anyone ever take a canon 85/2 lens apart?

Joe. I've never even seen one. In the flesh, that is. If it tends to stick in certain places it may well have suffered a blow sufficient to get it a hair out of round.

I was de-yellowing a Super Takumar 50/1.4 for a friend from Ontario (not much sun in Oslawa). Had it perched on a fence facing south and wrapped in foil and kept in place by well-placed stones. Unfortunately it was too near the gate and a huge surge of wind slammed shut the gate and dislodged the lens. It fell about four feet onto soft earth, except for a small rock lying there. You could see where the stone had impacted the aperture ring. Barely, that is. Took a magnifying glass. Sure enough, a bright aluminum spot where the black paint had been chipped away. The aperture ring no longer moved smoothly throughout its range, hung up rather stiffly at f:2 and 3.5, exactly at the point of impact.

Had to send it off for a new ring. Solved the problem.

Then there's always a tiny drop of watchmakers oil...
 
it is done!!

without outside guidance 😉 i went ahead and took the lens apart.
i took the head unit off and then took off the aperture ring. granted, not major surgery...
i lubed it a bit and put all back together and it was worse.

took it all apart again and cleaned it with some ronsonal then put it all back together.
not as bad as at first but no great shakes either.

i took it all apart again.
this time i applied some liquid graphite (had no dry) and put it all back together again.

much better now, easy to use when on the camera and it looks great on the chrome, purple snakeskined m3!

still not as nice as my first sample but very usable.

joe

p.s. for the morbidly curious...all the aperture blades are exactly where they belong🙂
 
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p.s. for the morbidly curious...all the aperture blades are exactly where they belong


Joe, thanks for this last bit of information. I was wondering whether you forgot to add the bit about using compressed air to clean it.

I have an Canon 85/2 in LTM and a Nikon 85/2 in Contax mount...would this count?
 
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