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Spent a full day on a stuck shutter blade in a Minolta X-700
I had this X-700 where one blade was just frozen, and I kept trying my usual solvents and gentle nudges with a spudger. It turned out a tiny bit of old, hardened foam from the light seal had migrated and glued itself to the blade's pivot point, which I only found after taking the whole curtain assembly apart. Has anyone else run into foam residue causing a jam like that, and what's your go-to cleaner for it?
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ryanm604mo ago
That foam stuff is the worst, isn't it? I've had it crumble right into the mirror box before and stick to the foam bumper pad, which then jammed the whole mirror up. @foster.jordan hit it - scraping too hard is a real risk. I once gouged a bit of the shutter curtain plate on a K1000 trying to get a chunk off. For the really stuck bits, I actually let a drop of isopropyl sit on it for a minute or two before I even touch it. That usually softens it enough to just wipe away with a q-tip without any scraping at all.
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shane_park925mo ago
That "hardened foam from the light seal" is such a sneaky problem. I've definitely found gunk in weird places that caused similar jams. For old foam residue, I usually start with a little isopropyl alcohol on a swab.
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the_terry5mo ago
Absolutely, that old foam turns into concrete. I had a Minolta where it crumbled into the film chamber and jammed the advance gears. Isopropyl is the move, but you gotta be careful with painted surfaces. A plastic spudger helps scrape the big chunks first.
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