Why does nobody talk about how long it takes to clean old grease out of a shutter mechanism?

Pulled a 1970s Pentax Spotmatic apart last month and spent 6 hours just scrubbing congealed lubricant off the blades before I could even think about adjusting the speeds, has anyone else burned a whole Saturday on something that simple?

2 comments

2 Comments

keith_singh13d ago

You're right that old grease is a pain, but I think you're mixing up two different things here. The Spotmatic uses a cloth focal plane shutter, not blades like a leaf shutter. The congealed lube you were scrubbing was probably from the mirror box or the film advance mechanism, not the shutter itself. The shutter curtains on those Pentaxes actually run dry, so you shouldn't put any oil near them, or you'll ruin the timing forever.

noah_palmer4213d ago

Feel you on that one, it's a tough spot to be in when you think you're fixing something but might actually be making it worse. Honestly, it's easy to mix up the internals when you're just staring at congealed grease and trying to get it moving. Tbh, careful dissassembly and a light touch with the right stuff is the only way to avoid a total rebuild.