Why people like WD-40 on camera so much?

[KerrKid]

Why would anyone use WD40 when there is Ballistol? Get a needle bottle and use sparingly if on a camera. Inside and out. Yes, you can use it in the bedroom, too). If you want to loosen something metal, use 50/50 acetone/transmission fluid. Beats the pants off of WD40.

 

[kl122002]

I think I trusted the guidance given by a time served expert who has been in business for over 1/4 century rather than a person who has suggested that cleaning would have been better by using highly inflammable lighter fluid than a cleaner which is not inflammable to the same extent with known cleaning properties. It is not a watch I cleaned, but a sprung wound clock with full size brass gears.

The use of lighter fluid to clean the mechanism is on the same level as using WD40 to lubricate the bearings!

Judging from the smell of the cleaner he was using in his workshop it is probably a similar cleaning agent. I also used appropriate watch makers oil which does not suffer from 'creep'. It has worked and no residual smell such as you would get from lighter fuel

Perhaps these days have much better cleaning fluid then I learnt in the past? I am not sure I just know using naphtha is the best and has been used for years until I can't get it , so I must switch to lighter fluid from Zippo.

 

[grain elevator]

It has worked and no residual smell such as you would get from lighter fuel

Maybe these products are formulated differently in different places. Here, I'd get residual smell from WD-40 and none whatsoever from lighter fluid.

 

[kl122002]

Maybe these products are formulated differently in different places. Here, I'd get residual smell from WD-40 and none whatsoever from lighter fluid.

That's also possible .

 

[DREW WILEY]

There are even different kinds of naptha. And smell doesn't tell you everything, except that you might need better ventilation!

 

[eli griggs]

Perhaps these days have much better cleaning fluid then I learnt in the past? I am not sure I just know using naphtha is the best and has been used for years until I can't get it , so I must switch to lighter fluid from Zippo.

Just buy regular Naphtha from Home Depot or Walmart.

The new lighter fluids use other chemicals instead of Naphtha and, IMO, that needs more time to establish its reliability over longer periods for len and camera cleaning.

I have had no issues with Naphtha, Hydrogen Peroxide (H²0²), Isopropyl or Ethanol Alcohols, Eclipse Lens Cleaner or tiny, steel needles, with acetone, in miniscule amounts, only on metal on metal things like loctite type glue, on little screws and filter rings no metal lens l threads, NEVER EVER ON OPTICS!

Get some Swiss watchmakers 'cat whiskers' oil delivery probes, with their special tips
)

in all four sizes and start with the smallest, if you cannot buy the full set at once, a tool which might need repeated 'dippings' in a drop of watch or very light camera oil, but will prevent you from drowning a screw head, filter thread, or mechanism in excess oil.

Cheers

 

[kl122002]

Just buy regular Naphtha from Home Depot or Walmart.

The new lighter fluids use other chemicals instead of Naphtha and, IMO, that needs more time to establish its reliability over longer periods for len and camera cleaning.

I have had no issues with Naphtha, Hydrogen Peroxide (H²0²), Isopropyl or Ethanol Alcohols, Eclipse Lens Cleaner or tiny, steel needles, with acetone, in miniscule amounts, only on metal on metal things like loctite type glue, on little screws and filter rings no metal lens l threads, NEVER EVER ON OPTICS!

Get some Swiss watchmakers 'cat whiskers' oil delivery probes, with their special tips
)

in all four sizes and start with the smallest, if you cannot buy the full set at once, a tool which might need repeated 'dippings' in a drop of watch or very light camera oil, but will prevent you from drowning a screw head, filter thread, or mechanism in excess oil.

Cheers

I don't have Walmart or Home Depot here .

Those old camping stores used to have Naphtha (Coleman) but now since solar/battery powered light are getting popular I can't find them anymore. Now I am using Zippo and I hope it is the best.

I am using my watch repairing tools for camera repair aswell. I have the Bergeon oilers as well. For most of time I use the green or yellow for really large part. Tiny areas or oil sensitive places would be using red .

 

[NiallerM]

My Canon EOS R Needed a Repair. Here's How I Saved Money

The Canon EOS R is still, today, an awesome camera. And this is how I fixed it without it costing a lot of moeny.

www.thephoblographer.com

Just in case anyone thought that this wasn't an issue any more, I see Phoblographer happily posting about using WD-40.

 

[BrianShaw]

Good grief; upon reading I thought we skipped ahead to April first. From the author’s bio: “Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry.”

Is this the author’s opinion or AI’s opinion or is it to promote “diversity of thought”? No matter, it emphasizes that the internet should not be taken literally sometimes.

 

[retina_restoration]

My Canon EOS R Needed a Repair. Here's How I Saved Money

The Canon EOS R is still, today, an awesome camera. And this is how I fixed it without it costing a lot of moeny.

www.thephoblographer.com

Just in case anyone thought that this wasn't an issue any more, I see Phoblographer happily posting about using WD-40.

Camera repair technicians across the globe are reading that and shaking their heads. What little respect I had for Phoblographer — and it was very little indeed — went out the window after reading that bit of junk.

