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Caught myself trying to fix a shutter with a q-tip again
I keep seeing people online say to use q-tips for cleaning shutter blades on old SLRs (you know, like the Pentax Spotmatics from the 70s). Tried it on a beater camera last month and ended up with cotton fibers stuck in the mechanism, had to take it apart twice more to get them out. Am I the only one who thinks micro-tweezers and a blower are way better for this?
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charles_mitchell9h ago
Yeah, I've been down that exact road and it's a pain. Cotton fibers are a nightmare to get out once they're in there, especially if you've already got them wedged between the blades. I've had good luck with a can of compressed air and a fine-pointed pair of tweezers, but I also keep a little piece of lens cleaning tissue folded over and damp with lighter fluid, just to catch any stubborn spots. Just gotta be really careful not to push the blades with the tweezers, you can bend them easy. After a few tries you sorta get a feel for what actually works and what's just wasting your time.
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oh man the "q-tip for shutter blades" thing drives me nuts. i see that advice thrown around all the time too and its just asking for trouble. i mean yeah maybe if youre super careful and use a really high quality q-tip with no loose fuzz but even then the risk of leaving fibers behind is huge. micro tweezers are the way to go for sure, i use a pair of vetus ones that are super pointy and they let me get in there without touching anything else. also i gotta say a rocket blower is probably the best first step for any shutter cleaning, youd be surprised how much dust just needs a good puff.
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