Ditched the IPA for n-heptane on shutter cleaning jobs

I used to swear by isopropyl alcohol for cleaning old shutter blades. Been doing it that way since I started repairing cameras 6 years ago. Then I messed up a set of blades on a Kodak Retina IIa last month. The IPA got behind the coating and left a cloudy residue. I was mad enough to try anything. A guy at the local camera swap meet in Portland told me to try n-heptane. I bought a small bottle for $12. First test on a junker shutter was night and day. The n-heptane evaporates clean and doesn't attack the old lubricants or blade coatings. Has anyone found a better solvent for sticky shutter blades that's still safe on old brass and paint?

3 comments

3 Comments

jesse_nguyen23d ago

Made a mess of a $300 camera over some cloudy residue?

wade_perez22d ago

Gosh, that's just heartbreaking to read. A $300 camera is a serious piece of equipment, not a toy you can just take apart on a whim. You have to wonder if they even looked up a tutorial first, or if they just started prying things open. Something like that could have been fixed with a simple lens cleaning cloth and a steady hand, not a full disassembly. What a shame to lose that kind of money over something so preventable.

tyler4922d ago

Did you actually go through with taking the whole thing apart? I feel your pain, I messed up a perfectly good Canon once trying to get a speck of dust off the sensor and it was a brutal lesson. It's such a bummer because that cloudy residue is usually just a bit of moisture or a smudge that a microfiber cloth could have fixed without touching a single screw.