That old timer at the camera swap meet swore by lighter fluid for cleaning shutters

I always thought he was crazy but after trying it on a sticky leaf shutter from a 1960s Voigtlander last week, it worked like magic and blew my mind, anyone else got a weird fix they were skeptical about?

3 comments

3 Comments

robert_bell9d ago

Jumped right into that one myself a couple years back... soaked a sticky Copal shutter in lighter fluid on a dare from an old Canon guy. Told myself I'd just toss it if it melted, but nope, that stuff eats through old grease like nothing else. Now I keep a can in my garage right next to the PB Blaster for stuck car parts. Feels wrong but works every time.

clairen859d ago

@robert_bell that lighter fluid trick is pure chaos but hey, it works. PB Blaster comparison is spot on, same energy exactly. Almost feels like cheating when it unsticks something you've been wrestling with for days. Just don't tell the vintage camera purists, they'd probably faint.

the_linda8d ago

My 1960s Rolleiflex shutter seized up last year and I took it to a proper repair guy who told me lighter fluid is the worst thing you can put in there. He said it leaves a residue that attracts dust and actually makes things worse over time, not better. I watched him clean it with some special solvent that cost more than the lighter fluid could ever save you. So yeah it might unstick something in the moment but you're likely just setting yourself up for a bigger repair bill down the road. The vintage camera purists might be onto something.