Heard a retired Leica tech say he used lighter fluid for cleaning shutters

Was picking up a parts donor from a old timer in Milwaukee and he swore by Ronsonol for shutter curtains instead of the fancy stuff I've been spending $30 a bottle on, anyone else go the cheap route on cleaning solvents?

3 comments

3 Comments

sullivan.quinn5d ago

1981, that's the year I bought my first F2 from a guy who cleaned rangefinders with Zippo fluid. He told me the key is letting it evaporate completely before testing the speeds. I tried it once on a beat up Pentax Spotmatic and the curtains didn't warp or nothing. The whole lighter fluid thing sounds crazy but it's basically just naphtha which is what half the expensive stuff is anyway.

jana5095d ago

And here I thought I was being rebellious using lighter fluid on a sticky shutter, turns out I was just doing chemistry homework.

perry.jesse5d ago

Lighter fluid is fine for metal parts but you're playing with fire literally if you get it on the foam light seals or mirror bumper. That stuff melts foam into a gooey mess that takes forever to clean out.