Guy brought in a 1968 Nikon F and told me my repair bench setup was "too clean to be real"

Lily Fisher · 2026-09-22T14:40:03.606765+00:00

So this older guy walks into my little home shop last Tuesday with a Nikon F that had a locked advance lever, and while I'm pulling the baseplate he starts going off about how anyone with a tidy bench must not be doing real work. He said his old repair guy in Detroit had screwdrivers everywhere and that's how you knew he was legit. I just kind of laughed it off, but then I spent the rest of the week second guessing whether I'm too slow because I keep my drivers sorted and label every baggie. Turns out his camera had a bent advance pawl from a drop, and it took me 40 minutes to sort out, which honestly felt fine. But now I'm curious, does anyone else here keep a messy bench on purpose, or is that just something old timers say?

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Guy brought in a 1968 Nikon F and told me my repair bench setup was "too clean to be real" | Camera Repairers - Librear