That time at the Seattle camera swap meet changed how I handle old lenses

I was at the big swap meet last fall, and a guy brought me a 1960s Pentax lens that was completely seized. He said three other people told him it was junk. I got it open with a heat gun set to 200 degrees and found the old grease had just turned to glue. Some folks say you should never apply direct heat to glass elements, but others swear by it for breaking down old lubricants. What's your go-to method for a truly stuck helicoid?

3 comments

3 Comments

alexk601mo ago

So you just cooked it like a frozen pizza?

the_spencer1mo ago

What temperature and time did you actually use for the glass?

coleman.gray1mo ago

Cooked it like a frozen pizza" is perfect! My method is basically just preheating the oven for some vintage glass.

-2