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Had a talk with a retired repair shop owner that made me rethink everything
I ran into this old guy at a camera show in Chicago last month who fixed Nikons for 40 years. He told me I was wasting my time cleaning shutter blades with alcohol because it leaves a film. Said he used lighter fluid back in the day and then switched to this pure naphtha he got from a chemical supply house. He pulled out a beaten up F2 he still uses and the shutter sounded PERFECT, not a hint of drag. Has anyone else tried naphtha instead of alcohol for sticky blades?
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eric_price11d ago
That thing about lighter fluid leaving a film is something I've heard before too... it's like how people always reach for the strongest cleaner first without thinking about what it does long term. @eric_johnson is right that lighter fluid works on a Spotmatic, but the old guy probably has a point about naphtha being cleaner. It reminds me of how people use WD-40 on everything when sometimes a specific lubricant works way better. I've noticed this pattern everywhere in life, like how everyone uses dish soap for hand washing dishes but won't buy the cheap bar soap that actually works just as well. Sometimes the old methods just make more sense even if they aren't as popular anymore.
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