Feels like there's gotta be more to this story, inspectors don't usually just hold things up for nothing without something they're actually worried about. Your mileage may vary but I'd want to hear the inspector's side before buying that it was totally pointless.

Ngl, I had the exact same thing happen with a beat up old Pentax 50mm that wouldn't stop sticking. Hit it with a tiny bit of lighter fluid on a q-tip, worked it back and forth a few times, and it freed up like new. Just gotta be patient and not force it too hard or you'll strip something.

Holy hell, that's crazy. I can't believe the anodizing actually masks cracks like that. I always figured it was just a coating to stop corrosion, not something that could hide a failure point that might kill you. That's one of those details that makes you rethink your whole gear check routine. Makes me wanna double check every piece of aluminum I own tonight.

Did you hear about that guy who glued a whole ship model inside a bottle?

Were the holes originally sized for a specific type of silk thread from that era?