What lubricant?

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What lubricant is recommended for older manual lenses? I have one with very stiff focusing, otherwise in finde condition.

Any recommendations?

Thank you
 
If you are just wanting to make the lens smoother without dismantling it, then a VERY small amount of sewing machine oil should be sufficient. If you want to really get into it and completely replace the grease, then you should go with a synthetic. If you drop a small amount of sewing machine oil on your helicoid, make sure to let it out-gas at least overnight.

White lithium is ok since it will not out-gas or run but if the helicoid threads are very fine then white lithium isn't going to cut it since it has too much shear friction. Your lens will feel very smooth but could feel quite stiff and slow to focus. If the helicoid threads are thick like in a rigid Summicron 50 or 10.5cm Nikkor then white lithium could be appropriate.

I've started getting my lens lube from jewelery repair and tool shops. They usually keep small ampules of silicone seal grease for only a few dollars and also sell appropriate tools to work on lenses. Very lightweight silicone grease is the best I've found so far without resorting to buying the lens-specific damping grease. Also find a can of silicone spray that you can dilute the grease with if needed. If you use a spray silicone for this method of making the damping grease less viscous, you must let it out-gas for a few hours at least or overnight.

Hope this helps.

Phil Forrest
 
That definitely depends on the white lithium grease you use. I started using it after seeing Brians recommendations. The particular one I found - Lucas White Lithium Grease - definitely separated and spread.

Fortunately I'd only used it twice and was able to clean it out before it landed in places I didn't want it.

I've used the approach of a single drop of a ballbearing lubricant the last few times I had a lens which needed attention. Usually that was enough to keep it smooth for now until I get in and clean it out properly.
 
From time to time someone will talk about the importance of using "fine machine oil" on whatever fine machine is under discussion. They always draw out the length of the word "fine," making it last one or two seconds. I've always wondered where you get that, since I've never seen a can marked "fine machine oil" on any store shelves. The only ideas I've come up with are sewing machine oil, as Phil suggests; Hunter fan oil; the South Bend Lathe Company sells oil in cans; and . . . maybe Outer's gun oil? And on turntable bearings, I have used synthetic motor oils like Castrol and Mobil One; sometimes with a little "Slick 50" added. After all, engines are fine machines, albeit more robust and heavy-duty than cameras, watches and turntables.

Usually the same people who tell you to use "fine machine oil" also caution not to use 3-in-1 oil, as if there were something horribly wrong with it. Everyone "knows" that it's only for door hinges, but nobody seems to know what's the matter with it, or why it isn't as good as "fine machine oil." Any ideas?

So: where do you get your fine machine oil?
 
Hi,
I used on my Nikkor 35mm f2.5 Labelle #102 gear lube it's not a thin oil,
but has body that stay's in place. It seem to make the lens focus a lot smoother now.
 
"Fine" machine oil

"Fine" machine oil

Rob-F said:
From time to time someone will talk about the importance of using "fine machine oil" on whatever fine machine is under discussion. They always draw out the length of the word "fine," making it last one or two seconds. I've always wondered where you get that, since I've never seen a can marked "fine machine oil" on any store shelves. The only ideas I've come up with are sewing machine oil, as Phil suggests; Hunter fan oil; the South Bend Lathe Company sells oil in cans; and . . . maybe Outer's gun oil? And on turntable bearings, I have used synthetic motor oils like Castrol and Mobil One; sometimes with a little "Slick 50" added. After all, engines are fine machines, albeit more robust and heavy-duty than cameras, watches and turntables.

Usually the same people who tell you to use "fine machine oil" also caution not to use 3-in-1 oil, as if there were something horribly wrong with it. Everyone "knows" that it's only for door hinges, but nobody seems to know what's the matter with it, or why it isn't as good as "fine machine oil." Any ideas?

So: where do you get your fine machine oil?
Click to expand...

My own investigations and understanding of oil behaviour is as follows:
broadly there is a relationship between oil viscosity and the ability to resist creep or flow. This is not news of course. Everybody knows that water will flow more easily than honey

It's not that simple, of course. Oils are formulated for different applications according to the requirements of the application. Motor vehicle oils have been trending thinner for years in the interests of improved economy, reduced start up wear by enhancing cold viscosity and reducing resistance to flow. Viscosity improvers and many other additives are added to base oil stocks whether synthetic or mineral-based to meet the needs of, for instance, automobile manufacturers.

OK. Having, (hopefully) provided some context, in relation to camera applications, it will be appreciated that the oils one might need to use in servicing a camera (let's look at a shutter escapement, as an example) will need to have a very low viscosity. Oils that are not super fine are likely to seize an escapement and prevent it running down.

But very, very thin or low viscosity oils, as noted, generally have a tendency to flow readily or "creep". Of course this is usually likely to be a problem inside a camera. You really don't want lubricants to find their way onto the blades of a leaf shutter or onto the optics of a lens. Hence, suitable oils are going to be reasonably specialised, as they must be both low enough in viscosity as to not impede fine mechanisms, but they must still demonstrate resistance to "creep".

This is not a combination of attributes that naturally goes hand in hand; hence I looked for particular lubricants designed to achieve this, and my investigations suggested to me that watch or clock oils were the go. I ended up with Moebius synthetic for long term stability and resistance to oxidation as well as their resistance to creeping when used in the correct quantity.

It should be noted these are not all created equal, either. There is a world of difference between the movements in a grandfather clock or even a mantle clock and those of a watch or small clock. Using the wrong oil in the wrong mechanism will cause problems no matter how specialised.

My local specialist clock and watch repairer was helpful enough to supply a vial of superfine Moebius at a very reasonable price, as he has no interest in working on cameras.

That's my take on "fine" oils for cameras as lay person and self-taught repairer still very much on the journey of learning the craft. Hope it helps.
Regards,
Brett
 
I've had good luck with Radio Shack's "Multi-Purpose Lube Gel". It's Teflon based and the spec's say it's good for -45 f to 450 degrees f.

I've used this on several Industar lenses I've had to regrease ( I swear the stuff the Russians use is the wax from toilet bowl rings)

The stock # on my tube is 64-2326. It's generally in stock at most of the Radio Shack stores I've been in.

MrFujicaman
 
Having recently cleaned the glue-grease out of an old Agfa helicoid, it was a bit on the loose side. I reassembled it with a (frugally applied) automotive brake grease from the garage cupboard. Being formulated for use with e.g. drum brakes, this is stable, even under high temperatures, so as not to migrate on to the brake shoes (or shutter blades and mechanism 😉 ). It was stiff enough but not too stiff.

For the shutter mechanism, I use Moebius 8000 watch oil, applied frugally with a watchmaker's fine wire applicator.
 
Rob-F said:
So: where do you get your fine machine oil?
Click to expand...

Fine machine oil refers to oil suitable for use on fine machines, not that the oil itself is "fiiiiiiiiiiine"... although it is. Any oil traditionally formulated for watches and precision clocks is what is being referred to. They are highly refined and do not spread when properly applied. Likewise, there are "fiiiiiiine machine greases" too. They can be bought from clock and watch suppliers, as well as suppliers of camera and music box repair/restoration supplies.
 
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