I've been cleaning lenses and shutters with just the basic ultrasonic for years, always figured the heated ones were a cash grab. Last month I got a used one at a swap meet for like $60, a Branson 2800. First time I ran a sticky leaf shutter from an old Minolta through it with some Ronsonol at 50c, the gunk just came off way faster than my cold runs. I still don't know if it's gonna kill the lubricants or anything long term, but for initial crud removal it's a game changer. Anyone have experience with these on older bellows cameras?
I was working on this old Pentax spotmatic and the second curtain was dragging bad. Couldn't get the alignment right with my regular light setup. Tried using my iPhone flashlight aimed at a 45 degree angle through the lens mount and it lit up the curtain edges perfectly. Saw the gap instantly and fixed it in like 10 minutes. Has anyone else tried weird phone tricks for repairs?
I read a bunch of posts here saying ultrasonic cleaners are safe for most metal parts as long as you use the right solution. Figured I'd try it on a sticky shutter from a Pentax Spotmatic. Ran it for 10 minutes in a mild solution, dried everything off, and reassembled. Now the blades overlap by a full 2mm and the curtain timing is way off. Learned the hard way that even if the solvent is mild, the vibration can shift lubricants and bend thin blades out of alignment. Has anyone else had a similar disaster with ultrasonic cleaning on delicate mechanisms?
I was just test-advancing film and heard that awful grinding sound. Anyone know a good source for replacement plastic winder gears that don't cost more than the camera itself?
I was in Philly for a delivery run about 3 years back and stopped into this tiny shop off Market Street. Guy must have been in his 80s, and he pointed at my camera bag and said 'that thing's got a sticky aperture blade, I can tell from how you hold it.' He was right, it was hanging open just a hair. He showed me how to clean it with a single drop of lighter fluid and a toothpick, no special tools. Has anyone else had an old timer teach you a fix that totally bypassed modern methods?
I was at Prospect Park last October, doing a portrait session with a Mamiya RB67. Midway through, a pigeon flew right into the bellows and got its head stuck between the focusing tracks. I had to carefully take the whole lens and bellows apart right there on a bench, with the client just staring. Took me 45 minutes to free the bird without breaking the light seals. Now I always carry a small screwdriver set in my bag, even for casual shoots. Has anyone else had wildlife mess up a shoot in a weird way?
I've seen three different repair posts this month where someone used lithium grease instead of damping grease on the slow speed escapements. That stuff turns into glue after a year and you'll be stripping the whole shutter again. Has anyone else run into this mess?
I figured it was just old grease like usual but turns out the guy before me had tried to fix it and used some kind of super glue on the curtain drum. Took me forever to clean that mess off without damaging the titanium foil. Has anyone else run into a previous repair job that made things way harder than they needed to be?
I was down at the Portland Saturday Market last weekend and this older guy had a beat up Rolleiflex 3.5E on his table for $40. I could see the taking lens had some haze but the viewing lens looked clean and the crank moved smooth. Anyone here ever try cleaning a taking lens on one of these without messing up the focusing mechanism?
I've been wrestling with a Nikon FM for like three weeks now. The shutter blades were all gummed up and stuck halfway, and I tried everything - lighter fluid, compressed air, even left it sitting in isopropyl for a day. Finally yesterday I took a gamble with a tiny drop of Ronsonol on the pivot points and worked it open with a toothpick. Anyone else have a weird trick that ended up working where all the proper methods failed?
Read a post on here about how canned air leaves residue on mirrorless sensors. Looked it up, saw a test where someone found oil spots after 5 uses. Got a Giottos rocket blower instead, no more streaks.
An old timer I know named Frank at the Seattle camera swap told me canned air is fine for mirrorless sensors if you keep it upright. I tried it on my Sony A7III and thought I ruined the shutter. Then a workshop guy in Portland said he's used bulb blowers for 40 years without issue. Who here has actually had a bad experience with either, or is it mostly internet fear mongering?
Over the last 6 months, I've seen way more folks bringing in old folding cameras like Zeiss Ikontas and asking for a full CLA rather than just a shutter fix. It used to be maybe 1 out of 10 requests, but now it's closer to half. I think the online forums and YouTube videos are making people realize bellows leaks and slow speeds are connected. Has anyone else seen this change in what people want done on their vintage gear?
I was working on a 1970s Pentax Spotmatic and kept stripping screws no matter how careful I was. Tried a regular #2 Phillips and it slipped twice before I gave up. Ordered a set of JIS drivers from Amazon for around $25 and the first screw I tried just clicked right in. Has anyone else run into this with older gear or am I just late to the party?
I keep seeing everyone recommend the same lithium grease for lens helicoids but after trying it on a Minolta SR mount last month, the focus was way too stiff. Switched to a silicone-based damping grease from Micro-Tools and it felt perfect on the first try. Anyone else find that certain greases just don't work with older camera brands?
There was this guy Frank who worked on cameras since the 60s, told me to use Ronsonol lighter fluid to clean sticky shutter blades. I thought he was crazy but tried it on a beat up Canonet I had sitting around. Worked like a charm, blades freed up in like 2 minutes with no residue. Has anyone else used lighter fluid for shutter cleaning or is that just a weird old trick that somehow works?
I used to just use plain lithium grease for decades on old folding cameras, you know, whatever was handy. Last month I finally tried the proper Helimax grease on a Kodak Retina rebuild and the focus ring feels totally different. Smooth like butter with zero stick-slip, night and day from my old method. Has anyone else noticed a big difference when using the right stuff for helicoids?
I was at a camera swap meet in Chicago last spring, and a guy next to me was complaining about a sticky shutter on a Pentax Spotmatic. I told him I had the same issue and spent 3 hours cleaning it. Meanwhile, I had a Nikon F2 with a foam light seal that was turning into goo, and that took me 4 tries and $20 in parts to get right. Which do you think is harder to fix for a beginner: a mechanical shutter problem or a light seal replacement? I'm leaning toward seals because you have to get the foam thickness just right or it messes up the mirror. Anyone else find shutters less scary than they look?
I was at a random estate sale over in Elmhurst last month and saw this older fella carefully prying open a jammed shutter curtain on a beat-up Nikon F2 using a regular butter knife. He said he'd been fixing cameras that way since the 70s because he never owned proper tools. Anyone else ever seen some seriously backyard repair methods that somehow worked fine?
Was working on a beat up Canonet from the 70s and ran out of naphtha, so I grabbed some Ronsonol from the gas station. Worked fine on the shutter blades but left this weird residue on the aperture ring that took forever to wipe off. Anybody else ever use an unconventional solvent and regret it?
I was working on a 50mm Takumar lens in my garage and the thing slipped right out of my hand. Landed on the edge and bent the alignment pin maybe 0.3mm, so now my focus ring has a slight hitch at the 2 meter mark. Anyone ever try filing a pin back to spec or should I just order a new jig?
I paid a guy on eBay $200 to service my Pentax Spotmatic and now the shutter drags at every speed below 1/60 - did I just get scammed or is this normal for mail-in repairs? Anyone else have better luck with local shops instead of shipping out?
I see it ALL the time in repair jobs from other folks - that tiny self-timer lever screw on the Spotmatic. People use the WRONG size JIS driver and it gets chewed up in 2 seconds flat. Has anyone else noticed a specific camera model with a 'signature stripped screw' that drives you nuts?
Figured a regular Phillips was fine for that 1967 Pentax Spotmatic, but after stripping the third screw on the bottom plate I caved, and now I can actually take the thing apart without cursing; anyone else wish they'd just bought the right tool the first time around?