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Re: [OM] Helicoid lubricant

Subject: Re: [OM] Helicoid lubricant
From: "Lex Jenkins" <lexjenkins@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 00:48:17 GMT
I'll bet John Hermanson will join in advising against this sort of approach. There's a delicate balance between grease that has sufficient body to prevent migration in normal use, while providing lubricity and ease of movement. IOW, don't mess with solvents or thinners. They'll wind up exactly where you don't want 'em - on the iris and lens elements.

Another factor is understanding the purpose of grease in a mechanism - it isn't always for lubrication. Sometimes it's there to reduce vibration (typical of spring-piston airguns). I suspect that the purpose of grease in focus and zoom mechanisms is primarily to provide damping and "feel", less so for lubrication, particularly in well designed and fitted parts that are essentially self-lubricating (brass against steel, for example) and are subject to relatively little wear anyway. Grease can also be used to exclude contamination from dirt and abrasives, something many of us know who did our own bicycle repairs years ago before sealed bearings were common. Grease that was too thin might provide better lubricity, but at the cost of poor exclusion of grit.

Are you sure your lenses aren't worth the expense of doing it right? Even if it's just a 50/1.4, there's no guarantee that a replacement would have exactly the optical characteristics that you like in your particular lens.

Anyway, that's how I justified spending a hunnertfifty bux on a CLA and meter repair for my Can-not-an-OM-on FTbn a few years ago. Just couldn't get rid of an old friend.
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Lex Jenkins
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"Budda-budda-budda!!!" - Sgt. Rock
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From: Morgan Sparks <msparks@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [OM] Helicoid lubricant
Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2000 10:20:38 -0400

...I'm wondering if there's some way to
loosen up some of my stiff-focusing lenses.  It seems like any lubricant
should have a proper thinner/solvent...Or, can a compatible grease be dabbed on the threads and "worked in"?
I'm trying to avoid disassembly and cleaning, which isn't economically
justified for these lenses.


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