Appreciation post: my $30 heat gun and a jig I built in 1998 still beats the hot air station for lens barrels

Jason Fisher · 2026-09-25T05:25:03.580358+00:00

When I started out at the shop in '94, we warmed lens barrels with a heat gun and a cloth, and you just learned to feel when the thread was ready to break loose. In 2005 I bought a proper hot air station for $220 and thought the heat gun was done for. Turns out for older all metal barrels the gun and a wooden jig I cut myself gives me way more control, since I can sweep the heat and keep it off the glass. Last month a 1970s Nikkor came in with thread locker someone else had hit, and the station just cooked the paint while the old gun walked it right out. The new gear is great for plastic bodies and tiny screws, no argument there. But I keep that jig on the bench and reach for it more than the fancy rig. How do you all handle locked up metal threads without scorching the barrel finish?

🐿️Pinecone Attack

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Appreciation post: my $30 heat gun and a jig I built in 1998 still beats the hot air station for lens barrels | Camera Repairers - Pinecone Attack