Two adapter rings screwed tightly together (stuck) - how to best remove?

[Physopto]

14 hours ago, Herzy said:

I've already tried the WD40, but that oven and freezer thing might be a possibility. I've tried freezing them, but they are both made out of the same metal so they will contract at the same rate. Would that method still work if they are made of the same metal?
 

Hi Herzy, yes it can still work. The reason is even as the metals may be the same or very similar in make up, the contractions and repeated expansions, maybe six or more times, cause infinitesimally small and different changes/movements between the parts. Over several repeats it is just possible that they will work loose. I have used this method on small and larger items, both aluminium and steel in the past. It has worked sometimes and at others it has not. If the parts have become microwelded due to pressure it is most likely that they will never come apart, but it depends upon the extent of the microwelding. If just really stuck by pressure you may be in luck. Making sure that they have been in a bath of WD40 before commencing will help, but you really need to cool to the lowest temp you can as the oil needs to work it's way in between the threads bit by bit as it changes temp. If you freezer can get to -18/20 deg C all the better. Heating in an oven is OK but be careful as oil can obviously catch fire. If you boil the part in oil it can also be dangerous as a spill or splash can do immense damage to yourself or the surroundings. I used this type of method many years ago at sea and the part slipped from my grasp. I was using steel tongs as it was all we had at the time. The melted grease splashed up my arm and I was quite badly burned even though I had a boiler suite on.

So please be careful. You can use copper wire through the parts to form a handle.

Derek

Edited March 19, 2017 by Physopto

[darren west]

I'm assuming you have removed all of those small grub screws that are stopping it turning ?

[Davey-T]

Job to tell from your pic' but that chewed up bit looks like a left hand thread ?

Dave

[Physopto]

3 hours ago, Davey-T said:

Job to tell from your pic' but that chewed up bit looks like a left hand thread ?

Dave

Looks like camera adapter either Canon or Nikon type etc. I am wondering if it is actually a complete unit and not two parts!!

Derek

 

[Herzy]

I have already unscrewed the screws for the top part of the t-ring as suggested. It makes it even harder to get a grip on the metal to turn. It has been taking a WD40 bath for the past 12-ish hours. I'm hoping that might help. I tried the heating thing last night, but I only did it once. I'll try that again if the WD40 doesn't work. I don't think it is a left hand thread. When I get it out of the WD40 I will make sure, but I'm almost 100% sure that it isn't.

I'm thinking of taking it to some sort of camera repair shop to see what they can do for me.

[skybadger]

On 18/03/2017 at 08:12, Waldemar said:

No organic stuff near optics...!!!

Things may grow a lot faster than you expect....

What makes you think synthetic hydrocarbons are less appealing than natural ones to things that eat them ?

M

[Waldemar]

21 minutes ago, skybadger said:

What makes you think synthetic hydrocarbons are less appealing than natural ones to things that eat them ?

M

First of all the start with synthetics is a lot cleaner than that stuff from your nose...

On top of that, though they may chemically look alike a bit, natural hydrocarbons are absolutely not the same as synthetics, in spite of the fact that carbon based chemistry is called 'organic' chemistry...
In that case 'organic' is a very misleading term. Better would be to differentiate with synthetic organic chemistry and natural organic chemistry or bio-chemistry.

So I should have said: 'no bio-organic stuff near optics...!!!'

[JOC]

Apologies for continued thread de-railment

It depends on the source of the hydrocarbons.  It is possible to build up a hydrocarbon mixture from sources of pure individual hydrocarbons that with enough added would replicate a hydrocarbon fraction achieved from an oil.  Hydrocarbons derived from natural sources can contain a huge variety of unresolvable and complex materials and this might make them 'dirty' in the sense being mentioned above, such natural sources might also be contaminated by natural bacteria (though not a lot would survive a cracking or distillation process due to the heat and pressures applied).  However, very 'clean' hydrocarbon mixtures can be derived from previously 'natural' sources with very specific distillation mixtures being obtained and combined - such sources might only produce <10 completely isolated and identifiable traces on a  Gas Chromatograph with Mass Spectrometry or Flame Ionisationdetection.  The differentiation of organic and non-organic sources of hydrocarbons (particularly those derived from mined oil (oil wells) and non-mined oil sources) presents huge problems for the regulation of the Exploration and Production industry and the perception that non-mined oil sources are cleaner than mined-oil sources - it is actually the degree of refinement which really determines the 'cleaness' or otherwise of a hydrocarbon and it is equally possible to obtain a 'clean' (limited number of specific chemical hydrocarbons being present) hydrocarbon from mineral oil and non-mineral oil stocks - a fact which entirely complicates their regulation.   

In any event when it comes to growing bacteria they will scoff and thrive on whatever hydrocarbon source is available - if its a branched chain hydrocarbon source they just take longer to destroy the length of the molecule as they tend to scoff the side chains off first before working on the hydrocarbon longest chain length.  If they are already present in the hydrocarbon source then they may take hold quicker as they are already adapted, but they will arrive and feed on hydrocarbons if they are present in due course even if not there from the start!  NB.  The above is written from the perspective of over 25 years experience working with and regulating hydrocarbons.

