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/product...cants/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.