Rolleiflex Automat: Slightly "sticky" shutter button

[trondsi]

Hi everyone!

My Rolleiflex Automat, one of my favorite cameras, has a button that sometimes feels slightly hard to push (if my finger is at a slight angle, as when taking a picture in a hurry), and sometimes the button also takes a second to pop out. Is it safe to put a drop of oil on it s it glides in and out more smoothly?

 

[R.Gould]

My Automat was the same, with use it will free up, I would not like to put any oil anywhere the shutter button,try just working it a bit should get it going properly

 

[Dan Daniel]

Actually it is pretty safe to lube the shutter button on an Automat. It is pretty much of a stand-alone item where LIGHT oiling won't run into other parts of the camera like the shutter where it could make a real mess.

Still, be very light. I would use either a toothpick or cotton swab to place a very small amount on the cylinder. Then push it in a few times and wipe clean. You could also put a very small amount of Brasso or Simichrome on a piece of paper around the end of a toothpick and polish the cylinder.Wipe it clean then maybe a little oil film wiped clean. The chrome plating wears away and gets pitted over time, which these cameras have seen a lot of.

Realize that the problem might not be at the shutter button itself. The button pushes a lever which transfers motion to a ring that lies around the shutter body. As this ring rotates, it pushes against a lever on the edge of the shutter body and this is what releases the shutter itself. I've seen more than a few of these rings with old oil and dirt on them binding their motion. I think it was a cheap quick fix a while back to just drop some oil into this area to make things work for a short while. So your real problem could be here, not at the button itself.

 

[trondsi]

OK thanks guys! I will try a very small amount of oil and push it a few times.

 

[Derek Viveiros]

trondsi, this is a couple years back, but did you manage to fix the sticky shutter button on your Rolleiflex Automat?