[JOC]

FWIW before you discard the whole combined object as irretrievable I've got a couple of other suggestions - OK, its a slightly different scenario, but I used to have a certain amount of success by setting up vibrations in stuck ground glass stoppers by tapping them with another glass stopper, sometimes the frequencies would shake things loose.  OK, it might not work in metal, but some tapping with a metal object might be worth trying.  An ultrasonic bath (if you have one available - I've actually got one), might also work or as a final warped suggestion I've seen curious things happen to things that have been left outside overnight.  This includes a top box lock which wouldn't give up its key on a camping site - having struggled for about 1.5hrs I gave up and went to sleep.  I walked up to it the next morning and the key literally fell out of it like a hot knife out of butter.  You might do worse than drop it onto some damp grass and come back to it the next morning - it might not work, but I've seen curious things happen to a variety of objects left outside overnight.

[Stub Mandrel]

Find out which of the two adapters is cheapest/easiest to source, then saw through it with a junior hacksaw until only a bit of metal is left, then bend it away from the other adaptor.

[Herzy]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Find out which of the two adapters is cheapest/easiest to source, then saw through it with a junior hacksaw until only a bit of metal is left, then bend it away from the other adaptor.

This is what I've been doing recently. I've been filing through the top t-ring, but i can never get all the way through I without damaging the threads of the adapter underneath.

[Stub Mandrel]

2 minutes ago, Herzy said:

This is what I've been doing recently. I've been filing through the top t-ring, but i can never get all the way through I without damaging the threads of the adapter underneath.

You shouldn't need to cut through the threads, if you can get close enough there shouldn't be enough strength left to stop you collapsing/bursting it.

If cutting the outer one, make the slot wide enough to take a big screwdriver, using two bits of wood to protect the inner part, hold it in a hefty vice, then use teh screwdriver to twist/lever the outer part open and split the remaining thread.

Edited March 20, 2017 by Stub Mandrel

[Mark-V]

How about something like this

Baby Boa Strap Wrench  - I have used 2 of these in a similar situation, using each one to try to rotate the stuck threads in oppsite directions  

[RonKramer]

I had the tools in my cart -  tried the tennis shoes and worked on several all various types and sizes.  thanks!

I canceled the order.

 

[Nima M]

Just checking in to say thank you for everyone in this thread. I had a hard time with a Pentax to m42 mount adapter rings that were stuck together pretty good. I tried the rubber glove method and it worked like a charm. 2 big ol yellow rubber gloves that mom uses to clean the kitchen. It did require a little effort but it paid off and took like 5 seconds. Thanks you guys!

[ChrisEll]

I had problems removing an M42 adapter off a filter wheel yesterday, tried rubber gloves and WD40 but no good. In the end I used my trusty plumber's pliers, taking care to mask off the area with masking tape to avoid scuffing. If you're not familiar with this tool one arm slides over the other until you get a decent purchase on the thing you want to grip... a very useful tool!

 

[Stub Mandrel]

Funnily enough I had this problem a few weeks ago - the T-mount adaptor had been on my 150PL for a couple of years without being removed.

I used a combined lubricant/cooling spray called 'shock unlock' sprayed on the internal part and it came apart easily.

I don't believe their '-30 degrees C' claim and it doesn't work very well on steel, but it looks like cooler spray does work well on aluminium.

[Mark-V]

Another vote from me  for using 2 strap wrenches in opposing direcrtions

[fireballxl5]

On 16/03/2016 at 11:08, glowjet said:

the soles of trainers

An oldie but still an excellent suggestion ?

[Stub Mandrel]

Not sure this has already been mentioned but a light touch of boot polish seems to work wonders.

[Merlin66]

+1 for the boot polish.

Prevention is better than the cure......

[paf500]

Had a similar problem, so I bought  a camera lens filter remover wrench. They are 2 thin lens filter grips that you turn in opposite directions to separate. Worked well.

[JOC]

Obviously you'd need to watch what was in the surrounding area, but there are some interesting videos online on what can be achieved with a can of WD40!

[Waldemar]

a very tiny bit of superlube grease will work for the rest of your equiment's life.

[Damien Cannane]

On 03/10/2013 at 15:29, Ant said:

I had a very similar issue, absolutely did my head I.

I tried light heating, cooling in a freezer, rubber gloves, rubber grippy tin / jar openers. Everything I could think off.

The someone on here, Peter, I believe suggested the soles of trainers...

Get one shoe turn it upside down, place the adapter on the sole, then get the other one and put sole down on top. Then apply pressure to the face of the adapter and turn.

Took a few attempts but worked a treat.

Hope that helps.

Ant

I have been getting answers from this forum for years, always by arriving here from a Google search. Your suggestion here has finally compelled me to post. I was at my wit's end trying to get an M42-M48  adapter unthreaded from a 7mm extension tube. I have a new camera lens that I bought to finally go after large targets and your tennis shoe fix worked like an absolute charm! You saved my weekend: 3 clear, moonless nights forecasted and I now have the correct back focus that is so critical at f/2 for the Samyang 135mm!

Kudos!

Damien