for the fix, which felt fair for a 10 minute job. Now I keep a cheap Wagner on the bench next to the soldering iron. Anyone else have a tool they wrote off for years before finally giving it a shot?
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the_dylan8d ago
Man, that fear of ruining the coating is so real. I had a old boss drill the same thing into my head about heat and lens elements, so I get why you sat on that trick for so long. Reading how it just spun off after 40 seconds has to feel like a weight off your shoulders, especially after two days of solvent doing nothing. It is wild how one bad warning can keep a good tool off your bench for years. Glad the glass came out clean and the client got a fair deal out of it.
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