Rail lubricant?

[Christianganko]

Hello all!

Finally got myself my first LF camera!

I will send it off for a cla very soon but i need to test out some lenses and film holders.

The top rails are fine but feel like the bellows could run a tad smoother.

On another thread someone mentions a small dab of vaseline.

Is this still the opinion on the subject?

The camera is a Technika master 4x5

Thank you!

[Jeroen]

Vaseline will attract dirt, you'd be better of with any silicon based lubricant. Spray it onto a clean rag and rub into the rail.

[Christianganko]

Any particular brand???

Thank you!

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[BrianShaw]

FinishLine dry Teflon lubricant. Liquid when applied that very quickly turns into a dry film that lubricates without attracting dust or dirt. There probably are other brand names for the same/similar also.

http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/chain-lubricants/dry-lube

[Christianganko]

Do you think the 3m will work?

We have a can that I could spray on a cloth

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[Bob Salomon]

Do you think the 3m will work?

We have a can that I could spray on a cloth

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Before you do too much contact a LInhof service center and ask them.

[diversey]

Clean teeth on the track with a steel brush and apply wax from a candle. Nerve apply any grease on your camera.

[BrianShaw]

Doesn’t candle wax attract and hold dust and grit? I’d clean with a mild solvent and leave the metal bare before using either grease or candle wax.

[jim_jm]

I'd agree to keep the gears/tracks as clean as possible. Maybe wipe down with some furniture polish applied to a rag, but that's about all that should be needed.
I'm currently restoring a Deardorff and spent several hours scraping black gunk from between the teeth of all the tracks and gears. It had built up to the point that the focusing was significantly tighter than expected. May have been wax buildup, but any oil or lubricant in this part of a camera shouldn't be needed.

[shadow images]

As said above a dry lubricant is your best bet. any wet lubricant or wax will attract dust and grit and cause scoring of the rails and gears.

[Drew Wiley]

Don't get lube on the bellows, especially if it contains silicone! Candle wax, vaseline ????? (%!!>><<@#@#@....!!!). Why not just go spear a cave bear and melt its fat, since at least making a fire has presumably been discovered. A teflon lube that fully dries makes a lot more sense.

[Christopher Barrett]

In the past, I looked into graphite as a clean lubricant. Problem is, graphite can corrode aluminum. The solution was molybdenum disulfide. It’s a very fine powder that you apply by dipping a q tip in alcohol, dip in the powder and then rub on the area you want to smoothen the action of. I used it on parts of my Arca and it worked nicely. Not sure if it’s any better than a dry film lube, but another option.

[Tin Can]

I have spray cans of both teflon and molybdenum disulfide

I also try not to use them anywhere

As Bob says ask the maker

I once tried some already posted solutions, don't do them, it is a very long task to clean...off

Don't breathe any spray

Try cleaning ALL friction spots before

[LabRat]

The rails clean up well enough with solvent (unless corroded), and a trace of teflon grease rubbed into them until you can't feel it, but there is another area to be cleaned...

On the sliding block under the FS needs polishing... Carefully remove FS from the rails, and while not bending bellows unnaturally, take q-tip with non abrasive metal polish or solvent like lighter fluid and scrub undersides well, then repeat... Q-tip should have black oxide stain on it from cleaning... Then rub a tiny amount of teflon grease or wipe a little silicone spray on with a q-tip...

These things get sticky from old lubes and metals build up oxides that get a little sticky, due to the tight tolerances of the parts...

An old TEK III I restored a few years ago was stiff on most adjustment, until all polished and cleaned moving surfaces, and after, everything moved like silk or butter... Like new...

A CLA by a good tech will surprise you (in a great way)... Don't hold off too long...

Steve K