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?

3 comments

3 Comments

shane_morgan1mo 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.

fionat551mo 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.

blairm771mo 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.