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c/camera-repairerscameron_hernandez69cameron_hernandez6924d agoMost Upvoted

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?
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3 Comments
lily_cooper
Used to think that was a crazy idea, like putting gasoline on your camera. Then my old Minolta's film advance got so stiff I had nothing to lose. Tried a tiny bit of lighter fluid on the gears, just like your uncle said. Let it dry completely overnight. That was two years ago and it still works smooth as butter. Sometimes the old guys really do know the tricks that the manuals are too scared to print.
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ramirez.vera
Lighter fluid works, @lily_cooper, but you really should use naptha for camera gears.
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mark_chen62
Wait, you let it SIT for a whole DAY before trying it? That takes nerves of steel.
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