c/camera-repairers

Had to choose between a $20 helicoil kit and a $60 tap set for a lens mount repair, went cheap and it actually worked

That old Pentax 6x7 I tried to fix just gave up on me

Last Tuesday I took in a Pentax 6x7 from a guy who said it was just sticking a bit on the advance. I thought it would be a simple clean and lube job like the old days. But when I opened it up, the main gear train was cracked in two spots. Plastic parts from the 90s just don't hold up like the metal ones from the 70s. I had to call him and say it would cost more to fix than the camera is worth. He wasn't happy, but I can't fake a repair that won't last. Has anyone else run into these old Pentax gear failures and found a good source for replacement parts?

Worst repair week I've had in 15 years started last Tuesday in Portland

Had a Leica M3 come in with a stuck shutter, a Canon AE-1 with a broken advance lever, and a Rolleiflex with fungus all on the same day - my bench was totally full by noon. I tried to rush the Leica shutter clean and ended up snapping a curtain spring, which set me back two days and cost me $45 in parts to fix my own mistake. Do you have a rule for when to just say no to a repair job or do you take everything that walks in the door?

My Yashica-Mat shutter locked up after a lens cleaning...

I was cleaning the taking lens on my Yashica-Mat EM last weekend, just some dust off the rear element with a blower and a microfiber. Put everything back together and now the shutter mechanism feels like it's got a rock jammed in it... the winding arm won't move past halfway. I tried a tiny drop of lighter fluid on the blades and worked it a bit, but now it's even stiffer. Has anyone else had this happen after taking the lens off? I'm about $80 deep in this camera and wondering if I should just send it to a pro.

Spent $180 on a cheap ultrasonic cleaner - almost ruined a Leica M3

Nostalgia hit me while fixing a Canon AE-1 from 1978

Last week someone brought in an old AE-1 that hadn't been serviced since the 90s and I spent three hours just getting the shutter speeds right. It reminded me of when I started out 15 years ago and those were the only cameras I worked on, now it's all digital electronics and circuit boards. Does anyone else miss when repairs were more about gears and springs than soldering tiny components?

That Pentax K1000 shutter issue I keep seeing in used cameras

I've had three K1000s come through my bench this month alone with the exact same problem. People bring them in saying the shutter hangs up at 1/1000 and they think it's a major repair. But 9 times out of 10 it's just the foam bumper on the mirror box turning into sticky goo. That stuff gets old and grabs the mirror, then the timing goes off. I spent an hour cleaning that gunk out of a $40 thrift store find last Tuesday and now it runs perfect. Am I missing something else that causes this or do you guys see the same thing?

Found a 1960s repair manual that says to fix shutter speeds with a pencil eraser

Picked up a beat-up Nikon F service guide at an estate sale in Tacoma. Page 34 literally says to rub the slow speed escapement gear with a rubber eraser to clean it. Tried it on a beater body I had sitting around and the 1/2 sec speed actually stopped lagging. Anyone else run into old school tricks that actually work?

Unpopular opinion: using canned air for sensor cleaning is fine

I was at a workshop in Portland last June and this guy with a Leica tried to tell me I was ruining my cameras by using canned air on sensors. He said I had to buy a $200 vacuum kit. Look, I've been cleaning sensors with canned air for 8 years and never had a single issue. I just hold the can upright, give it a quick burst from 6 inches away, and go. Has anyone else had good results with the cheap method?

Spilled coffee on a customer's rangefinder at a shop in Denver last Tuesday

I was fixing up a Leica M3 for a regular when my mug tipped over and coffee soaked the focus patch. Had to completely disassemble the viewfinder assembly to clean out all the residue and realign the beamsplitter. Anyone else ever had a sudden shop accident that took a simple repair and turned it into a nightmare?

Serious question about helicoid grease vs. the cheap stuff

I keep seeing people swear by that fancy German helicoid grease for lens repairs. But after rebuilding a beat-up Pentax 6x7 last month, I tried it both ways on the focus ring. The cheap NyoGel from a local camera shop (like $8 a tube) actually felt smoother to me and didn't get stiff in cold weather. Maybe my technique is off, but I got better tension and zero backlash with the budget option. Has anyone else had better luck with the cheap grease on older screw-mount lenses?

Is it better to replace a whole PCB or try to trace a broken trace?

Had a Nikon F3 light meter go dead last week. I spent 3 hours chasing a corroded trace on the flex circuit before giving up and swapping in a donor board. Do you guys usually fix the trace or just replace the whole thing?

Can we talk about using the wrong lubricant on shutter blades?

I ruined a perfectly good Pentax K1000 last year because I grabbed the wrong oil from my bench. Cost me $85 for a replacement shutter assembly, not to mention the 4 hours I wasted trying to fix my mistake. I had used a lightweight sewing machine oil on the blades, but it gummed up after a few weeks. Learned the hard way that you need a specific dry lubricant for camera shutters, nothing with any tack to it. Has anyone else had a similar mishap with lubricants?

Walked into a camera shop in Portland and found a Rolleiflex with a spider living inside

Popped open the viewing hood to check the glass and a little wolf spider scrambled out across the focusing screen. Anyone else ever find critters nesting in old gear, or just me?

