Used to pull every focus ring dry before cleaning it, now I dunk the whole unit in 99% iso first and I feel like an idiot for not doing this sooner

Robert Smith · 2026-10-08T04:50:05.295033+00:00

Got a Canon FD 50mm 1.4 in last Tuesday with the classic stuck focus. For 8 years I've been pulling the ring, scraping the old grease out with a toothpick, re-greasing, the whole slow dance. Two hours minimum if nothing fought me. Buddy who does watch repair asked why I don't just soak the helicoid assembly. Told him I was scared of the coating on the glass. He said pull the glass out first, genius. So now I pull the element stack, drop the bare barrel in a jar of 99% iso for 20 minutes, wipe, re-grease, done in 40 minutes. Forty minutes instead of two hours. I've done 6 lenses this way now. Only thing is I wrecked one aperture blade set by leaving it in too long on the first try. Lesson learned on timing. Anybody else soak their helicoids or am I the only one late to this?

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Used to pull every focus ring dry before cleaning it, now I dunk the whole unit in 99% iso first and I feel like an idiot for not doing this sooner | Camera Repairers - nhfree.com