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Nike Vatsal
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 08:28 pm: | 
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Hi,
I recently acquired a couple of old Nikon lenses that I'm attempting to tinker with. However, I seem to be failing at the very first step: I can't loosen the screws without stripping them!
Does anybody have a good method for loosening the screws without doing them any damage?
Thanks in advance,
Nike Vatsal |
henry
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 13, 2005 - 07:55 am: |
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If you do a search you'll find lots of screw loosening info in the archives. But I'd like to add that the number one most important item is a good set of screwdrivers. They should be cross-point and not phillips! |
rick oleson
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 13, 2005 - 02:34 pm: |
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This is a problem particularly with Nikon, who appear to have invested heavily in the Loc-Tite corporation early on. Heating the screw head with a soldering iron may soften the adhesive and let you get the screw out; or acetone might be able to wick in and soften it.
In either case, though, beware of any plastic in the vicinity. Either of these 2 approaches may damage (or destroy) a plastic lens barrel or camera. |
paul ron
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 13, 2005 - 07:53 pm: |
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Also, very recently, I was surfing for new screwdriver on MicroTools site and noticed the plethora a confusing sizes in Philips. I noticed everything is listed as Philips and can't seem to find anything as Cross Point. My old screwdrivers are nearly 40 years old and bought specifically as Cross Point. Is there a difference?
Anyway, I ordered all the different sizes and when I got them I found the number sizes are the best fit, the MM sizes seem to be a bit under sized or don't seat properly in my screws. I work mostly on Mamiyas n Pentax if that means anything.
My most used screwdriver is the #00. |
Nike Vatsal
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 14, 2005 - 06:43 am: |
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Thanks very much!
Does anybody know a good source for cross-point screwdrivers, especiallly in Canada? I can't seem to find anything other than Phillips.
Thanks again,
Nike |
Nick
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 14, 2005 - 07:16 am: |
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You can grind down the tip of a phillips screwdriver to better fit a cross-point screw. A phillips has a tapered point ground at 55 degrees while a cross-point has a blunt tip at 58 degrees. |
henry
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 14, 2005 - 09:45 am: |
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Does Micro-Tools no longer carry Niwa screwdrivers? They are my personal favorite.
But I have had luck grinding down the tips of craftsman precision drivers when I wanted a bigger handle to grip. After grinding the tip paint the tip with thin paint and insert into a known crosspoint screw. Then file until the paint covers the entire depth of the screw head. You'll have to clean the paint out of the screw a few times until you get it perfect. |
Tony Duell
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 14, 2005 - 01:49 pm: |
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Three tricks that I've used in the past (not all on cameras, I tinker with all sorts of things...)
1) (This has already been mentioned : ) Try heating the screw head with a soldering iron.
2) Put the screwdriver in the head and give it a sharp tap with a suitable hammer. Not recomended for assemblies containing glass optical elements :-), but I've used it on things like motordrives, etc
3) But the trick that's worked more times than any other is to try _tightening_ the screw. Put the driver in, turn it clockwise (assuming a normal RH thread) as hard as is sensible, then try to remove it. Most of the time it'll come right out. |
Cyril Lowe
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 28, 2005 - 01:20 pm: |
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I 've tried most of those methods on a screw on the bottom of my Yashica GS, to no avail. I finally drilled the blighter out with a 2mm drill. You wouldn't imagine that such a tiny screw could be so stubborn. It will have to be glued back, I think. |
