FallisPhoto
Veteran
Really seriously bad "repair" ideas I have run into. Yeah, I buy a lot of cameras on ebay. Opening them up and seeing what people have done to them is always a surprise. Feel free to add to the list.
1. Using WD-40 or powdered graphite to free up those sticky shutter blades. Why don't they just empty a can of baby powder in there? It would do just as good a job and it would probably be easier to get out.
2. Using superglue inside a camera. Ever seen those CSI episodes where they use superglue to make fingerprints show up? Well, it really does that. Takes a lot of work to get rid of them too. Plus all the glass goes milky.
3. Using wire pliers to loosen a stuck brass or aluminum lens ring (if it wasn't knurled before, it is now).
4. Using wire pliers on the THREADS of lens rings. Instant parts camera!
5. Oiling the shutter blades (yeah, on purpose).
6. If your film advance is stuck DON'T try to force it. If you do, you've probably just gone from "stuck" to "broken."
7. I got a Ciroflex once from some guy who had apparently decided to try to free a stuck focusing rod by beating the face of the camera with a rubber mallet. I am being charitable here and assuming he didn't stomp on it or beat it against the floor. Did he really think that would fix it? What he wound up with was a camera that was still stuck and that had the lenses pointing in different directions.
8. Using isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol to clean shutter blades. Ever noticed how those bottles say 70% alcohol? Ever wonder what the other 30% is? Well, it can be a number of things, including oils, balsams, petroleum jelly, and etcetera. The idea is to get the crud off of the blades. If you want to use alcohol, go to the hardware store, not the drug store, and get denatured alcohol (personally I'd get naptha instead though).
1. Using WD-40 or powdered graphite to free up those sticky shutter blades. Why don't they just empty a can of baby powder in there? It would do just as good a job and it would probably be easier to get out.
2. Using superglue inside a camera. Ever seen those CSI episodes where they use superglue to make fingerprints show up? Well, it really does that. Takes a lot of work to get rid of them too. Plus all the glass goes milky.
3. Using wire pliers to loosen a stuck brass or aluminum lens ring (if it wasn't knurled before, it is now).
4. Using wire pliers on the THREADS of lens rings. Instant parts camera!
5. Oiling the shutter blades (yeah, on purpose).
6. If your film advance is stuck DON'T try to force it. If you do, you've probably just gone from "stuck" to "broken."
7. I got a Ciroflex once from some guy who had apparently decided to try to free a stuck focusing rod by beating the face of the camera with a rubber mallet. I am being charitable here and assuming he didn't stomp on it or beat it against the floor. Did he really think that would fix it? What he wound up with was a camera that was still stuck and that had the lenses pointing in different directions.
8. Using isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol to clean shutter blades. Ever noticed how those bottles say 70% alcohol? Ever wonder what the other 30% is? Well, it can be a number of things, including oils, balsams, petroleum jelly, and etcetera. The idea is to get the crud off of the blades. If you want to use alcohol, go to the hardware store, not the drug store, and get denatured alcohol (personally I'd get naptha instead though).
