Konica Auto S2 camera killed by WD-40

[Robert Lai]

I just got off the phone with Clarence Gass, of Mission KS. Clarence used to be one of the midwest official Konica repair stations (when Konica still existed photographically). Sad news - the almost new looking Konica Auto S2 that I purchased from a fellow RFF member was dead, and not economical to revive.

For one thing, the meter movement was dead. The photocell responds to light, but the wiring in the meter movement coil is open circuit. Clarence didn't have any meter movements available.
The wiring is very fine, and with extremes of temperature, the shellac around the coil can contract, snapping the wire.
In theory, the camera could be used in manual mode, except for what follows.

The worse thing was the shutter. I was warned by the seller that the camera was inoperable because the shutter was stuck. However, as the price was low ($30), I took a chance that possibly this camera could be revived at not too outrageous a price. Clarence said that after 3 hours of effort, he unstuck the shutter. The problem is WD-40. Someone had sprayed it into the shutter mechanism. It is a thick viscous oil that may be good for your car door hinges, but kills cameras. It's so thick it's like glue for the fine machinery in a camera.

In order to revive this camera, the entire shutter would have to be disassembled, each component cleaned in tricholorethylene, and then reassembled with the proper lubricants. Doing this would take so much time that the cost of repair would be prohibitive.

Not wanting to waste any more money on this dead camera, I let Clarence have it as a parts camera. He'll give me a discount on future repairs.

You may have read anecdotal stories about people spraying WD-40 into shutters. Well, I've finally encountered one. It's a fine way to kill a camera.

 

[p.giannakis]

I've heard that if you spray WB-40 in a small container and leave it to set, the oil will separate from the solvent and you can use it to lubricate parts of the shutter but in TINY amounts (on the head of a needle for example). Spraying the whole shutter?.... hmm... sounds dodgy even if you don't know...

 

[btgc]

There are lots of people who believe myths floating around Internet. One of such myths is 40 years cameras do not need service, they work right out of drawer. If not, flush them with lighter fluid and they will work. If not then flush them with WD40 and if no success, buy next camera.

 

[colyn]

I see a lot of people claiming to have cleaned their shutters with a Q-tip and lighter fluid. HOW??? Were you able to reach the source of the oil with a Q-tip??? No.... Then they try WD-40............Never buy a camera that smells like WD-40...

Flush cleaning does not do the job right either since it leaves behind dirt and old lubricant.. If you are unable to strip down a shutter for proper cleaning the next best way is to soak overnight in a ultra-sonic cleaning bath using a non-residual solvent. The you need to know which parts get what kind of lube for a proper service..

I always use a ultra-sonic bath..

A Q-tip is fine for cleaning skin oil from the blades if you accidentally touch the blades but is useless for service...

 

[ray*j*gun]

There are lots of people who believe myths floating around Internet. One of such myths is 40 years cameras do not need service, they work right out of drawer. If not, flush them with lighter fluid and they will work. If not then flush them with WD40 and if no success, buy next camera.

Very true!!! Cameras that are 40 - 50 years old will not just spring to life after never having been serviced. that old oil is gone or worse and even if the gears are working you are wearing them out.

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

I've heard that if you spray WB-40 in a small container and leave it to set, the oil will separate from the solvent and you can use it to lubricate parts of the shutter but in TINY amounts (on the head of a needle for example). Spraying the whole shutter?.... hmm... sounds dodgy even if you don't know...

Rick Oleson says as much on his website. I have never tried this for myself, as I have had good results with ultrafine clock oil, but if Rick says it works, I don't doubt him.
Regards
Brett

 

[Teuthida]

Gun oil. Or better yet, use a good synthetic motor oil like Mobil 1.

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

I see a lot of people claiming to have cleaned their shutters with a Q-tip and lighter fluid. HOW??? Were you able to reach the source of the oil with a Q-tip??? No.... Then they try WD-40............Never buy a camera that smells like WD-40...

Flush cleaning does not do the job right either since it leaves behind dirt and old lubricant.. If you are unable to strip down a shutter for proper cleaning the next best way is to soak overnight in a ultra-sonic cleaning bath using a non-residual solvent. The you need to know which parts get what kind of lube for a proper service..

I always use a ultra-sonic bath..

A Q-tip is fine for cleaning skin oil from the blades if you accidentally touch the blades but is useless for service...

It really depends on what the problem is doesn't it? If a mechanism is binding or escapements are sticking, cotton tips are not going to be a great deal of help in any way.

