Shutters, aperture blades, slow speed mechanisms, focus rings, get a little hesitant (sometimes stuck altoghether) from old lubricant, dust or whatnot. Most simple repairs seem to involve nothing more than a good and thorough cleaning. I find that I use regular old Radio Shack jewelerвЂ™s screwdrivers the most, however. The best are made by Wiha - theyвЂ™re the ones with black handles with red revolving tips. If itвЂ™s very complicated IвЂ™ll draw a diagram. I lay out the pieces in my tray as if it were an exploded diagram, and sometimes use tape for holding groups of tiny screws.

(DOH!) Another case for this is that if you leave a camera for a while and come back to it later вЂ“ IвЂ™ve been known to occasionally work on a repair over the course of a few weeks, or months вЂ“ you can very easily forget which screw goes where, etc. I sometimes record a disassembly with a digital camera. Some repairpersons suggest videotaping the disassembly so you have an exact record for reassembly. Keep careful track of where the bits and pieces go as you work. Alternately, and particularly when IвЂ™m working on lenses, I do the work on a paper towel so anything that drops doesnвЂ™t roll, I donвЂ™t worry about lens elements getting scratched, and I can also use it to wipe off my screwdriver tips if I use them for scraping grease. Not only is it bright white but you can hear anything fall out of the camera like a hidden spring or screw. Why? You wouldnвЂ™t believe how many and how small the screwsвЂ¦ I use a large ceramic-on-steel tray like the kind some watercolorists use for a pallette.

Getting StartedДo all of your work in a large tray and have some wide tape handy. IвЂ™ll just leave that one right where it is. Yep, people feel about their guns the way we do about cameras and use some of the same stuff to repair & restore them. ItвЂ™s like a wish come true!Д«Y THE WAY, while specialty stores like are great, I find that I can get just about everything I need, save spanner wenches and leatherette, at either Radio Shack or my local hardware store, craft store, auto parts store, or (gulp) gun shop. Dries quickly, is strong and slightly flexible, for tight spots you can squeeze it onto a jewelerвЂ™s screwdriver and apply it. It bonds small wires and electronics like solder but with no heat, and it stick to things that solder sometimes doesnвЂ™t. The other is something I wish I had a couple of years ago, itвЂ™s a pen-dispensed conductive polymer I got at Radio Shack called вЂњCircuit WriterвЂќ. The first is the вЂњCold HeatвЂќ battery powered soldering iron ( The instant-on, near-instant-cool makes it ideal for my oft-interrupted projects in my busy family setting, primarily from a safety standpoint. And always leave the camera open overnight after working on it to let the solvents outgas.ДЄDDENDUM Real innovations in tools do come along once in a while and IвЂ™ve recently (1/2005) added two such items to my toolbox and expect them to become irreplaceable. Also get some Pliobond for gluing leatherette and foam, and some Duro cement for permanent glue jobs and epoxy for even stronger bonds. Usually, on a camera clean is better than lubricated. For lubrication I use (very sparingly) the Radio Shack Teflon-impregnated light oil for little parts, comes in a pen-like dispenser (you can also use Nyoil watch oil) or for larger moving parts like lens helicals I use a high-quality synthetic bearing grease from a bike shop. Ether is OK but doesnвЂ™t dry as cleanly as lighter fluid (which you should use VERY carefully). Lexol is good for cleaning leather and for cleaning moving parts or stuck shutters I use either lighter fluid like Rosonol or 97% isopropryl alcohol as a solvent. DonвЂ™t forget an old toothbrush, essential for getting gunk out of tough spots and designed not to scratch the finish! Cleaners and solvents: Windex/Glassex for glass, I also use vodka вЂ“ itвЂ™s pure ethanol and distilled water, leaves no residue Flitz metal and fiberglass cleaner for chrome and brass is OK but I prefer Circle 7 rubbing compound. YouвЂ™ll need Kimwipes (or lint-free photographerвЂ™s wipes, a $3 box will last forever and you should probably have them anyway), clean cotton rags, and many many Q-tips. Other things youвЂ™ll need: a blower and brush for lenses, fine sandpaper, X-acto knife, magnifying glass. The needle files were one of those вЂwhy didnвЂ™t I buy these soonerвЂ™ purchases.

Then thereвЂ™s always the old standby, your local Radio Shack, where you can outfit yourself with all the basics: sets of precision screwdrivers, needle files, precision tweezers and clamps, dental picks, soldering irons (standard is the 25 watt, get a coil holder too)*, wire. They have EVERYTHING and the prices are good. The best source is kind of like the of camera repair. Get yourself some basic tools, and donвЂ™t skimp.

Minolta camera vintage