Changed my mind about ultrasonic cleaning for shutters

Used to think it was too risky for delicate leaf shutters until a guy in Denver showed me his test results from 30 cycles on a Compur Rapid with zero damage last summer, anyone else try it on older shutters?

3 comments

3 Comments

wrenh653d ago

What kind of solvent or solution did he use in the tank? Water with a drop of dish soap is a lot different than some of the aggressive ultrasonic cleaners people dump in. I've seen guys swear by simple green concentrate and that stuff eats away at old lubricants something fierce. Did he strip the shutter down to bare metal first or just dunk the whole assembly? Because I'd be worried about whatever old grease is still sitting on the leaf pivots getting cooked into a sticky mess after a few passes.

xena3733d ago

Man that's a really solid point about the old grease cooking into a mess. I've seen that happen on a friend's old Rolleiflex where he ran it through an ultrasonic with just some diluted degreaser and the leaf pivots gummed up so bad the blades wouldn't close all the way. Did that Denver guy mention whether he pre-soaked or heated the solution to keep the old lubricants from congealing? I'd be nervous about that too, especially on something as finicky as a Compur where the timing is so tight.

james_kim2d ago

Crazy thing you bring up pre-soaking. My uncle used to work on old Kodak folders back in the 70s and he swore by letting them sit in a tray of lighter fluid for a full day before he even touched a Q-tip. Said it loosened the decades of gunk without blasting it all loose at once. That Compur shutter he worked on after a soak like that still runs smooth to this day last I checked. The ultrasonic thing scares me honestly because I've seen those waves just drive old dried out grease right into the blade pivots and it's a nightmare to clean out. I'd rather do it the slow way with patience and a steady hand than risk that.