Appreciation post: finally got that stuck shutter blade free

I was working on a Minolta from the 70s in my garage last night, and one of the shutter blades just seized up completely after 3 hours of cleaning. Tried a tiny bit of lighter fluid on the pivot and a gentle nudge with a wooden toothpick, and it popped loose after 20 seconds. Anyone else have a weird trick that saved a repair you thought was totally dead?

3 comments

3 Comments

elliot_barnes22d ago

Lighter fluid is actually pretty safe on metal parts - it's the plastic bits you gotta worry about, but old Minoltas used mostly metal in their shutters. You'd be surprised how often that trick works when everything else fails.

henderson.oscar26d ago

Hang on, you used lighter fluid on a camera shutter? That is nuts. I mean, I've used it on stuck bike chains and zippers, but never on anything that delicate. I gotta say, that's a ballsy move and I'm shocked it actually worked instead of melting the whole thing.

faith_carter25d ago

Saw a vintage camera repair guy on YouTube swear by lighter fluid for old shutters. Evaporates clean, doesn't leave residue like oil would.