Pro tip: soak a stuck focusing ring in isopropyl alcohol overnight

My old Pentax 6x7 had a lens that wouldn't budge past the 3-foot mark, and after two days of gentle heat and force the alcohol trick loosened it right up, has anyone else tried this on their older Mamiya or Pentax gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthony_fox9014d ago

Tried it on a stuck helicoid on an old Mamiya RB67 lens (the 127mm) and it worked like a charm after a solid 12 hour soak. Just make sure you re-grease it with something like white lithium after, or it'll seize up again way faster.

palmer.henry14d ago

That "solid 12 hour soak" is the key, yeah... I've done the same with a stuck 50mm f/1.4 lens, left it in kroil overnight and it freed right up. But I learned the hard way about the grease part. Skipped the relube once and the helicoid felt gritty again within a month. White lithium is good though, I've used Super Lube and it's held up fine for a couple years on that same lens now.