TIL a trick for cleaning old shutter blades without disassembly

I had a Pentax MX with sticky shutter blades that drove me crazy for weeks. Last weekend in my workshop I tried using a tiny bit of lighter fluid applied with a cotton swab to the edge of the blades, then working the shutter a few times. It dissolved the gunk in about ten minutes and the speeds are back to normal. Has anyone else found a reliable solvent for this kind of buildup?

4 comments

4 Comments

milalewis10d ago

Honestly I used to think lighter fluid would wreck the mechanism but I was totally wrong.

blairm7710d ago

Yeah @milalewis I had the same doubt but the thing is you gotta let it dry completely before hitting the switch. Just don't leave any puddles near the coil or anything.

garcia.cameron10d ago

Hold up hold up hold up @milalewis dont listen to that. I wrecked my coil doing exactly this last month. Let it dry till it feels dry but then the little spots you cant see still have fluid in em and it fries the cotton instantly when you fire it up. I had to toss a whole 30 dollar atomizer cause of that advice. Better to just go slow with small amounts and wipe everything down with a paper towel instead of trusting the "just let it dry" method.

wesley63910d ago

Yeah I just let mine air out overnight and it was fine lol