I was cleaning shutter blades wrong for years until a Leica M3 came in

I always used a cotton swab with a bit of lighter fluid, wiping across the blade. This M3 had a sticky shutter and after my usual clean, it was still slow. I looked closer with my loupe and saw I was just pushing the old grease into the pivot points. The guy who trained me back in 2010 always did it that way, so I never questioned it. Now I use a pointed peg wood to gently clean each pivot hole first. Has anyone else found a better method for those tiny blade axles?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabeth22018d ago

Honestly, that sounds like a great way to ruin a shutter.

the_james17d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah but sometimes you gotta risk it for the shot. I've done way worse to my gear and it turned out fine. People baby their equipment too much. If a shutter can't handle a little creative stress, what's it even for? Just my two cents.