Nikon FT sluggish Mirror

[B-9]

Hello!

So I pulled out my old FT (not N) I picked up a while ago.. for maybe 15$?

I had been storing it with some other cameras in a flight case anticipating a new Nikkor lens this week I wanted to dust it off and maybe juice it up with a battery and possibly make an adapter.

Well, the mirror has apparently developed an issue.

Upon releasing the shutter the mirror is very slow to go up the more I exercise it the slower it appears to get. Now it will not go up un-aided.

The solution it seems is to press the DOF preview and the whole thing slams back to life. Rewind, release, sluggish mirror, pop the preview and slam pow that sounds better, repeat.

Any quick solutions or opinions on cause?

Unfortunately if its a repair beyond a nights worth of beer, ill just bury this old girl on a shelf.

 

[Crazy Fedya]

It seems aperture actuating mechanism is slowing it down. Try some lighter fluid judicially applied.

 

[B-9]

I figured as much, I'll have to pour some ronsonol down the opening there. Couldn't get any worst than a shelf queen!

 

[Crazy Fedya]

I use either lighter fluid or electronic contact cleaner in situations like this. Recently it helped me bring back to life an Olympus Pen FT I found with shutter stuck open.

 

[B-9]

Sweet! Congrats on the Pen,

I've used ronsonol for cleaning parts just hadn't made the connection to just soak the mechanism without taking everything apart.

Thanks Sam!

 

[Crazy Fedya]

My pleasure. It is my third Pen, but I could not leave it behind since it was $7.99, and had a 40/1.4 with mangled filter ring attached to it. 😉

 

[rick oleson]

wwwhoa. want to double your money quick?

 

[Crazy Fedya]

Thank you. I think I will try to triple them, eventually. 😉

 

[richardHaw]

it can be caused by friction, meaning something is impeding the movement.

the most common is old grease.😱😱😱

I am no expert on the F but these are the only 2 things that I can think of

it had to be opened for a proper job:bang:

 

[Highway 61]

the most common is old grease.

I would also think of some black goo having come from the deteriorated focusing screen and mirror foam strips. When I got my own Nikkormat FT-N there were many of these pesky black goo debris everywhere inside the mirror chamber.