 

[loccdor]

Hmm. So people are talking about a camera that came out in 2018 like it's old news and asking if it's still worth using. That's funny... also interesting that some of them are starting to show issues after such a short time.

 

[chuckroast]

Good grief; upon reading I thought we skipped ahead to April first. From the author’s bio: “Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry.”

Is this the author’s opinion or AI’s opinion or is it to promote “diversity of thought”? No matter, it emphasizes that the internet should not be taken literally sometimes.

I prefer intolerance and therefore rejecting stupidity like this out of hand. Diversity of thought is overrated.

The good news is that the universe punishes dumb decisions.

 

[Dan Daniel]

Good grief; upon reading I thought we skipped ahead to April first. From the author’s bio: “Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry.”

Is this the author’s opinion or AI’s opinion or is it to promote “diversity of thought”? No matter, it emphasizes that the internet should not be taken literally sometimes.

For a communications major, he sure doesn't know how to write worth a damn. I can't tell if he needs an AI bot to clarify it, or if it is AI slop in the first place.

 

[Arthurwg]

OK, my question. What would be a good lubricant to use (sparingly) on lens filter threads or hood threads (like on my Hasselblad 500mm) to prevent sticking or jamming?

 

[chuckroast]

OK, my question. What would be a good lubricant to use (sparingly) on lens filter threads or hood threads (like on my Hasselblad 500mm) to prevent sticking or jamming?

A VERY thin layer of food grade silicon grease. So thin you almost don't know it is there.

 

[cliveh]

I think WD40 is the best thing since sliced bread. But not for cameras.

 

[chuckroast]

I think WD40 is the best thing since sliced bread. But not for cameras.

WD40 is perfectly suited for water displacement, loosening stubborn bolts, and so forth. It is not ever a good choice for a long term lubricant or cleaner. It leaves a residue behind that attracts dust and grit.

We used to rescue maritime electronics like RADARs that had recently sunk with a ship in the ocean. So long as no air gets to the piece, corrosion does not happen immediately even in salt water. So, once the boat got pulled up by the salvage teams, we'd grab the equipment right away and thoroughly hose it off with fresh water. It then got repeatedly covered with WD-40 to displace the water. A few days later, we'd find the components that had actually been damaged (usually just a transformer or power supply) fix/replace, and the whole business would work again. In this context, the remaining WD40 residue made no difference. It just made the equipment smell funny.

So WD40 does indeed displace water quite effectively, it's just that you don't want residue left behind with something like a camera that has such fine tolerances. And you pretty much never want appreciable oil in a shutter mechanism.

 

[BrianShaw]

A VERY thin layer of food grade silicon grease. So thin you almost don't know it is there.

Doesn't really need to be food grade, just very good grade. Plumbing silcone grease works just fine in this application. THIN...

 

[chuckroast]

Doesn't really need to be food grade, just very good grade. Plumbing silcone grease works just fine in this application. THIN...

I'm sure that's true but food grade is widely available online, I dunno about plumber's silicone.

 

[eli griggs]

Mad Cow.

 

[BrianShaw]

I'm sure that's true but food grade is widely available online, I dunno about plumber's silicone.

Any hardware store, plumbing section. $3-5 for a small tube. Plus, the one I use is also NSF-approved food-safe (which I didn't know until I looked into the situation just now).

 

[chuckroast]

Any hardware store, plumbing section. $3-5 for a small tube. Plus, the one I use is also NSF-approved food-safe (which I didn't know until I looked into the situation just now).

I guess that means we can lick our lens shades

 

[mshchem]

OK, my question. What would be a good lubricant to use (sparingly) on lens filter threads or hood threads (like on my Hasselblad 500mm) to prevent sticking or jamming?

The aluminum hoods and filter adapter things Hasselblad used late in the game are horrible for sticking. Any high quality "waterproof" clear grease applied in 2-3 milligram at a time, with a toothpick. Tiniest amount makes a huge difference.

 

[pentaxuser]

Diversity of thought is overrated.

The good news is that the universe punishes dumb decisions.

Now that's a real soapbox "sticky" if ever I saw one

pentaxuser

 

[BobUK]

Most so-called Clock or Watchmakers have never made a clock or watch in their lives. They use that title as it sounds better than Part Changer.

A clock requires a complete strip down, pivots, holes and pallets restoring, plus anything else. Then cleaning, assembling, lubricating and adjustment.
This results in a costly bill for the customer. Hence the culture of "Dunk, Dry, Oil, Adjust." A cheapo remedy that will result in disappointment in the future. The equivalent of a "get you home fix" on your car or bike.

The customer sentiment for their old family clock vanishes when they hear the price for a reasonable job, conducted at a living hourly rate.

As for WD40, I thought I was doing a good job soaking my set of lathe collets with the stuff, so as to avoid condensation and rust when stored.
What a stupid idea.
Next time I came to use them, each one had a lovely fine coat of rust. Back to engine oil.

Keep the WD40 for rusty exhaust clamps, gate hinges and farm yard machinery.



Rant over, carry on chaps.