Just realized my old way of cleaning aperture blades was making things worse

For years I'd use a cotton swab with a tiny bit of lighter fluid, but last week I tried a proper synthetic brush and a drop of naphtha instead. The blades moved smoother and left zero residue, which was a huge upgrade. Anyone got other tips for sticky aperture mechanisms on old SLRs?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_riley1mo agoProlific Poster

What about that trick @cameronmurray mentioned with the alcohol and a toothpick?

cameronmurray1mo ago

My buddy in Seattle swore by using a tiny drop of pure isopropyl alcohol on a toothpick for his Pentax. Said it evaporated clean and fixed the stickiness right up.

nelson.nancy1mo ago

Naphtha is the right move, it dries way cleaner than lighter fluid. I've had good luck with a drop on a fine artist's brush to work it into the pivot points. Just avoid getting any on the blade surfaces themselves, that can leave a new film. Let it dry completely before you close it up or you'll just trap solvent.