I found a stuck aperture ring on a vintage Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 that came loose after a 24-hour soak in lighter fluid, not the usual naptha.

The solvent's slightly different viscosity seemed to creep into the hardened grease better, and now I'm curious if anyone else has a go-to penetrating fluid for seized helicoids that isn't the standard recommendation.

2 comments

2 Comments

harper_shah412d ago

Honestly, lighter fluid is a solid pick because it's mostly naptha anyway. For really stubborn helicoids, I've had good luck with a 50/50 mix of automatic transmission fluid and acetone. It's thin enough to creep but leaves a tiny bit of lubrication behind so it's not totally dry when you start working it loose. The key is letting it sit for a couple days, working the mechanism just a tiny bit each day to help it along. Straight acetone can work faster but it dries out any remaining grease completely, which can lead to scoring if you force it.

felix_chen102d ago

Nice, that ATF/acetone trick sounds way smarter than my usual soak-and-pray method. Might have to steal that for the next crusty old lens I find.