Tried using isopropyl alcohol on a shutter curtain and learned my lesson the hard way

I had a Pentax Spotmatic with some sticky shutter blades, so I dabbed a little 91% alcohol on a Q-tip and gently wiped the curtain. Next thing I know, the whole curtain shriveled up like bacon in a pan. Has anyone else had that happen or did I just pick the wrong solvent?

3 comments

3 Comments

karen_roberts42d ago

Are we really acting like a little dab of alcohol is gonna kill a camera that bad? I've wiped down old leather cases and even some bellows on an antique folding camera with 70% isopropyl and nothing happened. Maybe your Q-tip was too wet or you scrubbed too hard, lol. Honestly, I bet those curtains were already brittle from age and the alcohol was just the scapegoat.

williams.jenny2d ago

Solvent choice is definitely the issue there. 91% is way too aggressive for old cloth curtains, they can't handle that strength at all. Stick with 99% or even just distilled water on a lint-free cloth next time.

susanm562d ago

You mentioned "old cloth curtains" and that 91% is too strong, which got me thinking. My buddy tried cleaning his grandma's old accordion bellows with rubbing alcohol once and the thing literally started crumbling in his hands. He was just trying to get some sticky tape residue off and ended up with a pile of fabric bits and broken cardboard. We had to glue it back together with white school glue and it looked like a patchwork quilt nightmare. So yeah, I think you just hit the wrong solvent for the material.