Grandpa’s Camera Repair & Restoration
My Grandfather had an old camera that didn’t work in his garage and gave it to me to try to get it working again. Once taken apart, I found that the Camera was seized and with a healthy dose of WD-40 and cleaning the mechanisms, the camera is back to its original operating condition. Bringing the camera back to my grandpa’s repaired he reminisced about his days taking photos with the camera and was a great day together. Thank you WD-40 for giving my grandfather and I a nice memory together and looking forward to the memories we make taking pictures on the camera.
Step 1
Once I brought the camera home, I noticed that the camera’s lens and mirror internally would not move to take a picture, as well as not being able to see anything through the eye hole.
Step 2
Taking off the bottom cover of the camera I could access the camera internal mechanisms. With a Q-tip and WD-40, I started to slowly clean the debris and lubricate the gears and springs. Letting the WD-40 penetrate for a few hours, I came back to the mechanisms starting to operate. With another round of Q-Tipping and applying WD-40, the camera’s internals were operating smoothly.
Step 3
Reassembling the camera, started by re-installing the bottom cover of the camera, and then finally putting the lens back on the now operational camera.
Step 4
Before bringing it back to my grandfather, I brought it in to a camera shop specializing in older cameras. On their inspection they found that the camera was back in its original operating condition. Success! They also told me that the camera is from 1969 and was a very popular camera during the time, with photographers still using this camera to this day. I purchased some film to load up and brought it to my grandpa’s. Thank you WD-40 for helping me repair my grandpa’s Camera and looking forward to developing the pictures we take.
