PSA: My old way of cleaning shutter blades was a huge risk

For years, I would just use a cotton swab with a bit of lighter fluid and hope for the best, which often left streaks or pushed grit into the pivot points. About six months ago, I saw a guy at a repair meet in Portland use a small piece of lint-free lens tissue wrapped around a toothpick, dampened with pure isopropyl. I tried it on a Canon AE-1 and the difference was night and day, no residue and way more control. Has anyone else found a better tool for getting into those tiny blade gaps without taking the whole unit apart?

3 comments

3 Comments

lilyo303mo ago

Oh, that's a good tip. I read somewhere that a tiny drop of naphtha on a sharpened toothpick can work too, but you have to be so careful not to bend anything.

taylor.mary1mo ago

The naphtha trick works surprisingly well if you're real gentle with it. I tried it once on a stubborn lens filter that wouldn't budge, just a tiny dab on the edge of a toothpick and it loosened right up without any damage. Gotta have a steady hand though, one wrong slip and yeah you're in trouble.

robin8363mo agoTop Commenter

Yeah, that naphtha trick sounds way too risky for me. Last time I had a stuck part, a tiny bit of isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab did the job. Just dabbed it around the edge and let it sit for a minute, then it twisted right off. The alcohol dries fast and doesn't leave any gunk behind. What do you usually use for cleaning delicate stuff?