Debate: Do you go with needle files or diamond files for cleaning shutter blades?

I've always used needle files for shutter blade gunk but a guy in Portland swore diamond files cut faster without scratching, so I tried both on a jammed Nikomat and the diamond file left tiny grooves where the blades hit. Has anyone else had bad results with diamond files on thin metal parts like this?

Always thought the soak method for lens fungus was the only way until a retired guy set me straight

He told me to just use a UV lamp and dry heat instead of soaking in peroxide for two days. Tried it on a 50mm f1.4 from a garage sale in Cleveland last Saturday and it cleared up in 4 hours flat. Anyone else ditch the chemicals for light?

Just realized I've been cleaning sensor contacts wrong for like 5 years

I used to just dab some isopropyl on a q-tip and go to town on those ribbon cable contacts. Then last month I was fixing a Canon 5D classic and the shutter kept erroring out. An old timer at the shop said I was probably leaving residue that messes with the connection. He showed me to use a dry q-tip first then only a tiny bit of alcohol on a fresh one. Took me 3 tries to get it right but the camera works perfect now. Does anyone else have a cleaning habit they had to unlearn the hard way?

Tried a heat gun vs. a hair dryer for softening old leatherette on a Praktica

Last weekend I was trying to peel off the leatherette on a crusty old Praktica LTL3 and figured my wife's hair dryer would save me a trip to the basement. Nope. The hair dryer barely got the glue tacky after 10 minutes. Walked down, grabbed the heat gun on low, and had the whole cover off in under 2 minutes flat. Anyone else have a tool they thought was a shortcut that just disappointed?

Watched a guy try to fix a shutter with a regular screwdriver and cringed

He was working on a Canon AE-1 and didn't have the right JIS driver, just a regular Phillips. I could see the screw heads starting to strip from across the bench. Anyone have a good source for a cheap, proper JIS set so I can point people to it?

PSA: I dropped $300 on a digital microscope for board work and it's been a huge letdown.

Everyone online made it sound like a must-have for checking solder joints and corrosion. Got a decently reviewed one, not the cheapest. The image is fine, but the working distance is terrible. I'm constantly bumping the lens with my iron or tweezers trying to get a clear look at a tiny capacitor pad on a compact digital camera board. My old magnifying lamp with a simple loupe was slower, but way less frustrating for actual repair work. For the price, I expected a game changer. Maybe I'm using it wrong? What tools do you guys actually use for close inspection on modern electronics without wanting to throw something?

Vent: I spent $300 on a 'pro' lens cleaning kit that was just junk

So I got this fancy looking lens cleaning kit online, the one with the UV light and the special fluid. It was supposed to be the best for cleaning old fungus and haze. Cost me over three hundred bucks. The fluid left streaks on every single element I tried it on, worse than the haze it was meant to fix. The UV light was so weak it did nothing. I ended up having to redo three jobs with my old, simple method of isopropyl and lens tissue, which I should have just stuck with. I feel like a total sucker for falling for the marketing. Has anyone else been burned by a specific tool or kit that promised way more than it delivered? What's your go-to for tough haze now?

My uncle told me to use a drop of lighter fluid on a sticky shutter, and it worked

He's a retired repairman who worked out of his garage in Phoenix for 40 years. I had a Pentax K1000 with a shutter that would hang up, and he said to put a single drop of Ronsonol on the pivot points. I was nervous, but after letting it sit for a day, it's been firing perfectly for six months now. Has anyone else had success with this old-school trick, or is it too risky for modern cameras?

I fixed a 1985 Canon AE-1 Program shutter that had been 'cleaned' with WD-40

The owner brought it in last month saying it was sticky, and the whole gear train was gummed up with dried lubricant. I had to do a full strip, clean every part in solvent, and re-lube it properly with the right grease. How do you guys handle cameras that have been messed with by people using the wrong stuff?

Had a chat with a guy at the flea market that made me look at my bench differently

I was picking up some old screwdrivers last weekend and got talking to this older guy who fixes old radios. He saw my hands and just said, 'You work on small stuff, huh? Your bench is probably a mess.' I laughed it off, but he went on about how he used to have a tiny spot for each tool and it took him twice as long to fix anything. He said he finally just got a big tray for the whole job and threw everything he might need in it. I tried it yesterday on a Minolta X-700 shutter fix. Instead of having my tweezers here and my screwdrivers there, I just dumped all the small tools into one shallow parts tray. I finished the whole job in about an hour, which is fast for me. Has anyone else switched to a 'messy' single-tray system and found it actually works better?

Had to choose between a donor body and a full shutter rebuild for a Nikon F3. Went with the donor.

Customer brought in an F3 with a totally seized shutter. Found a cheap, cosmetically rough one with a good shutter on eBay for $75. The rebuild kit alone was over $100, plus 4+ hours of my time. Took the parts from the donor. It worked, but now I'm sitting on a box of leftover parts from the rough body. Felt a bit wasteful. What do you guys do with your leftover donor carcasses?