I was wondering whether reports on cleaning SLRs would be of interest here in the forum.
After all, these are not exciting repair projects, but „just“ the same old tasks like cleaning the housing, optics and mirror, contacts and removal of leaked battery electrolyte.
Heavily soiled SLR housings are best cleaned when disassembled in order to thoroughly remove all dirt.
The latter can however
become quite demanding projects if parts of the camera's electronics are damaged.
Leaked battery electrolyte lasts for decades and can destroy parts of the electronics.
Since the housing always has to be removed for a thorough cleaning, there is more or less disassembly work involved here, even if sliding contacts around the bayonet have to be exposed.
Last but not least
with the 1980s SLRs you also need a soldering iron to unsolder cables that connect the top cover to the housing in particular.
On many SLRs, cables have to be desoldered in order to remove the top cover.
Wipers and contact tracks, like the one here around the bayonet of a Minolta XD, also sometimes need to be cleaned so that the camera functions properly again.
So I assume
that reports on this can be useful, especially since cleaning work and repairing damage caused by battery electrolyte are probably the most common DIY activities.
A foam bath after decades of service is good
I will therefore continue to report on this in detail and repairs almost always include removing the housing, which can be cleaned at the same time.
+++
All information provided without guarantee and use at your own risk.
After all, these are not exciting repair projects, but „just“ the same old tasks like cleaning the housing, optics and mirror, contacts and removal of leaked battery electrolyte.
Heavily soiled SLR housings are best cleaned when disassembled in order to thoroughly remove all dirt.
The latter can however
become quite demanding projects if parts of the camera's electronics are damaged.
Leaked battery electrolyte lasts for decades and can destroy parts of the electronics.
Since the housing always has to be removed for a thorough cleaning, there is more or less disassembly work involved here, even if sliding contacts around the bayonet have to be exposed.
Last but not least
with the 1980s SLRs you also need a soldering iron to unsolder cables that connect the top cover to the housing in particular.
On many SLRs, cables have to be desoldered in order to remove the top cover.
Wipers and contact tracks, like the one here around the bayonet of a Minolta XD, also sometimes need to be cleaned so that the camera functions properly again.
So I assume
that reports on this can be useful, especially since cleaning work and repairing damage caused by battery electrolyte are probably the most common DIY activities.
A foam bath after decades of service is good
I will therefore continue to report on this in detail and repairs almost always include removing the housing, which can be cleaned at the same time.
+++
All information provided without guarantee and use at your own risk.
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