My Yashica-Mat shutter finally gave up after 40 years of use

Picked up this Yashica-Mat EM at a garage sale back in 85 for $20. It was my go-to for street portraits. Last week the shutter started hanging up at 1/500. Took it apart and found a dried up blob of old lubricant on the escapement gear. Cleaned it with some naphtha and its back to working order. Anyone else find old lube turns into a sticky mess after a few decades?

3 comments

3 Comments

finley_bennett281mo ago

I used to be one of those people who thought a little old grease or oil in a camera was no big deal, like it would just stay put forever. Then a few years ago I picked up a Minolta Autocord from an estate sale, and the whole focusing helix was frozen solid with this brown sticky gunk that smelled like old motor oil. I had to soak the whole assembly in lighter fluid for two days to get it moving again. After that experience, I started reading up on how old lubricants actually break down into a glue-like mess, especially synthetic blends from the 70s and 80s. Your Yashica story totally matches what I've seen now with vintage gear - it's almost always the old lube causing the problem, not actual mechanical wear. I'm glad you got it sorted out with the naphtha, that stuff is like magic for dissolving old grease without hurting the metal.

the_ruby1mo ago

Ha! Sounds like that camera needed a spa day, not a repair.

briancampbell1mo ago

Actually I'm gonna push back on that "old lube is always the problem" take. Half the vintage cameras I've fixed had dried grease but the real issue was worn gears or bent rails that no amount of naphtha will fix. Sometimes soaking stuff in lighter fluid just makes it loose enough to mask the real damage.