sewing machine oil CLA

[Wayne]

Can I use it to loosen up sticky shutter in an old Alphax, as a last resort before sending it to SK?


Wayne

[Ryuji]

No. When you have sticky shutter, you want to use lighter fluid, xylene, or other suitable solvent to dissolve the grease. High speed, small friction surface should not be lubricated with any fluid. They are usually surface treated to minimize friction anyway.

I am not an Alphax shutter expert (though I've worked with one in the past), but in Copal and Seiko lens shutters, there are only a couple of places that need to be lubricated, and each one of those places require light machine oil held at the tip of a pin, or less. One place requires watch grease (lithium or molybdenum grease) but again, an amount is very small. Any excess of grease or oil will result in similar sticky shutter failure soon.

[athanasius80]

I would use synthetic watch oil before using sewing machine oil for any shutter lube. But to free a shutter, you'd want to clean the dirty parts with a solvent before relubricating anyway.

[Wayne]

No. When you have sticky shutter, you want to use lighter fluid, xylene, or other suitable solvent to dissolve the grease. High speed, small friction surface should not be lubricated with any fluid. They are usually surface treated to minimize friction anyway.

I am not an Alphax shutter expert (though I've worked with one in the past), but in Copal and Seiko lens shutters, there are only a couple of places that need to be lubricated, and each one of those places require light machine oil held at the tip of a pin, or less. One place requires watch grease (lithium or molybdenum grease) but again, an amount is very small. Any excess of grease or oil will result in similar sticky shutter failure soon.

Isnt sewing machine oil a "light machine oil"?

I did the Ronsonol thing a couple years ago and it wasnt enuff.


Wayne

[Dave Parker]

Sewing machine oil is not the best route to follow, if you have a slow shutter, you will actually end up compounding the problem, most likely if you use the sewing maching oil you may see an improvement for a small amount of time, but as the oil interegrates itself into the dirt that is already there, your going to see the slow down again.


Many of the older shutters were designed not to require oils, your best bet is going to be send it in and get a CLA done on it...

Dave

[BrianShaw]

Isnt sewing machine oil a "light machine oil"?

I did the Ronsonol thing a couple years ago and it wasnt enuff.


Wayne

Watch oil is more refined than "light machine oil" and is formulated so it doesn't migrate easily. If your flush job didn't last it probably is because the shutter didn't get full cleaned. Your description suggests to me that it needs to be diassembled and given a really good, thoruough cleaning.

[glbeas]

I'd think one of those ultrasonic jewelry cleaners with the proper solvent in it would be as good as it gets. Is that what the professionals use?

[Ryuji]

I did the Ronsonol thing a couple years ago and it wasnt enuff.

In order to do it right, you have to disassemble and clean each blade, driving mechanism and timing mechanisms separately. I usually take them apart and immerse them in a solvent in a jar. Then I take it on a dish, flood the part with solvent, and work the mechanism. Rinse it in the jar again.

No amount of lubrication can substitute for proper cleaning.