Hi, I have a Fuji GW690 with a stuck shutter. I tried to get to the shutter as outlined in the service manual but the front and rear element groups appeared glued in place. I was so frustrated that I brought it to my local camera technician but he too could not get the front or rear element groups to unscrew despite trying some penetrating solvent. He has worked on these models before and did admit that they are typically very difficult to take apart, but he has never encountered one that's so stubborn. My question, then, is more generally about techniques/strategies/approaches to unscrew stubborn camera elements. Is there anything someone can suggest? Heat, special types of solvents, etc....Thanks in advance.

In my experience the GW690s, what I have encountered are usually heavily glued in with lacquer, so much lacquer that even the threads are locked, so patience is going to be your best tool.  I used a hypodermic needle and some isopropyl alcohol and that did not work.  Then I applied some acetone and allowed plenty of time for it to soak in and that did not work.

What finally worked was applying a little heat, then Xylol, letting it sit, and then using a good quality spanner wrench.  Also removing the shutter/lens from the camera body could also be very helpful.

Thanks for this!

Let us know how it works out.