Oil on enlarger lens blades

[troym]

I just bought a supposedly "LNIB" enlarger lens on a certain auction site that shall remain nameless. The lens arrived in the mail today and looked great--no hazing, dust, or blemishes on the glass. Boy, was I excited.

But after stopping down the lens, I noticed oil on the aperture blades. Actually, there's oil on just one blade. The oil deposit isn't very heavy when viewed through the front element, but it's much more obvious when viewed from the rear.

Is this worth trying to return the lens over? I know that oil on camera lens blades is usually considered a precursor of bad things to come (stiff aperture, possible hazing, etc.). Is it also a problem in enlarger lenses?

 

[ZorkiKat]

If the spot is small, best ignore it. Aperture blades do need some lubrication- in enlarger lenses, their action is quite rudimentary (their movement is heavier compared to those found in camera lenses) so they need this to function. There is indeed a possibility of hazing, but this should be remote. You certainly won't encounter stiff aperture movement.

Oil in the blades should be a concern only for SLR lenses where the diaphragm action is much lighter and faster.

And what sort of enlarger lens is this? If this is one of the kit, 3-element lens, postage and the effort of packing and returning it is more trouble than it's worth. 🙂

Jay

 

[jaapv]

Jay is right - don't worry, enjoy! If it should come to that,which it most probably won't, cleaning an enlarger lens won't break the bank.

 

[troym]

Thanks. It's a fairly nice El-Nikkor, but I've decided that it isn't worth the hassle to try to return it.