TIL a hairdryer can fix a sticky shutter - anyone else use heat this way?

I had this old Canon AE-1 that had a shutter sticking at slower speeds. The typical advice was to send it out for a CLA or try exercising the shutter for a while. I tried that for maybe 2 weeks with no real change. Then I remembered hearing somewhere that old lubrication can get gummy and a little heat might help. So I set my wife's hairdryer on low and gave the mirror box area a gentle warm up for maybe 3 minutes. The shutter started working perfectly on all speeds after that. It has been a month and it still runs smooth. I know some people will say this is a bad idea because you can melt stuff or move grease where it shouldn't go. But in my experience it saved me a $150 repair bill. Has anyone else tried something like this or am I just getting lucky with a temp fix?

2 comments

2 Comments

susan_nguyen28d ago

Got a buddy who did this with his Nikon FM2. He had this weird problem where the mirror would hang up every few shots, especially in cold weather. He was about to ship it off to a repair shop but figured he had nothing to lose. Used a space heater aimed at the camera body from like 4 feet away for about 5 minutes. The thing started firing away like it was brand new. He's been shooting with it for over a year now and swears it never acted up again. Probably not the smartest move but it worked out for him.

ivan87327d ago

Wait, hold on @susan_nguyen, he stuck a space heater right at an FM2? That's wild, I can't believe the thing didn't just melt the foam or mess up the lens. Honestly though, if it's just stiff lubricant from the cold, a little heat might be all it needed. But man, that's a gamble I wouldn't take on a classic camera.