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Had a shutter curtain get stuck on a Leica M3 last week
I was working on it at my bench in Portland, and the whole thing jammed when I tried to wind it. I ended up using a tiny bit of lighter fluid on a cotton swab to clean the old grease off the drum, and it freed right up. Has anyone found a better fix for that old, sticky lube?
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torres.riley3mo ago
Lighter fluid on a camera, that's a bold move for someone who still smells like burnt toast from last week's soldering fail.
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shane_morgan5mo ago
Nice save with the lighter fluid! That old grease turns into glue. I've had good luck with a tiny drop of naptha on a toothpick for the same job. Just gotta be super careful not to get it on the curtains.
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fionat555mo ago
Honestly, lighter fluid feels way too risky for me with all those fumes. I've seen it go wrong and ruin a plastic housing real fast. Tbh I just use a tiny bit of rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab, works every time without the scary smell. Ngl, naptha sounds like overkill for a simple grease clean up.
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blairm775mo ago
Ruin a plastic housing? How often does that actually happen if you're just using a tiny bit to clean a switch? It's not like we're soaking the whole keyboard in it. Rubbing alcohol works fine until you hit some old grease it just smears around.
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