50mm Elmar -- stiff focus

[paul_neuthaler]

Great looking lens arrived today with great looking IIIF RD ST. Lens focus

stiff: what, if any, lubricant, could I put on threads, albeit in a minute

quantity on a Q-tip?

[vivek iyer]

Check microtools website.

[jerry_pfile3]

As I recall from her talk at an LHSA meeting a few years back, Sherry Krauter indicated that Leitz/Leica uses 13 different lubricants on their bodies and lenses.

 

Obviously there must be a reason for that.

 

Jerry

[john_shriver]

This is a valid do it at home project. Remove the long stop screw on the outer ring. Unscrew the helical, note orientation when they separate. Clean out both threads completely.

 

Lubriplate from a hardware store should work fine. A white lithium grease. Might be too slippery. LaBelle 106 is a white grease with Teflon powder in it, might be smoother. (LaBelle sells through hobby dealers.)

 

Put back together with the grease. You know you're on the right start of the threads if the focusing tab "lands" on the ring right when you're at infinity. Put the long screw back.

 

You don't want to run that helical dry, or with grit in it, or it will get sloppy and loose like my Elmar...

[michael_hassoun3]

Paul, if you really want a smooth operation, you will need to

 

1-dismantle the focus helicoid (I think it's quite simple and involves releasing the stop screw). In any attempt to completely unscrew an helicoid, it is very important to mark exactly where the two parts are separating as there are several threads.

 

2-Clean the old lube residue with Nafta or lighter fluid.

 

3- relube. after a few trys, I found that you need grease and not oil. Silicon was too stiff. I finally used lithium grease on two lense that work really nice now.

 

good luck!

[vinay_patel]

Paul, here's what DAG told me one time: get some "light machine oil" (sewing machine oil is good)and put a single drop onto the focussing threads (turn the focus however you need to expose as much helical as possible). Then work the focus to and fro. He said it revives dry lube and it's worked for me on the rare occacsion I've bought a lens that wasn't worth putting money into a proper relube.

[Rob F.]

Radio Shack also sells a white synthetic lube grease, if you can't find it somewhere else. I use it for CLA on slide projectors.

 

However, if you have any 3-in-1 oil, try a drop of that! We've had reports that it, too, will revive the old lubricant, consistent with DAG's suggestion to use a light machine oil. While 3-in-1 is not the same as a fine machine oil, it does have some solvent properties that should be helpful.

[paul_neuthaler]

Thanks guys: this is what I did.

 

Decided not to take helical apart (I know who I am).

 

Bought lighter fluid & used Q-tip to clean threads as much as I cou(with lense off the camera, of course).

 

Again with a Q-tip, spread thin amount of white lithium grease on threads & excercised. Not perfect, but much smoother than before.

 

Thanks again. Now to shoot!

[jerry_lehrer1]

Paul,-- I have been told by expert technicians NEVER to use cotton swab Q-tips around fine instruments. The cotton fibers get deposited in the "works". They usr a foam plastic swab. Sold by electronics shops. My daughter gets them from Radio Shack. She frequently uses

toothpicks to deposit drops of lubricant.

 

Focusing helicoids frequently use a fibrous grease for damping.

 

Jerry

[35mmdelux]

"Bought lighter fluid"

 

do not try this procedure at home while smoking ;-)

[michael s.]

<< ... Decided not to take helical apart (I know who I am). ... >>

 

Same here, Paul.

 

I've found this to be the critical juncture of any 'repair' I attempt. :-)

[jkelly04]

I had a problem about a year back with a stiff Elmar focus ring. I sent it to Oleg in Russia - cost me $13, plus postage. It took about 3 weeks turnaround. He did a good job and cleaned the haze for free.

[tom_higgins3]

use it for a while, if it doesn't loosen up (i suspect it won't), get it serviced properly.it'll just

bug you otherwise.

[todd frederick]

On almost all lenses I've worked on I've used Rosonol Lighter Fluid.

 

I even got two frozen elements on an Agfa Isolette moving freely by soaking them overnight in lighter fluid. Did the trick on stuck aperture scales on older Leica lenses. It has a degreaser and a bit of lubricant.

 

It will also loosen stuck leaf shutters and winding mechanisms on cameras such as Rollei and other TLR's.

 

Don't use WD-40. That is only a water dispersant ("Water Dispersant formula #40")

 

Try Lighter Fluid.

[todd frederick]

PS...I have to say this about lighter fluid.

 

I recently bought a new laptop for my wife and she couldn't get the goo off when she removed some of the advertising stickers.Nothing worked and never use Acetone! Rosonol lighter fluid to the rescue! It took it right off. Amazing substance!

[Rob F.]

Todd: Have you tried "Goo Gone?" It's a citrus based liquid, made for the purpose; it works well.

[todd frederick]

Rob F, thank you for the suggestion. While I was writing my response about "goo" I thought of "Goo Gone" and wondered if it would work on cameras. Anyone try it?

[mharris]

Vinay has it right on. I did that before and it worked great. On another lens I had I needed to unscrew the helical. I found that the grease I had was too thick. What I did may make some cringe but I thinned some bearing grease with a light machine oil and used that. Talk about smooth focus.

[paul_neuthaler]

It's working smooth, but not loose. I'll try it for awhile & if I need more play, I'll go for some KY Jelly! Thanks for all the suggestions.

[vinay_patel]

"It's working smooth, but not loose. I'll try it for awhile & if I need more play, I'll go for some KY Jelly!"

 

Paul you're getting ahead of the rest of us, we're still talking about your lens ;-)

[paul_neuthaler]

Vinay, you're worse than I am. . .