Nikkor 300mm f/5.6 Copal 3 Shutter: Oil-Soaked Blades
Originally posted on Instagram. Notes from the repair bench, kept here as a searchable archive. View the original on Instagram
This Nikkor 300 f/5.6 lens in a Copal 3 shutter arrived with a ridiculous amount of oil on all of the shutter parts. The shutter would not even fire as the blades were so coated with oil.
My client purchased this lens/shutter recently and the seller said that the slow speeds were not working so he squirted oil into the shutter. Very bad idea. The shutter needed a complete disassembly, all the parts and blades removed and the oil cleaned up (at least it was not WD-40).
If you ever have a sticking shutter please do not apply even one drop of oil! The repairs will be more costly if any oil is put into the shutter.
The first photo shows how I like to repair leaf shutters using a small lab jack to bring the shutter close to my eyes. Good lighting and magnification is important when working on leaf shutters. And, you need to develop a spring management technique.
