Stripped a helicoid down to compare lithium grease vs carbon grease on a 105mm f2.5

I had this old Nikkor 105mm f2.5 that was getting stiff near the macro end. Took the whole helicoid apart and ran a test with two different greases on separate sections. The lithium grease felt smooth at first but got gummy after maybe 50 turns. The carbon grease from Micro-Tools stayed consistent the whole time and didn't change with temperature. I ended up scraping all the lithium off and just using carbon throughout. Has anyone else noticed a big difference between grease types on helical focusing threads?

3 comments

3 Comments

rubyshah12d ago

Heard a story from my buddy Mark who tried lithium grease on an old Takumar lens he was restoring... worked great for about a week then the focusing got all gritty and weird in cold weather. He had to take the whole thing apart again and clean it out with alcohol, took him like three hours. Switched to a synthetic grease from a camera shop and said it was night and day difference even in winter shoots. Wild how much trouble a little tube of grease can cause.

tylerj2212d ago

The carbon grease stuff is the only way to go once you've tried it. Lithium is fine for cheap stuff but it breaks down way too fast on anything you actually use.

julia_anderson12d ago

Yeah Mark's Takumar story sounds exactly like what happened to me with an old Canon FD 50mm I restored. I used lithium grease on it and it was buttery smooth for maybe two weeks. Then I took it out on a cold morning and the focus ring felt like it was dragging through peanut butter. I was so annoyed I almost tossed the whole lens. Ended up spending a Saturday afternoon cleaning it all out with lighter fluid because I didn't have alcohol handy. The carbon grease from Micro-Tools was a total game changer. I've had that same lens for two years now and the focus is still perfect no matter the weather. Once you go carbon you never go back.