I was cleaning shutter blades wrong for like six months

Had a Nikon F3 come in with a sticky second curtain and I kept hitting it with lighter fluid, which just made it gunk up faster. My buddy in the shop finally saw me doing it last week and said, 'Dude, you're basically making glue.' He showed me how to use a tiny bit of naphtha on a swab instead, just a drop, and now the action is smooth. I guess I picked up the wrong method from some old forum post and never questioned it. Anyone else have a basic technique they were doing totally backwards for way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

elizabeth_garcia2mo ago

Ever try to fix a squeaky hinge with WD-40? Did that for years. Turns out it attracts more dust and makes it worse long term. A dry lubricant like graphite powder is what you actually need. Sometimes the obvious fix is the wrong one.

miles7072mo ago

Yeah, WD-40 is basically a solvent, not a real lubricant. It'll quiet a hinge for a week, then it gums up with all the dirt it grabs. Graphite powder is messy but it works. A tiny tube lasts forever. Silicone spray is another good option if you want something less dirty.

michaelcoleman2mo ago

It's like @miles707 said, we often use the quick fix that makes the real problem worse later.