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Picked up a 1950s Rolleiflex with a stuck shutter from an estate sale
Found this Rolleiflex in a damp basement in Portland last Saturday, shutter was totally seized up from sitting for decades. Took me 3 days of careful work with lighter fluid and gentle heat to free the blades without damaging them. Anyone else dealt with old leaf shutters that won't budge and have a trick besides the standard solvent soak?
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victorb7420d ago
Acetone is wild on old shutters, I'd rather burn toast than gamble with paint thinner on a Rolleiflex. My technique is just lighter fluid and a hairdryer on low, every time - three days of that beats three seconds of regret. At least with heat I'm only out some time and a burnt poptart instead of a ruined classic.
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the_patricia1mo ago
Heat and patience is the way. If lighter fluid didn't do it, acetone might help.
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the_max1mo ago
Wait wait wait... you said "acetone might help"? Like nail polish remover acetone? That seems crazy to me. I mean, acetone is basically paint thinner, right? That stuff eats through all kinds of plastics and finishes. I'd be terrified it would just melt the whole thing or leave a cloudy mess. Maybe it's just me but I'd rather deal with a stuck part than risk ruining it with something that aggressive. Heat and patience sounds way safer even if it takes longer.
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