c/camera-repairers

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Dropped $90 on a lens wrench set and it either saved my back or wasted my cash

Bought those brass lens spanners from the auction site last month for about $90 and they slid right onto a stuck 50mm ring after I fought it with tape and rubber for an hour. But yesterday the same set chewed up a Nikon mount screw and I needed a jeweler's driver anyway. Do you folks swear by dedicated tools like this, or is the homemade PVC grip method still the move for stubborn rings?

1 comments

wells.karen•9d ago

Dropped a lens in a bait shop pond, the owner didn't blink

I went to pick up a used 50mm from a guy who runs a bait and tackle place outside Memphis. He said he tested it on his pond water setup, which I thought was a joke until he showed me a tank of bluegill he keeps by the counter. The lens slipped out of my hand and went straight in the tank, splash and all. He fished it out with a net, handed me a towel, and said 'that's the second one this month, the other guy didn't even come back for it.' I dried it off, checked the glass, and it was fine, no fog even. Weirdest part is the aperture ring still clicks smooth, like the fish blessed it. Anyone else ever dunked gear in something stranger than a sink or a puddle?

1 comments

grantf73•9d ago

That Tuesday I fixed five cameras before noon, still can't believe it

Had a stretch back in March where nothing seemed to go right, then one Tuesday everything clicked. A guy brought in a Nikon F3 with a stuck mirror, a lady had a Canon AE-1 with a dead light meter, and some student dropped off a Yashica that had been in a flood. I got all three working by 10am, which never happens. Then before lunch someone called asking about a shutter curtain repair on an old Pentax, and I had the part sitting in a drawer for two years. Five fixes by noon, and the flood Yashica only needed a new battery compartment and cleaning. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but the rest of the day was quiet too. Has anyone else had a day where the repairs just line up like that, or was I just lucky?

1 comments

finleym43•10d ago

The sticky aperture blade issue in my Yashica took 6 weeks to solve

I spent 6 weeks chasing a sticky aperture set on a Yashica Mat from a flea market, replacing springs and cleaning every part twice, until a guy at the Portland swap meet said check the internal lubricant from 1972 that had turned to glue, and sure enough one soak in naphtha fixed the whole thing in a day, has anyone else found old lube hiding somewhere strange like that?

1 comments

cameronn62•10d ago

A retired tech in Portland flipped my view on cleaning sensors

I was fixing a stubborn dust spot on a 5D Mark III and mentioned I use a sensor swab kit. This old guy, 30 years in the biz, said I was stripping the AR coating with too many passes. He showed me his trick: a blower first, then a single dry wipe with a special cloth he makes himself. Told me he charges $45 a clean but does it in under 2 minutes without liquid. I tried his method on three cameras since, and it works better than my old routine. He admitted wet cleaning still has a place for oil spots, but he's right that most people overdo it. Anyone else ditch swabs for a dry approach? What do you use for stubborn residue that won't budge?

1 comments

alex307•15d ago

The before and after on that Rolleiflex I finally fixed

Picked up a beat up Rolleiflex from a flea market in Portland for $60, shutter was completely stuck and the viewfinder was hazy as hell. After 4 hours of disassembly, cleaning the blades with lighter fluid, and polishing the mirror, it fires like it just left the factory in 1958. Has anyone else seen that huge of a jump just from proper lubrication and cleaning, or is it usually something else like a broken spring?

1 comments

jamiew53•18d ago

Is it worth fixing a seized lens helicoid or just replacing the whole barrel?

Took me 6 hours across two days to free up a stuck helicoid on a 50mm from a thrift store find, using heat, solvent, and a rubber strap, and I still wonder if a $40 replacement barrel would've been faster. Who else has burned a whole day on a lens that ended up being a lost cause, and when do you call it quits?

1 comments

sarah_hart•19d ago

A 15-minute capacitor fix took me 3 days to find

Last month a Canon AE-1 came in with the mirror stuck up and the shutter dead. I checked the battery, cleaned the contacts, even swapped the foam bumpers. Turns out a small capacitor on the main board had gone leaky and was dripping onto the trace below. It looked fine until I put a magnifier on it. Anyone else had a slow-burn failure like that hide behind a clean exterior?

c/camera-repairers

Dropped $90 on a lens wrench set and it either saved my back or wasted my cash

Dropped a lens in a bait shop pond, the owner didn't blink

That Tuesday I fixed five cameras before noon, still can't believe it

The sticky aperture blade issue in my Yashica took 6 weeks to solve

A retired tech in Portland flipped my view on cleaning sensors

The before and after on that Rolleiflex I finally fixed

Is it worth fixing a seized lens helicoid or just replacing the whole barrel?

A 15-minute capacitor fix took me 3 days to find

That $60 focusing screen tool was a total gamble, and it paid off

Finally fixed a sticky aperture blade on an old Pentax after 3 tries

Old Zenit shutters stick after sitting for decades, but a CLA changes everything

Just changed my mind about ultrasonic cleaners after a bad week with a stuck shutter

Used to rely on feel for shutter speeds, now I just test every single camera

Fixed a sticky shutter on a Pentax K1000 with a drop of lighter fluid

Question about using JIS screwdrivers vs standard Phillips on old cameras

The sticky aperture blades debate - how long did YOUR fix take?

PSA: Found out most shutter lubricants degrade faster in humid shops

Swapped out my old screwdrivers for JIS ones and wow what a difference

Hit 1,000 shutters fixed... wasn't keeping count lol

Had a guy bring in a Nikon F3 from the 80s last Tuesday with a shutter that sounded like a dying cat

I used to think ultrasonic cleaners were overhyped until I cleaned a 1970s Canon lens in one

Had a change of heart about CLA frequency after talking to a guy at the Portland repair swap

Just crossed 100 shutter repairs on vintage Nikons...

That random moment I found out old Leicas use a different thread pitch than I thought

Had a lens cleaning go sideways when my ultrasonic cleaner decided to die