Picked up a Kodak Retina IIa from 1954 today and the shutter speeds are still within 10% of spec

3 comments

3 Comments

The "tiny drop of lighter fluid on the escapement" thing really got my attention, because I did the exact same thing on a Retina Ib last year. I was nervous at first but it worked like a charm. Those old slow speeds were totally gummed up, and after a couple days of letting it sit with the shutter set to 1 second, it started running smooth again. I'd say just be careful not to use too much fluid, you don't want it soaking into the lens. That haze on the coatings is the real killer though, I had to clean mine three times with a microfiber cloth and a tiny bit of lens cleaner before it stopped looking foggy.

webb.ben24d ago

That three times cleaning thing is brutal. @sean_torres71 how long did you let yours sit before you checked if the fluid actually worked?

sean_torres7125d ago

Picked up a similar vintage folder last year and the shutter was way off, so I let it sit with the speeds set to slow for a few days and it loosened right up. A tiny drop of lighter fluid on the escapement worked wonders for the sticky slow speeds too. Might be worth checking if the lens needs a clean while you have it out, those old coatings attract haze like crazy.