minolta7s repair

[JimG]

The shutter was sticking on this 7s but after working it awhile it opened up OK. So I replaced the seals, now the shutter is stuck closed at all speeds. I even wrapped it in a heating pad set to low for about an hour. (I heard this can losen any old lubricant that's dried in the shutter mechanism.) Does it sound like I might have got some of acetone (used to remove the old foam) inside the camera causing this problem? Looking through the lens I can see some kind of residue on the shutter blades. Any suggestions?

 

[Trius]

Oooh, I don't think acetone is a good thing for camera cleaning. It can dissolve certain materials, including some plastics...

Not to make light of your plight, but it reminds me of one of my chemistry profs in university who was explaining the concept of "like disolves like" by telling the story of a female student who was doing an experiment of some sort that used acetone. She accidentally broke the vessel and the acetone splashed all over her. She had to leave the class, embarrassed to death because her acetate panties had, uh, disappeared.

 

[traveller]

I don't know which solvent is the best choice, there are more Knowledgeable people (Greyhoundman or Kim Coxon come to my mind, among others) here. But one thing for sure, forget acetone when there are plastic parts around.

John

 

[JimG]

In retrospect I can see acetone was a poor choice. I have read at more then one site that it was a good option. Last time I used isop. alcohol which worked fine. I still want get this camera to work if possible, so I still would appreciate any advise about what to do next.