A sticky shutter on a Pentax 67 in a dusty Arizona shop taught me a new trick

I was in my old shop in Tucson, working on a Pentax 67 that had a shutter that would stick open. The owner said it happened after a day out in the desert. I figured it was just sand, so I started the usual clean. But when I got the mirror box open, I saw the real problem: a tiny bit of old foam seal had turned to sticky goo and was gumming up the whole curtain track. It wasn't grit at all. I had to carefully pick it all out with a sharpened toothpick and a drop of lighter fluid on a swab, being super careful not to touch the curtain. It took about two hours of slow work, but the shutter started firing cleanly again. The owner was thrilled he didn't need a full curtain replacement. What's the weirdest gunk you've ever found causing a major issue?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_wells871mo ago

That gooey foam is such a classic killer! A tiny drop of lighter fluid on a q-tip is the magic trick, just like you said. Let it soak the gunk for a minute before you gently wipe. I keep a pack of sharpened bamboo skewers just for scraping that sticky tar out of tracks without scratching anything. Patience is everything with that mess.

the_evan1mo ago

Honestly, I feel like my success rate for cleaning gooey foam is just "hope for the best, dig out a disaster" in disguise. Ngl, I've definitely used a toothpick with such clumsy force that I accidentally flicked a blob of tar onto my own shirt and called it a day. Tbh, I think the real magic trick is convincing yourself you're being precise while you're actually just making a bigger mess.

quinn_wood1mo ago

Oh man, foam turning to tar is the worst. Had a similar mess with an old Nikon FE where the light seal goo seeped into the film advance gears. Felt like cleaning ancient syrup out of a watch.

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