Canonet 19 iris blades sticking

[alex_roggero]

<p>Hello,<br>

I have a 1961 Canonet 19 (bottom winder) in perfect condition, apart from sticking iris blades. I have taken the from element off and flushed it with lighter fluid. It works fine for a minute but after i have the problem again. i can close down to f16 bu then when i try to open the iris, it stays at f16.<br>

On this site I saw this input by Frank Wilson.<br>

"On all older Canonet cameras I had removed the lens along with its attached mounting board and of course the lens assemblies were removed also. Then I left the lens set for one month in a covered tub submersed in solvent. Once a week I would remove the assembly and let it drain for an hour. Then I refilled the tub with fresh solvent again and soak it for another week. Every week I drained the solvent and let the lens assembly set out for one hour and added fresh solvent. After the 30 days expired I let the lens assembly dry out for a week and the shutter and aperture did work like new again. "<br>

I PM'd him but got no answer. <br>

Can anyone tell me what solvent he is talking about?<br>

Also how do I remove the lens? Do i take off the three screws on the barrel? Do i need to take apart the Copal shutter? i hear it is the work of the devil and my tech knowledge is limited.<br>

Could i place the camera upside down in a tray with lighter fluid at just the right level to soak the entire lens and do it that way?<br>

If anyone has any tips, i would really appreciate it. the camera is perfect, even the auto exposure with the selenium cells works perfectly so i would like to have this iris blade issue resolved.<br>

Many thanks, regards<br>

alex</p>

[john_shriver]

<p>Traditional solvent is naphtha, readily available as lighter fluid.<br>

I don't know the details for this camera, but generally you have to peel back the leatherette on the front of the camera to expose the screws holding the lens/shutter assembly to the body.</p>

[jim_baughman]

<p>You don't need to buy lighter fluid to use on camera parts. Naphtha can be found in most hardware stores by the quart at a fraction of the price. It seems to work ok in lighters too.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Although the lighter fluid plastic container is itself handy as a dispenser. Buy it once and refill from the pint or quart from the hardware store.<br /> That being said, don't flood the camera or its parts. Use small amounts, work the camera, and then repeat until it loosens up. May need to pick up the dirty fluid with a Q-tip or some such.</p>

<p>DON'T FORCE IT!</p>

[alex_roggero]

<p>Thanks to all. I flushed it with zippo lighter fluid and this time waited several days to let it dry out well. Works perfectly now. Obviously my mistake was not letting it dry out very well after flushing. </p>