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Had a stuck shutter on a Pentax K1000 that would not budge.
Tried the usual stuff, no luck. Then I put a single drop of lighter fluid on the shutter blade pivot points. Let it sit for an hour. Worked the mechanism back and forth with a toothpick. It freed up completely. Anyone else use this trick on old metal blade shutters?
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the_brooke6mo ago
Read about using a tiny bit of lighter fluid on an old forum for camera repair. They said it works because it's a light solvent that evaporates fast, so it doesn't leave much residue. I'd be too nervous to try it on a camera I really cared about though.
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faithk926mo ago
Lighter fluid? On a camera? No way.
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craig.brian5mo ago
Seriously, how bad can a single drop be? People have been using naptha on old mechanical stuff forever. It's not like we're pouring motor oil in there. If the shutter is already seized and you're out of ideas, what's the real risk? It's either a paperweight or a working camera.
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the_jesse5mo ago
Honestly this is just how people fix old stuff now. We've lost all the real repair knowledge so it's just a guessing game with whatever's under the sink. Same thing happens with electronics where someone sprays WD-40 into a game controller. It might work for a week but you're basically just making future problems way worse. The real risk is turning a fixable paperweight into a permanently ruined one.
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