Side Handle Won't Remove

[Dean Francis]

I'm having this tiny difficulty with my otherwise exceptional Scarlet - after 6 months or so of using the side handle, I'm now disassembling the kit for maintenance and the side-handle just won't come off. The thumb screw used for removal rotates to a certain extend and then jams. There don't seem to be any other screws that can be loosened to remove the side-handle.

Has anyone else come across this difficulty and figured out a workaround?

Thanks!

 

[ericyoung]

There is only that one screw unfortunately. Not come across this myself yet.

Try tightening the thumbscrew back in until it's turning freely again.

Then pushing the Side Handle hard against the Scarlet body as you are undoing it, try carefully undoing it again. Hopefully it's just the thread binding because the pogo contact pins tend to push the Side Handle out at an angle to the body.

If this works, inspect the screw thread carefully on removal. Are there any little metal burrs or evidence of cross-threading? If so, use a fine needle file to gently remove the burrs, and brush the metal filings away from the contacts!
In future press the Side Handle against the body to attach and remove, to negate the chance of cross-threading.

 

[Robert Hart]

If the thubscrew goes into a helicoil reinforced thread, if it was very firmly tightened intially and there may have been some initial resistance, then with time, the thumbscrew thread may have picked up on the helicoil from a little corrosion and unscrewed the helicoil just enough to disturb the fit.

One little trick you can try is to back the thumbscrew out as far as you can without forcing it. Touch a drop of oil into the gap between the sidehandle and the body. Let it wick in. Put on a pair of safety glasses or sunglasses to protect your eyes - important. Get your trusty can of lens air. Fit the little thin spout to the sprayer. Turn it upside-down. Give the area of the thin gap under the side handle where the oil and screw go through a couple of quick shots of lens air. It will come out as a freezing liquid and as a thinner under force, will carry the oil into the gap and hopefully into the threads as it boils off and the oil creeps back in to take its place.

Screw the thumbscrew in and out within its loose zone and incrementally ease undone into the stiff zone without forcing it unduly. Work at it enough with a lot of patience and with the side handle firmly in place. You may find that the thread will "dress" and gradually you will be able to work the thumbscrew furthur and furthur out until it releases. PLEASE check with RED as this exercise may void your warranty if there are parts nearby like sensors which might be contaminated through fine openings in the casework or damaged by shock-cooling. There may also be a cause and cure they know well about. Plumb their brains without fear, They built it so will know it.

 

[Jason Comparetto]

The helicoil theory might be true. But before going that route, attempt removing it conventionally by applying pressure against the camera, and then if that doesn't work try it applying pressure away from the camera. sometimes nuts/bolts can jam unexpectedly like this.

 

[ericyoung]

Did you manage to release it Dean?

 

[Dean Francis]

Thank you all so much for your useful advice! Unfortunately I have not been able to release the side handle with these steps...

Ah well, guess its staying on for the moment!