Old timer showed me a trick for sticky shutter blades on a Yashica Mat

Was fighting with a Yashica Mat 124G for 3 weeks, shutter blades kept sticking at slow speeds. Finally tried his tip of using a drop of Ronsonol lighter fluid on a q-tip and swabbing the edges, burnished it dry with a lens cloth, and the thing has been running smooth for 6 months now. Anyone else got a weird fluid trick that actually works for old leaf shutters?

3 comments

3 Comments

morgan_bailey9320d ago

Honestly, I tried lighter fluid on an old Compur shutter that was freezing up at 1/2 second and slower. It worked like a charm after I let it sit for about 30 seconds and then blew it out with a bulb blower. My trick is to use a tiny bit of naphtha on a wooden toothpick instead of a q-tip, less lint and you can really get into the corners. Also, I've had good luck with a couple drops of isopropyl alcohol on the blades themselves for stuff that's super gummy, just make sure it's fully dry before you fire the shutter. Tbh, the Ronsonol is probably safer cause it leaves less residue.

hayden14420d ago

Hey do you actually let the isopropyl alcohol dry all the way before you fire the shutter? I tried that once on an old Prontor and it was fine for a day but then the blades started sticking worse than before. I think the alcohol leaves a tiny bit of moisture trapped in the pivot points if you don't blow it out hard enough. The Ronsonol trick is solid because it evaporates fast and leaves barely anything behind. I've also heard of folks using a drop of sewing machine oil on a toothpick for the shutter ring but never on the blades themselves, that can cause them to gum up just as bad later on.

wells.karen14d ago

Totally agree with you on the naphtha being safer than alcohol. I've ruined a few old shutters by being impatient with isopropyl. The Ronsonol trick works because it evaporates so fast and it actually dissolves old gummed up oil instead of just moving it around like alcohol sometimes does. I found out the hard way that you have to be really careful not to get any fluid on the actual lens elements or the focus ring, because lighter fluid can mess up the coatings. If you do use it, I'd say go even lighter than you think you need to. One drop on a toothpick and then dabbing it on the blade edges is plenty, and always fire the shutter a few times with the lens pointed down so any excess drips out instead of settling inside.