That time a Yashica Electro 35 sat in a damp basement for 15 years

Found a Yashica Electro 35 GT at a thrift store last month, body was crusty but the lens looked clear. After three days of cleaning contacts and replacing the light seals with adhesive foam, the meter came back to life and the shutter started firing right on speed. Has anyone else had luck reviving those old Yashicas with the pad of death issue, or is it usually a lost cause?

2 comments

2 Comments

wells.morgan1mo ago

You've dealt with the pad of death on one of these? In my experience it's usually fixable if you catch it early, but if it's been sitting for 15 years in a damp basement the foam might have completely turned to sticky goo. I'd check the shutter blades first, that's where the trouble usually starts. Taking the top cover off and cleaning the old foam residue out with isopropyl alcohol has worked for me more times than not. Your mileage may vary of course, but I've brought three of these back from the dead with that method.

jakewhite1mo ago

Wait, are we calling 15 years in damp basement "early" now? If that foam has been breaking down that long you're dealing with more than just the standard pad of death issue. I've had two of these where the shutter blades themselves corroded from the moisture and no amount of alcohol cleaning was gonna fix pitting on the metal. The meter coming back is a good sign but that sticky goo migrates down into the aperture mechanism too, not just the shutter blades. You got lucky if yours cleaned up, but I'd bet money that basement unit has internal corrosion that's gonna show up in the photos as uneven exposure or sticky aperture blades.