Filters stuck together

I went shooting yesterday, and to my dismay, my circ. polarizer is stuck to the UV filter on one of my lenses! It's not cross threaded - I'm always very careful about that. But try as I might, I can't get them apart. I don't want to force them too hard, but i sure don't want to have to replace them either... Any suggestions?

Sometimes you can't budge them because your mighty grasp slightly distorts the rim making it bind even tighter. Try pushing them against a rubber grippy thing on a flat surface, then turning the one on top.

Pete D.

I have a couple filter wrenches, but have never had much luck with them. My best luck has been a recommendation from someone on this forum a couple years back: rubber jar opener thingies from the grocery store, using the method Pete describes above. I always carry two of them in my bag now. This works better on regular filters instead of polarizers, but you may be able to make it work.

"Try pushing them against a rubber grippy thing on a flat surface, then turning the one on top."

Usually works well for me, following which I clean the threads really, really well. Also helps to use only filters (and step rings) made of brass rather than aluminum or steel. It's more complicated when a pola gets stuck because of the rotation. I use a fine screwdriver blade to wedge a slivver of rubber band down between the two rings of the pola as I turn the whole unit. That makes it possible to get some force going on the pola while making it easier to avoid overlapping my fingers onto the second filter.

No rubber band or scrwedriver handy? Just fold up the edge of the Pete's rubber grippy thingy and use the blade of your pocket knife to do the same thing.

Saw a guy do a neat trick with a pair that was really stuck. Warmed them both thoroughly under the heater of his car, then stepped out and layed them flat on top of a cold wood fence post for good grip. Then put some tension on the top one. As the post cooled the bottom one before the top, it shrank just enough to allow him to turn and free the warm top one.

Did you take it out to cold weather? Cold weather makes threaded stuff stick from my experience. They usually come off easily when you bring the stuff back to normal room temperature.

Hi Jeff
One option that usually works is to wrap some sticky tape so half of it is over the rim of one filter(around the circumference) the other half of the tape being exposed.
Do the same with the other filter(slightly thicker to go over polarizing ring)
Then grip the exposed tape on both filters with both hands and rotate in opposite directions(cheaper than buying two filter wrenches)

Good Luck


Craig
UK

You need to apply even pressure at all points; gripping some points too tightly will cause them to stick all the worse. Place a thumb and 3 fingers, evenly spaced, on each filter. Apply light even pressure and twist in opposite directions. My workshop participants are always amazed to see me get their stuck filters apart in a few seconds by this method. So far, there has never been one that I've not loosened within 3-4 seconds!

Stick them in the freezer for an hour, take them out and quickly try to turn them using your palms instead of fingers. (Pressure is more even.) Almost always works for me. If this starts happening frequently, put a TINY bit of anti-sieze on the threads of the one that sticks.

Why would you put any filter on a polarizer? It's just another surface to cause flare, especially if you are using cheaper non coated filters. One more reason I very rarely use a UV filter.


Kent in SD

I had the same problem the first time I used a new B+W polarizer.As has already been stated,gripping too hard makes it impossible to get the filter undone.
I just put an elastic band around the outside of the polarizer,gripped it fairly gently,but evenly,and it came undone instantly.
Good luck.

This is probably not the right thing to do at all, but it's worked several times for me... I actually turn it to tighten it a bit more to the lens and then try again to unscrew the top filter...and it's worked every time...strange as it may be.