M bayonet lubrication

[henry_ting2]

One of my M6's bayonet mount is getting really tight due to lack of

lubricants. Have anybody tried lubricating it with vaseline as

recommended by Leica ? Have anybody tried it and will it cause hazing

or fogging on the viewfinder/lens on a long-term basis ?

Thanks

[m_.]

My suggestion is that, if your Leica mounting unit needs lubrication, the camera itself needs a CLA (clean-lubricate-adjust). I learned that from many nice folks on this site.

[jay_.]

Vaseline has a very low liquifying temperature so while Leica's instructions indicate to apply a "thin" coat, realize that adjective is vague and subjective. Dip just the first millimeter of the tip of a cotton bud into the Vasline and wipe it once quickly around the flat part of the *lens* rear flanges, not the camera body, then use the dry opposite end of the cotton bud to make another wipe. That's it. If it doesn't cure the tightness, and I doubt that it will, the camera flange bayonet claws or the spring plate under the flange may be bent, worn or dirty. If you are handy with tools you can disassemble the body flange and its components and shims and clean everything in parts cleaner and reassemble. Some people would say the body will need to be recollimated but that's pure bullsh*t as long as you put everything together exactly as it was.

[james_elwing]

I would certainly clean the mount without dissasembly using a small amount of non residual petroleum type solvent (white petroleum spirit / white spirit / lighter fluid etc) on cotton bud /Q tip

before I used any kind of lubricant. Any dried previous lubricant or rubbish build-up can cause the action to tighten up. I would probably do the same to the camera mount. I have never used vaseline, but if Leica recommend it it should be ok. You probably need to wipe almost all of it off. It's probably completely wrong, but I tend to use a minimal amount of thin silicone spray lubricant on cotton bud. With regard to what Jay says, I have purchased damaged LTM / M bayonet converters which needed a bit of a twist into shape before they fitted OK, but they were visibly distorted from being dropped. Never needed to send a camera away for a CLA for this problem

[jerry_pfile1]

Henry,

 

A little "nose" grease applied from time to time is all you need. Has worked for me for almost 45 years and many thousands of lens changes.

 

Best,

 

Jerry

[doug herr]

<I>I tend to use a minimal amount of thin silicone spray lubricant on cotton bud</I><P>

 

If you ever get any on a lens kiss the coatings goodbye. Either a trace of Vaseline or nose grease will work fine.

[stephen_w.]

Another vote for nose grease. But, on the camera's mount. I try and keep the lenses clean, as when capped, the cap will accumulate crud that may work its way into the lens or scratch the mounts.

[steve_barnett2]

Nose grease, or Vaseline, but under no circumstances anything that couldn't theoretically be washed off with soapy water. This most definitly rules out silicone lube, a disaster waiting to happen.

[harry_soletsky1]

Personally I use only lens fluid to clean lens mounts and bayonet mounts using Q-tips to apply and to remove the fluid from the surfaces.

[gee-bug]

I occasionally use one of those silicon-impregnated gun cleaning cloths on the exterior of the camera (except for the glass parts, of course). It works well, kind of like Armor All. It also lubricates the mounting flange.