Overheard a guy at the local shop say lubricants are all the same

I was picking up parts at Pro Camera in Minneapolis last Saturday and this customer was arguing with the guy behind the counter that any oil works for shutter mechanisms. He was dead serious, said he's been using 3-in-1 oil on his Nikon F2 for years. The counter guy just nodded and handed him his order. Stuck with me all weekend, because I used to think the same thing back when I started repairing in 2018. I ruined a Pentax Spotmatic's leaf shutter with WD-40 on a Tuesday and learned the hard way. That mistake cost me a lens set and a whole day of work. Has anyone else had a customer swear by something that clearly damages gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

umar591mo ago

That 3-in-1 oil guy is living on borrowed time with his F2. I once had a customer come in with a Minolta SRT-101 that sounded like it was grinding rocks, and he swore by chain lube for his bike. Said it was "heavy duty" and worked great. He wasn't happy when I showed him the sludge in the mirror box that looked like tar. I felt bad for him, but also I was the one who put WD-40 on a Spotmatic shutter and had to learn what "gummed up" really means. We all gotta start somewhere, I guess.

scott.drew1mo ago

Oh man, I did the exact same thing with WD-40 on an old Pentax K1000 years ago. Spent a whole weekend cleaning that sticky mess out of the shutter mechanism and learned my lesson fast.

sarah_mason24d ago

Huh, I gotta respectfully disagree a bit here. I've been using 3-in-1 on my old mechanical cameras for years with no issues, but your mileage may vary I guess. That F2 guy might not be totally crazy if he's using the right stuff - I mean, there's a big difference between the basic 3-in-1 and the heavy duty chain lube your customer used. I've had a Pentax MX and a Canon FTb that both ran smooth as butter after a tiny drop of the regular 3-in-1 on the right spots. Though I'll admit, I keep it far away from anything with plastic gears or delicate foam seals.