Saw a guy at a camera show fix a jammed shutter with a toothpick

I was at the Philly camera swap last Saturday and this old timer unstuck a sticky shutter blade on a Spotmatic using just a wooden toothpick and some lighter fluid. Has anyone else used random household stuff to get out of a bind on a repair?

2 comments

2 Comments

ninasanchez1mo ago

Using a toothpick on a shutter is asking for trouble. That wood can splinter off tiny bits that end up floating around inside the mechanism for years. Lighter fluid leaves a residue that attracts dust and can actually make things worse over time. There's a reason proper repair tools exist and they're not expensive. A simple silicone cloth and a blower brush would have done the same job without risking damage. People get lucky with these hacks but they're not fixes, they're just kicking the can down the road until a real repair costs twice as much.

sethanderson1mo ago

Ha! I've definitely been guilty of the toothpick trick on an old 50mm lens and got lucky, but you're not wrong about the risk. What actually worked for me was a gentle dab of isopropyl alcohol on a microfiber swab to loosen the gunk without leaving residue.