Got a Leica M3 in from a collector last week that was jammed solid with honey

Turns out his kid thought it was a fancy bear and tried to feed it. Anyone have a safe solvent for cleaning crystallized honey out of a shutter mechanism?

3 comments

3 Comments

richard_shah12d ago

I always thought warm water was the only safe way to dissolve honey. A camera tech told me to use a 50/50 mix of distilled water and isopropyl alcohol, applied with a cotton swab. It breaks down the sugar without hurting the old lubricants.

jana_davis9012d ago

My buddy tried that mix on his old Nikon. Worked like a charm, no sticky mess left.

angela_dixon12d ago

Imagine telling a camera repair guy you've been using warm water on sticky lenses for years and he just stares at you like you tried to clean it with maple syrup. Guess my old method was about as useful as using a squirt gun on a grease fire.