Why does nobody talk about how we used to flood the focus ring with lighter fluid

Luna Fisher · 2026-09-17T19:15:04.229405+00:00

Back in the 90s when a lens came in with a gritty focus ring, the old timers I learned from at a shop in Denver would just drip lighter fluid into the helicoid and work it until it freed up. Now I pull the whole thing apart, clean every thread with a brush and solvent, and relube with a proper helicoid grease because I got tired of redoing the same lens 4 months later. The fluid trick worked fine for a quick turn and burn but it dried out and pulled in dust like crazy. What changed was really the internet, once customers started comparing notes on forums they stopped accepting a fix that only lasted a season. Anybody still keep a can of fluid on the bench for a rush job, or did you all go full teardown too?

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Why does nobody talk about how we used to flood the focus ring with lighter fluid | Camera Repairers - Babble Community