Graflex.org

[rwarhover]

I suggest, whether you're using Ronsonol or naptha or whatever, do it OUTDOORS! No shutter is worth burning your house down.

[primus96]

If one needed to give this treatment to a shutter:
Do you need a key or specific sort of tool to remove the lens cells?
Afterwards how can you be sure the spacing between the front and rear groups of elements is correct?

After the soak treatment to dissolve or soften hardened lube would UK readers advise any specific lubricant?

[45PSS]

The tool(s) to remove the lens groups depends on the lens. Some simply unscrew with light hand pressure on the group.

Take any lens in shutter and position it so that you are looking at the side with thr rear on your left and the front on your right. You now have Rear element group attached to Shutter attached to Front element group. Holding the shutter and turning either element group counter clockwise will unscrew it.

A SOFT strap wrench is sometimes needed. A length of #18 to #12 lamp cord wire (the flat stuff with the rubberized covering) that will wrap around the lens group with an inch or two (25 to 50 mm) left over at each end can be used also. Wrap a single layer of the wire around the element group, clamp the loose ends in a pair of locking pliers, turn as stated above. When using a strap wrench or its subsitute, the handle or pliers should not go past 90⁰ to the lens barrel with turning pressure applied.

Most if not all lens barrels for the element groups will be machined so that the elements slide in to a fixed stop with a retainer ring that screws in to hold it in place. Removing element groups from a shutter and reinstalling them on the same shutter or an identical make shutter there is no change in element spacing unless you fail to screw one of the groups in completely. With a thread pitch of .75mm per thread, 1 turn less will position that side off by .75mm, two turns 1.5mm. Measure from the face of the shutter close to the barrel to the end of the barrel with a precision instrument to check yourself if you want. Most groups go in as far as there are threads.

NOW, if you take the elements out of their barrel to clean them, then pay close attention to their position and the distance of the retaining ring(s) from the edge of the barrel as this spacing is very critical. Some lens may have been a barrel threaded inside the full length with stop rings screwed in to position the element. That would be the worst scenario.

_________________
The best camera ever made is the one that YOU enjoy using and produces the image quality that satifies YOU.

[t.r.sanford]

Regarding alternatives to graphite, there's a product called "Dri-Slide" that has worked well for me, the few times I've plucked up the courage to open a balky shutter (one "Prontor," one "Acme," both years and years ago, both lubes very, very durable).

"Dri-Slide" is a suspension of molybdenum disulfide in a volatile medium, and forms a layer of dry lubricant on the bearing surfaces of the parts to which it's applied. It's black, like graphite, but it won't blow around inside the shutter; it stays put.

The stuff used to be made by an outfit called RAD. I find it now advertised, in more formulations, by Russack Chemicals. The RAD product came in small applicator cans; I've not looked into Russack's packaging.

If anyone knows of another molybdenum disulfide lubricant, it might be worthwhile to post that information.

[tombury]

Ronsonal (lighter fluid) on shutters. I found it works temporarily. I use it on Agfa 35mm cameras. They used some awful lubricant that has dried into a kind of green crud (after 50 years use). It takes just two very small drops in the helical focus mount to loosen it up for a time. Can't soak it, as the lenses are not removable without a lot of trouble.

[Telek guy]

Lighter fluid is one of several solvents used for cleaning shutters. Having smoked in a previous existence I can't get too excited about the flammablity of lighter fluid. I've refilled many a Zippo. Just be careful! Believe it or not gasoline has also been recommended. The camera repair supply houses used to sell something called Zenith rinse or something like that. I would (after removing lenses) squirt a modest (a hypodermic works well) amount of the lighter fluid into the slow speed gear train (a bunch of little gears). In old M synch shutters you may also see another train that is the synch delay train. If you can't tell the difference squirt both and after waiting a few minutes back the shutter with some paper towel and blow out the liquid and hopefully the gummy lube. You can repeat this as much as you need to. You may have to blot with q tips and blow some more until all the liquid is gone. As far as lube goes, as of ten years ago National Camera Repair (now defunct) advised running a shutter dry. There just isn't that much wear on a mechanism that is used so rarely. They DID recommned a moly lube dust on the shutter leaves (not graphite). This is a quick and dirty fix. The best is to disassemble the shutter and soak it in an ammonia cleaner, then something more volatile to dry.

Hope this helps.

Bob

[Telek guy]

Here's more. If you've soaked the whole shutter it'll be hard to get all of the solvent out and you will have dissolved the grease off of the shutter speed cam. When you take the glass and the cover plate off this is one of the first things you'll see. It's a plate with several curved slots, one of which will have a step like appearance. This is the cam that controls the amount of time the shutter is open. Coat the cam with A SMALL AMOUNT of high temperature grease or moly grease. Then wipe some off. The lube for the shutter leaves in the previous post is a powder by the way.

If you photograph the shutter as you dissamble with Polaroid or a digital camera it helps alleviate the terror of a pile of parts lying on the table.

National Camera DOES however recommend lubing a focal plane shutter. After squirting the solvent into the bearings, blow it out. Using a toothpick use a high quality watch oil apply a tiny amount to the bearing. WD-40 works but squirt it into a bottle cap and work out of that with a toothpick.

Bon Courage,
Bob

[Telek guy]

I lied about National Camera Repair. I remembered that one or more of the people who ran it now have some or all of the materials and a bunch of manuals and tools. Check out:

http://www.natcam.net/

for all sorts of repair necessities. Pricey but quality.

Bob