I was cleaning shutter blades wrong for years and didn't know it

Honestly, I always used a cotton swab and a bit of lighter fluid on old SLR shutters, thinking it was fine. Then last month, a guy brought in a Nikon FM2 with a sticky curtain and mentioned he'd seen a video where they used a specific plastic tool. I tried it on a junk body first, just gently pushing the grime off instead of rubbing, and the difference was huge. The blades moved smoother and I didn't risk bending anything. It made me go back and check three other cameras I'd 'fixed' recently. Has anyone else switched their method for this and seen better results?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimfisher3d ago

My old Minolta's been running fine for a decade with my q-tip method, so I'm not fully sold on needing a special tool. Seems like one of those things that gets overcomplicated online.

rowanhernandez3d ago

Honestly the q-tip thing works until it doesn't. Cotton fibers can get caught in the film gate and leave little hairs on your negatives. A proper swab is cheap and won't shed. It's one of those things you don't miss until you ruin a roll of your best shots.

craig.alex3d ago

My q-tip method worked great until it left a tiny sweater on my last roll of film.