Grease and lubrication for Rollei 35 camera lens barrel

salmonito · Jun 12, 2016

Hi, I am new to this forum. I've recently acquired a Rollei 35 Tessar in mint condition. Lens barrel moves very nice. I worry however, that if I use it extensively I might as well provide some lubrication on the shiny barrel to prolong the nice smooth motion. Of course I do not know if this is common practice for this camera. There is some sort of slight grease on the barrel already. Any ideas suggestions? What kind of grease would it be? I could not find anything about lubrication in the repair manual, except for some oil part numbers... Thanks.

4season · Jun 12, 2016

I think it's not critical as long as you apply it very sparingly lest it attract dust. Manual mentions Vaseline as one of the recommended lubricants, and I think this is a good place for it. Darker-colored lubricants like graphite are generally not used in areas where they could come into contact with your hands or clothing because of the potential for unsightly staining.

salmonito · Jun 12, 2016

4season said:
I think it's not critical as long as you apply it very sparingly lest it attract dust. Manual mentions Vaseline as one of the recommended lubricants, and I think this is a good place for it. Darker-colored lubricants like graphite are generally not used in areas where they could come into contact with your hands or clothing because of the potential for unsightly staining.

Thank you.

frank · Jun 12, 2016

Since it's the way it comes from the factory, I'd assume wet lubrication is not the way to go.

salmonito · Jun 12, 2016

frank said:
Since it's the way it comes from the factory, I'd assume wet lubrication is not the way to go.

Do you suggest that there is no need for lubrication with grease? I do not know if that is from previous owner but I feel slight grease film on the barrel. Sort of like waxy apple feeling. Just want to prolong the pristine condition of this mechanism.

frank · Jun 12, 2016

Mine are all dry, shiny smooth chrome. There is a dry felt light trap inside the body, around the barrel.

salmonito · Jun 12, 2016

frank said:
Mine are all dry, shiny smooth chrome. There is a dry felt light trap inside the body, around the barrel.

I see, thank you.

John Koehrer · Jun 12, 2016

You might use a bit of wax rubbed against the barrel. A candle will do the job. not enough for it to be obvious,
just a touch. NOT THAT BIG A TOUCH! A little one.

MartinCrabtree · Jun 12, 2016

Damping grease is what you seek. Try Nye Lubricants for a grease that works. I've had success using Red Line Assembly Lube for engines. Great stuff that stays where you put it until heated and mixed with oil. Since it never mixes with oil in a lens it stays where it is. Used it on my Nikkor 50mm f1.4 a year ago and still going strong. Sparse is the key word far application. It took a couple tries to get the right amount.

Kirks518 · Jun 12, 2016

The camera is 40+ years old (most likely), and I have 4 of them. They never had any type of grease or lubricant, and there is no reason they ever will. I think adding any grease or lube is going to be asking for trouble. Dirt and debris sticks quite nicely to grease and lube, and who knows what problems may arise if grease/lube gets inside the camera.

In other words; Leave it alone

guangong · Jun 13, 2016

I agree with Kirk. I have owned a rollei 35 literally from the day theu eere offered for sale. Some younger members may not realize the excitement these cameras generated when they first appesred in stores. No grease or lubricants should be added to the barrel. Indeed，some parts of cameras are meant to run dry. This is the case with some movie cameras. Some must be lubricated，some must run dry. This does not obviate a general cla every 40 years or so. Just had that done to both of my rollei 35 cameras.

John Koehrer · Jun 13, 2016

Using a wet lubricant of any kind with a felt light trap/sleeve is just NOT a real good idea.

dynachrome · Jun 14, 2016

I have three Rollei 35s. One is an original made in Germany and the other two are from Singapore. I would not lubricate the barrel. I would just leave it as it is. When you say you may use it a lot, this doesn't mean that you have to push in and pull out the tube for each shot. My experience is that you can get excellent results with a Rollei 35 if you use it properly and within its limits. It is also my experience that a Rollei 35 will not stand up to the abuse that a Nikkormat or Canon FTb or a Minolta SRT 101 would. Many Rollei 35 cameras have dents on the top plate because the metal used there is thin and soft. If I know I will be taking a camera where the conditions are not perfect but where I would like a good camera which is not too large I will take a Pentax MX with a 40/2.8 SMC Pentax-M.

Gerald C Koch · Jun 14, 2016

Some helicoids do not need lubrication. If one of the surfaces is brass this alloy is self lubricating.

You should never use silicone grease on lens assemblies. This type of grease tends to migrate around to where it is not desired. Ordinary, old-fashioned axel grease works very well. The stuff is very reasonable and found in automobile parts stores. Whatever you use should be applied sparingly.

Then there is the problem of reassembling the lens correctly! Camera repairmen typically make a small scratch on each half of the barrel to makes sure that the helicoid is put back together correctly. You may see these scratch marks on old lenses showing that they have been worked on before.

AgX · Jun 14, 2016

The topic of this thread ist NOT helicoid greasing, but the greasing of the telescopic part of the barrel.

Grease and lubrication for Rollei 35 camera lens barrel

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