jasonf17•20d agoProlific Poster

The pencil trick for cleaning lens helicoids actually works

Had a Nikon 50mm f/1.4 with gritty focus, tried alcohol and Q-tips for an hour with zero luck. Rubbed a soft pencil tip across the dry helicoid threads to deposit graphite, and it's smoother than any grease I've used. Anyone else found weird household fixes that beat the proper lubricants?

3 comments

3 Comments

clark.alex20d ago

Tried using candle wax once on a sticky zoom ring on an old Vivitar. Worked great for about a week, then it turned into this weird goo that attracted every speck of dust in my bag. Had to pull the whole thing apart and scrub it with dish soap. Graphite sounds way smarter since it's dry and doesn't trap junk like that. Ever tried it on anything besides helicoids?

the_nathan20d ago

Does the graphite hold up over time, or does it eventually gunk up and need reapplication? I've heard folks warn that dry lubricant can wear off fast in a helicoid that sees a lot of use. Curious if you've had it long enough to test its staying power.

kevin_west20d ago

Two months in and it's still smooth on my 50mm f/1.4 (which I use way too much, honestly). I think the graphite wears down slow enough that it just keeps working unless you're shooting in a sandstorm or something. So far it's held up better than my last attempt with furniture polish (don't ask).