A $6 IKEA Desk Pad Can Help Remove Stuck Lens Filters

How hard is it to remove a stuck filter on a camera lens? If it happens with a slim profile filter, you are left with less of a surface to grip.

I tried the rubber band method, tapping method, oil drip method, hair dryer method, and plier method. Trust me, none of them worked. Adam Savage needed a bandsaw to remove his stuck filter, but too bad I don’t own the tool or a cool workshop.

As I was almost giving up and was shopping for a lens filter wrench — yes, there is such a tool — the solution hit me out of nowhere. I tried it on the stuck UV filter, and immediately out it came. A week’s worth of frustration just went poof.

I then tried the same method on my Canon EF-S 10-22mm lens with a dented UV filter, and it again worked like a charm. That was a few months of frustration that evaporated in an instant.

Here’s the trick: all you need is a $6 IKEA SKVALLRA desk pad.

Place the front of your lens with the filter face down on the pad, apply some force onto the lens, and turn the lens in the direction that removes the filter.

Viola! Tool-less removal of stuck lens filters.

I hope this trick helps other photographers who find themselves with the same issue I had.

About the author: Ng Chia Liang is a wedding, architectural, and motion 360 photographer living in Malaysia. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. You can find more of his work on his website and Instagram.