Help me obi wan, you're my only hope!

[maxcastle]

The pictures will speak for my stupidity this has fungus and i foolishly tried to open it with a wrench. my question is, how do i go about getting to the fungus in the easiest manner and is it possible without specialist tools, i have some screwdrivers. All help greatly appreciated

[peterqd]

Have you damaged the filter thread? The pics are a bit too small to see clearly.

If they're still OK you could first try removeing the engraved ring around the front element using a rubber friction tool.

[maxcastle]

yes i have indeed damaged the thread, but, i can still can put the filter on, so its not completely messed up. What is this tool you speak of?

[ChromaticAberration]

These things can be super frustrating to unlock because they've been like this for so long they are completely seized but once they are loose they come out like butter only to make fun of you. Bastard lenses and small threads and screws and stuff!!

If you don't have the right tools you really have to be careful not to do more harm than good. Take special attention to the glass surface, it will look much worse than fungus when heavily scratched and you will regret you even thought of doing it!

The rubber thingy is the perfect tool because you gain lots of friction and it will probably unscrew after one or two twists without that or the special tool that fits those small slots that face each other, you will be doing most of your twisting strength not evenly but on specific spots and it will be very hard to unscrew. Not impossible though because I have done it several times on several lenses by hand (with a little help of WD40 I must confess).

Go to a store where they sell bathroom stuff, like home utilities stores, they will probably have on stock those black covers for sinks, you just need to select the appropriate diameter , the same or 1mm narrower than your lens filter thread diameter.



Either this or purchase a kit of special tools that fit those tiny slots but that will be more expensive. That auction site we all know has them.

[maxcastle]

Thanks very much CA, i have a good idea on how to do it now thanks to you

[peterqd]

Often the rings aren't very tight and you can unscrew them with a simple pencil eraser. Another good way is to cut up an old rubber glove, lay it over the lens and use a small jar lid or even an M42 rear cap to apply the pressure. I've even used one of those wooden valve grinding tools with a rubber sucker on the end - these are very good for unscrewing the caps on film advance levers.

[maxcastle]

[maxcastle]

i amaze myself at times i got the first part off using the rubber idea, thanks to all, but could not get any futhur. so i started from the other end, got one piece off, looked inside and knew it was time to quit. A ball bearing popped out, now the apperture revolves without any click. I have had innumerable successes in the past taking out the extra bits the manufacturers have needlessly put in things Like i say, i amaze myself...........

[ChromaticAberration]

There are some pretty complex mechanisms inside a lens I wouldnt dare to mess with, that is one of them. Everything that involves tiny moving parts are out of my league.

[skida]

Good luck with the lens servicing. I don't dare because I suffer from "fat finger syndrome", which is why I am going back to buttons on my mobile phone after two frustrating years with touch-screen.

[WolverineX]

here is how you disassemble this lens:
http://forum.mflenses.com/tokina-rmc-80-200mm-for-olympus-om-how-to-guid-t16273.html

mine also had fungus on the inside part of the front element, so i had to clean it