Relubricating lens?

Hi,

I have a Mir 37mm lens -- and old Soviet made M42 mount lens. it's in great condition, the glass is clean, coating immaculate, etc.

However, the focusing helical is very stiff. Any ideas how best to go about sorting this?

I've been not been able to work out exactly how to dismantle this lens.

thanks,

Matt

I can't tell you how to dismantle it, but I can tell you what to clean it with. Products made by CAIG Laboratories are amazing. I use them to clean electronic components in my DJ equipment. Their most useful product is called CaiLube MCL, whose name will change shortly to DeoxIt. It's a lubricating solvent for plastic and carbon-based materials. It dissolves away oxidation and leaves a lubricating barrier. I used it with amazing success to turn a stiff focusing mount on a Graflex XL butter smooth. For metal applications, try their DeoxIt Gold, which has less solvent, and is specifically designed for lubricating delicate metals. For a large-scale job, order the spray can, and spray a bit onto a non-linting q-tip. For more delicate jobs, try their concentrated lubricant (comes in a tube instead of a spray can), and apply it in the same way. It's amazing stuff, you won't be disappointed. As for dismantling the lens, I'm sorry but I'm not much help in that department. The CAIG website is http://store.caig.com/s.nl/sc.2/.f

I'm not familiar with that specific lens, but this link might shed some light on the subject..

http://www.mattdentonphoto.com/cameras/industar_relubing/index.html

- Randy