Found a simple fix for stuck shutter blades on an old Pentax Spotmatic

I picked up a Spotmatic at a flea market in Dayton last month and the shutter was completely frozen at 1/250. I tried all the usual stuff, lighter fluid, gentle heat, but nothing worked. Then I remembered an old trick from a 1970s repair manual I found online: a tiny drop of naptha on the blade pivot points, working the shutter with a blower bulb for about 10 minutes. It freed right up and now fires clean at every speed. Has anyone else had luck with this method or do you have a different go-to for stuck shutters?

3 comments

3 Comments

sageross13d ago

There's a small detail worth noting on that Spotmatic: the Copal shutter in those actually has magnesium blade pivots, and naptha can sometimes leave a residue that attracts dust over time. Your mileage may vary, but I'd personally stick with a dedicated Ronsonol lighter fluid and keep the blower session to more like five minutes.

torres.sage13d ago

Oh man, that naptha trick is legit, right? I had an old Yashica that was completely locked up at 1/60 and tried everything, even cooked it in a warm oven for a bit. Finally just used a tiny bit of Zippo fluid on the pivots and worked it with a rubber blower like you said, took maybe fifteen minutes but now it runs smooth through every speed. It's wild how something so simple can sort out a camera that's been sitting dead for years.

the_angela13d ago

Sage's Yashica is a good camera to try it on too. The shutters in those things are pretty forgiving if you're patient.