shane_park92•2mo agoMost Upvoted

I used to think fixing old Polaroids was a waste of time

Three years ago in my Denver shop, a guy brought in a broken SX-70 and I almost turned him away. I finally opened it up last week and found the issue was just a single corroded gear, part number 60743. Replacing that $5 part brought the whole camera back to life and the look on his face was just amazing. Has anyone else had a simple fix totally change how you see a 'junk' camera model?

4 comments

4 Comments

brianreed2mo ago

Come on, that's just a lucky find. For every story like that, there are ten cameras where the corrosion is everywhere and you waste hours just to find it's a total loss. I get what @smith.parker is saying about the good feeling, but time is money. Most of these old things are just donor parts at best.

smith.parker1mo ago

Actually, that 1 in 10 chance where it cleans up nice is exactly why I keep doing it. The feeling when you pull that first roll of film out and it's got usable shots, man, that's not something you can just put a dollar sign on. Sure, time is money if you're trying to flip them, but for some of us, it's more like picking through the bargain bin at a record store. Sometimes you come up empty, but when you don't, it makes all the duds worth it.

drew_hart42mo ago

Still seems like a waste to me.

smith.parker2mo ago

Depends what you mean by waste. Some things just make life better even if they don't make money. A home cooked meal takes time, but the result is worth it. It's about the experience, not just the bottom line.