How to/how I removed the stubborn screws for a Sky-Watcher focuser removal from the OTA

Danjc · October 18, 2019

Having recently bought a replacement focuser for my SW ED80 I thought it would be a quick straightforward job.
Despite a little research before hand it seemed that the 3 screws can be a little bit of a pita and use of a soldering iron to soften the blue Loctite was the way forward.
Firstly I tried just unscrewing them but they did not budge so secondly out came the soldering station and even on full whack trying different heads and holding the tip on there for an eternity they still didn’t budge.....I even removed the tip and cover to get maximum heat on the screws but it just wasn’t enough.
I felt more heat was needed as I definitely wasn’t going down the drilling out route.
I decided to give a mini blow torch a go that are used in kitchens...£10 off Amazon.
feeling apprehensive and being super cautious I set the flame to its lowest and gently heated the screws for short periods and then tried to unscrew. I found about 10-15 seconds worked an absolute treat and the screws just came out very easy then.
I lost a tiny bit of paint around two of the screws so touched up with a little lacquer and will use some washers but currently don’t have the correct size. I also used new M4x8mm dome head hex screws to fit the adapter to the OTA for the focuser.
I hope this may help someone who also might struggle to remove the screws but DO take your time and be very cautious for obvious reasons.