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Saw a clever shutter fix at a flea market in Portland

I was browsing a booth in Portland last Saturday and the seller had this old Rolleiflex with a stuck leaf shutter, so he showed me how he uses a tiny drop of naphtha on the blades to break up the gunk without taking the whole lens apart. It worked like a charm and the shutter fired smoothly after a few clicks, which felt way less invasive than my usual full disassembly routine. Has anyone else tried solvent tricks on sticky shutters before tearing down the whole assembly?

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iris3943d ago

Huh, I mean sure it worked that one time but that stuff is basically lighter fluid and it can wash the lube right out of the pivot points. Then a month later the shutter is dry and dragging worse than before, or the oil ends up on the blades themselves. I get not wanting to tear a Rolleiflex lens apart, that job is a pain, but a quick fix at a flea market booth is not proof it holds up. Sticky blades are usually a sign the grease has gone bad somewhere else anyway, and the drop just buys you time.

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