lubricating escapements

[P3D Gary Cullen <cullen@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

John B wrote:

>> As far as should there be any lubricant left the answer is no for any
area
>> where the shutter blades touch and yes for other areas such as cams,
>> cocking lever contact areas and slow speed escapements.

>On the escapements, you mean the bearings where the pins go through the
>plates, not where the pallets meet the escapement wheel, right?  Also
>not the faces of gear teeth but again only the axles.  I find that if
>I lube those areas, the timer b o g s   d o w n n n .

Yes, where the pins go through, not gear faces just the axles. If the slow
speeds are the only problem with a shutter you may find a tiny bit of oil
on the pallet tips will restore its function. That would most likely be
because the pallet or wheel tips are a little dirty and the tiny bit of oil
does the job, but it may or may not continue to function for a long time
without a proper cleaning. 
When I worked for Canon in the 70's we always removed the shutter blades,
iris blades and control rings for cleaning,  we didn't soak the whole
shutter in solvent. It was a lot of work on many shutters. I now think it
is better to soak the whole unit and re-lube the points that need it
because it gets out any oil hiding in the "works". You will have to remove
slow speed escapements and self timers to lubricate them but it's usually
not too difficult.
The oil that gets into most leaf shutters is from the thinning of the
grease in the focusing helical. This is not a problem in most stereo
cameras as many have film plane focusing. I don't think I recall seeing a
Realist with oil on the blades (unless someone oiled them!). Realists
usually have slow speed problems or cocking/release trouble. Kodaks and
others with front cell focusing would be more susceptible to oil in the
shutter.
If some one is looking for a cheap sound cleaner check at a large jewelry
store. They sell small sound cleaners for cleaning jewelry and work
perfectly well for shutters. You will have to be careful with the solvent
you chose if the cleaner is plastic. Don't leave the shutter in any longer
than 3-5 minutes (times two cleanings) or you may have trouble with screws
that come loose!

Gary 


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