Hot take: ultrasonic cleaning is overrated for vintage shutters

I spent 45 minutes scrubbing a 1958 Kodak Retina's blades with lighter fluid and Ronsonol after my friend's $200 cleaner left the same spotty residue, so has anyone else found that patience beats the machine more often than not?

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skylerc861mo agoMost Upvoted

Man, that totally tracks with what I've seen too. Ultrasonic cleaners are great for some things, but they can just redistribute grime if the fluid gets dirty or the part has old grease that breaks loose and settles back on the blades. I've had way better luck doing the lighter fluid soak and then hand-swishing the blades with a soft brush, it takes forever but you can see exactly what's happening the whole time. Plus, those machines can loosen rivets or knock small screws out of alignment on older shutters if you aren't careful. Your mileage may vary, but I'll take slow and steady over a spin cycle any day for anything pre-1960.