Shutter repair on folding camera - which oil to use?

Thomas78

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Hello,

I want to try my first DIY repair on a Super Ikonta 531/2 with a Compur shutter which does not work anymore. (When I tried to fire it, both the trigger at the shutter and the cocking leaver moved a bit, but the shutter itself did not open.)

Here I found a site which deals with the similar Moskwa 5 shutter:

http://www3.telus.net/public/rpnchbck/Moskva5.html

Do you know any better/additional information which I should read beforehand?


Which lubricant(s) should I use?

I already have Nyoil at home:

nyoil_p1.jpg



Best regards,
Thomas
 
take out the lenses and use some lighter fuel to free it up,then mix a little graphite powder with it. not oil,if that does not work clean it off again using the lighter fuel.does the shutter fire if you use the lever on the side of the shutter/lens unit,look at this first.I have a Ikon without the rangefinder
 
No graphite powder, no petrol based oils: Compur shutters are not steam engines!

Get a synthetic watch oil and apply to the bearings after cleaning. You only need a needletip worth of it, so get the highest quality oil you can find (Moebius is great).
 
Its not the first time I've heard repairers suggest graphite powder. Never tried it myself though.

I'd start with letting a few small drops lighter fluid work their way into the shutter and see if that loosens anything.

When I do open up a shutter for a CLA I use the tiniest pin pricks of oil on the axels of gears and levers.
 
No graphite powder, no petrol based oils: Compur shutters are not steam engines!

Get a synthetic watch oil and apply to the bearings after cleaning. You only need a needletip worth of it, so get the highest quality oil you can find (Moebius is great).

They offer lots of different oils on their web-page. Anything preferable for the shutter of a camera ?
 
*Exactly* as varjag says
No graphite powder, no petrol based oils: Compur shutters are not steam engines!
Get a synthetic watch oil and apply to the bearings after cleaning. You only need a needletip worth of it, so get the highest quality oil you can find (Moebius is great).
After cleaning with the solvent and letting the shutter and aperture blades dry out thoroughly, never, ever let anything else near those blades.

They offer lots of different oils on their web-page. Anything preferable for the shutter of a camera ?
I use Moebius 8000, (I expect many of their other watch oils would be OK but haven't tried them), a tiny capsule should have enough to last for an enormous number of shutter lubrications 🙂.
 
Its not the first time I've heard repairers suggest graphite powder.

Graphite powder can be used to prevent the leaves from binding, if these should be rough due to abrasion or oxidation damage. It is a method of last resort and not necessary nor desirable on a shutter without major flaws. And even where you need something like that, you should consider a PTFE spray-on surface coating, as these don't shed dust like graphite.
 
I have used a hint of MoS2 (molybdenum disulphide) but just a hint as Sevo says, as a last resort and the grain size has to be very small.

But I start from the viewpoint of assuming that it should work with nothing at all.
 
The repair manual I have for Compur shutters lists extensive and specific instructions for lubricating them. They will indeed run dry, however my experience is they are much more pleasant to use and run more sweetly with appropriate lubrication. Dry they can be graunchy to cock and shed metal eventually as well. My own conclusion from this is that as the makers of the shutters, Compur/Deckel knew what they were talking about, when they wrote the repair manual.
Regards
Brett
 
I would also use just a *hint* of molybdenum disulphide grease on sliding surfaces in the mechanism (not the blades of course), particularly those that are under significant loading from springs. (I have also seen the Compur lubrication instructions for several of their models; for other shutters such as Prontors, Epsilons etc I use my own judgement but obviously on similar principles.)

I suspect that I may not be the only person on this thread to have acquired shutters that needed to be recovered from well-meaning attempts to flood them with bicycle-grade oil 😱 .
 
Thank you very much ! 🙂 I will give that a try.

*Exactly* as varjag says

After cleaning with the solvent and letting the shutter and aperture blades dry out thoroughly, never, ever let anything else near those blades.


I use Moebius 8000, (I expect many of their other watch oils would be OK but haven't tried them), a tiny capsule should have enough to last for an enormous number of shutter lubrications 🙂.
 
WD 40 contains silicon which has blind effect on glass.

WD40 does not contain silicon - it does creep even worse than light silicon oil, though, which may be the reason for that wrong attribution.

By the way, silicon oil is quite inert, and harmless towards glass (other than creeping types soiling the surfaces), but some more volatile silicon oils may destroy plastics lenses, being a solvent for the polymers and/or softeners.
 
Maybe send an email to Jurgen Kreckel and Certo6.com, he seems to be something of a folder specialist. I've bought two from him, and happy with both.
 
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