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Sticky shutter button on a Canon AE-1 fixed with a q-tip
Was fixing a customer's AE-1 at the shop last Thursday. Shutter button felt gritty and stuck halfway. Took a q-tip with a tiny drop of lighter fluid to the edges, worked it in. Clicked clean after that. Anyone else got weird quick fixes that actually work?
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brookep6216d ago
Oh man, lighter fluid is a classic. I fixed a sticky shutter release on my old Minolta SRT once with a q-tip too. But I used isopropyl alcohol instead of lighter fluid. Worked a charm. It's wild what a little cleaning can do for these old mechanical cameras.
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elizabeth43815d agoTop Commenter
Gotta agree with @brookep62 on that. The lighter fluid trick works because it displaces moisture and leaves no residue, while isopropyl can sometimes leave a white film on certain plastics. I've used naptha lighter fluid for years on old shutters and never had an issue.
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taylor_flores16d ago
Oh wait, isn't isopropyl alcohol risky for some camera parts? I've heard it can mess with certain plastics or coatings on old lenses. Lighter fluid evaporates so fast it's usually safer for delicate stuff.
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