My buddy told me to use a drop of lighter fluid on a stuck shutter blade

I was fixing an old Pentax K1000 with a shutter that wouldn't budge, and he swore by this trick he learned from a repair guy in Chicago. I tried it on a test part first, and after letting it sit for an hour, the blade moved freely without any damage. What's your go-to for freeing up old, gummed-up metal parts without taking the whole thing apart?

3 comments

3 Comments

clairepark2mo agoTop Commenter

Wait, a repair guy in Chicago told him that? That's wild, I always heard those guys were super strict about using the right solvents. I'm with @rosew37 though, lighter fluid is a classic fix. I used it on a frozen aperture ring on an old Minolta and it worked like a charm. But I'd be scared to put it near a shutter curtain, that stuff seems so harsh. For small metal parts, I've had luck with a tiny bit of sewing machine oil and a lot of gentle wiggling.

jade6472mo ago

Lighter fluid seems like a risky move, but it's wild that it worked for you. I read an article once where a camera collector swore by naptha for dissolving old grease without leaving a residue. Isn't the main goal just to break down the gunk without hurting any seals or finishes? A tiny bit of isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab has saved me a few times on simpler jobs.

rosew372mo ago

Honestly, lighter fluid is my secret weapon too! I've used it on a few old film camera shutters with the same good results. Just a tiny drop does the trick.