What lubricant would you use on the coarse threads that move a lens in and out for focusing?
This thread is has a pitch of about 2mm. It's the one that moves the body of the lens in and out as the focus ring is rotated.
I feel that grease - such as lithium grease - seems a bit thick and draggy, though it would help damp and movement and cut out free play.
Would a thin machine oil be too thin?
Daniele
What lubricant would you use on the coarse threads that move a lens in and out for focusing?
This thread is has a pitch of about 2mm. It's the one that moves the body of the lens in and out as the focus ring is rotated.
I feel that grease - such as lithium grease - seems a bit thick and draggy, though it would help damp and movement and cut out free play.
Would a thin machine oil be too thin?
Vaseline or Silicon grease
There's a discussion about this here:-
PROBABLY silicone spray VERY sparingly applied
You need to tell us more. Is it a metal or a plastic thread? Is it in something which runs warm, like a slide or video projector?
I don't like the sound of "free play".
In fact there is none, so no need to worry about that. It's the lens of a 35mm camera.
Daniele
Lithium grease?
Daniele
More generally, what would you use to lubricate the sliding/rotating parts of an old camera mechanism?
It's about 34 years old, and has seen quite a bit of use, by the look of it. There's what appears to be dry black old grease collected in a few coners of the mechanism, by I don't know if that's dried up and dusty oil or whether it started out as grease.
Daniele
Depends on whether there's any plastic nearby. Solvents in some greases, especially molybdenum greases, will cause irreversible swelling in some plastics.
Mostly though, it doesn't matter. Some lightweight grease that doesn't have a vapour problem will be fine - and that's most of them.
Personally I use vaseline.
I wouldn't use silicone, as it's impossible to clean off and it always migrates where you don't want it.
Fast-acting mechanisms like shutters, aperture irises and auto-focus mechanisms are another issue. Also microscopes, as some microscope illuminators can get very hot. Use the maker's recommended grease.
Very little, a bit like sewing machine lubrication a small amount is all that is needed and too much is far more harmful than too little. On old cameras a good clean is always the first step and often all that is needed. Be careful in what you use in that some manufacturers deliberately use alcohol soluble thread sealant on screws to allow disassembly if necessary so avoid alcohol based cleaners if you don't want to compromise the thread sealant.
Most camera parts need no lubrication, just cleaning. Shutter mechanisms in particular normally need no lubrication. Those parts that do need lubricating you can use a silicone grease or white lithium grease in very very small quantities.
Silicone greases/oils often need nothing more than a very thin film (after cleaning the thread or slideway) to be effective. A light spray of furniture polish such as Pledge on a cloth and left to dry for 5 minutes before wiping it over the thread also often works.
It's not unknown for that to be used and results are initially ok, but a high melting point lithium grease would be the one to use. Consider how hot a lens can get in the sun; you don't want off-gassing of the grease, depositing shit on the internal glass, neither do you want the grease liquifying and flowing where it shouldn't.
Many just use what they have available and report good results, but it's a pita having to do it again if the wrong choice is made.
"D.M. Procida" wrote in message news:1kua7jb.rwrpvp13jnookN% snipped-for-privacy@apple-juice.co.uk...
ISTR that something called ragazine (ragasine) used to be the thing. Gave a nice pro-feeling resistance.
Spray on PTFE lubricant?
Then as others said, you need to think about volatiles. It also rather depends on the camera; for a classic Leica I would take it to a specialist.
If it is old, with metal threads, and the problem is that it has gone stiff, this may mean the original lubricant (probably just a trace of oil or grease) has become thicker with age, perhaps with an accumulation of dirt or wear debris. In that case, displacing the old lubricant without stripping would be the problem (if you can strip it fully it will be easy). If it is newer, with plastic threads that might have become rough, a whiff of silicone spray might work. But you have to watch out for lubricant getting on the lens surfaces and also think about the effect on other mechanisms such as the shutter and diaphragm.
If you tell us what make and model, it would be a bit easier.
As I said earlier, it would be different for a Zorki and a Leica
I'd be reluctant to spray anything close to a camera/lens.
It's a Canon rangefinder that I bought on eBay for £30. I can afford to get it a bit wrong...
Daniele
On 29 Nov 2012, you wrote in uk.d-i-y:
Rocol Kilopoise. Unfortunately not available in small packs.
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