On the other hand, I needed to get a Contaflex going for a friend a couple of weeks ago. Examination confirmed the mechanism is fine; the sole problem was that lubricant had evaporated onto the shutter and aperture blades making them stick.

After spending a couple of hours patiently alternately cleaning them with tissue lightly dampened with lighter fluid then wiping off with clean dry tissue, in between regularly firing the shutter to draw the lube to the front, it now works like new. I used a few "Q tips" as well for this, although, you do need to be rather careful with them, as they can shed fibres off them which I don't much care for. As long as you are attentive you can spot this, and mop them up as you go, but it is something to watch out for. I tend to use them only for precise wiping of the aperture blades in various stops to chase the harder to reach areas. Lint free lens tissue and a pair of fine tweezers is the cleanest way to wipe these.
Regards,
Brett

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Gun oil. Or better yet, use a good synthetic motor oil like Mobil 1.

Whilst Mobil 1 is quality engine lubricant and available in quite light viscosities by motor vehicle standards I should have thought it would be far, far too viscous for shutter internals, and prone to creeping through the shutter into unwanted locations Eg. shutter and aperture blades.

The main reason I prefer synthetic clock lubricants (these are not all created equal either--not the stuff you would use for your grandfather clock for instance) is--they have to achieve a quite neat trick. Which is to possess very low viscosity, and yet not be prone to excessive creeping when used in appropriate quantities. Granted motor vehicle oils are formulated to cling to engine internals in order to reduce wear on engine start up but they do not have to resist creep to the same extent because they are also designed to flow. They would never be my first choice for a shutter.
Regards,
Brett

 

[Mr_Flibble]

The only time I've ever used WD40 in a camera repair was mixed 50/50 with gun oil (after letting it settle in a cup) and then I injected a very tiny amount of the mix in the grooves next to a stuck aperture ring on a Industar-22.

 

[sevo]

Gun oil. Or better yet, use a good synthetic motor oil like Mobil 1.

Wimp! True men use crude oil, straight from the home-drilled well in Texas!

 

[JoeV]

For lubricating small mechanical parts, try using an oil designed for lubricating small mechanical parts, namely sewing machine oil.

And, as others have stated, randomly applying lubricant into a camera body will result in random results. For a higher probability of successful results, apply the appropriate quantity of proper lubricant only directly on the areas designed to be lubricated.

The type of lubricant required depends on the nature of the materials in contact. Brass on brass, for instance, rarely if ever requires lubrication, c.f. brass clockwork mechanisms require only a thorough degreasing to work properly. Other materials, such as metals on plastic and resinous surfaces, require a different type of lubricant. The type of lubricant (chemical makeup and viscosity) is critical. The devil is in the details. WD-40, a combined solvent and lubricant, would never be considered a proper lubricant by any design engineer.

I don't understand why anyone would risk ruining a finely crafted mechanical camera by misapplying lubricants and solvents except through sheer ignorance or laziness, which has its own reward. Keep those competent camera repair people in business and let them do the proper job, else go digital and be done with it.

~Joe

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Wimp! True men use crude oil, straight from the home-drilled well in Texas!

I drop my balky gear into a cocktail shaker filled with nitroglycerine, then agitate vigorously.

Chris

 

[Steve M.]

In most instances I've found that sticky leaf shutters are caused by oil on the aperture blades. I used to flush out my old Graflex shutters w/ lighter fluid, but now I unscrew one of the lens elements and dab the blades w/ Q-tips soaked in lighter fluid. Then, wipe w/ a clean, dry one. Repeat as needed, and it will take many cleanings in most cases. If you can get to only one side of the aperture blades, which is usually the easiest way to go, then you may have to flood the blades a little w/ fluid to get the other side clean. Let it evaporate, then clean again until the speeds are good. This has worked great in Argus, Rolleiflex, Autocord, Synchro-Compur, Pronto, and all manner of different leaf shutters.

You have to be careful when cleaning the fragile blades, and take care to keep the fluid off the optics, but if I can do it, then anyone can.

 

[mooge]

I've heard that if you spray WB-40 in a small container and leave it to set, the oil will separate from the solvent and you can use it to lubricate parts of the shutter but in TINY amounts (on the head of a needle for example).

I'm pretty sure I had the slow-speed escapement of my M2 lubricated with separated WD-40 at one point in time, maybe it is now, I can't remember. but it works fine; just use a tiny bit- use the tip of a screwdriver to apply it to the bearings.