TIL about cleaning focus helicoid grease with lighter fluid

Overheard a retired repair guy at a camera show in Toronto saying he uses Ronsonol to clean old Helios-44 grease before relubing, claims it dissolves the old stuff without damaging the brass. Has anyone tried this method on a stuck M42 lens?

3 comments

3 Comments

michaelgrant6d ago

Ronsonol works fine but your lens will smell like a campfire for a week.

dixon.james6d ago

That campfire smell is real. I did the same thing with a cheap Zorki lens a few years back and couldn't get the odor out no matter how much I aired it. @logan561 might have had a similar issue with that Helios. What worked for me was using Naphtha instead of Ronsonol. It evaporates way cleaner and your lens doesn't end up smelling like a cheap motel barbecue grill. Ronsonol is fine for quick jobs but if you're soaking stuff you gotta vent it somewhere with a fan for a day or two.

logan5616d ago

My buddy Jake tried this on his broken Helios 44 from a flea market. He used some cheap lighter fluid from a gas station because he didn't have Ronsonol. The old grease melted off pretty good but he left the lens soaking in a cup of it for like 2 hours and then the brass started looking weird and cloudy. The helicoid turned smooth after relube but now the lens smells like a burnt match every time he uses it in summer. He gave up and just bought another one off eBay for 30 bucks.