The old timer at the bench next to mine said I was cleaning focus rings wrong and he was right

Eva Gibson · 2026-10-11T01:40:03.419139+00:00

I've been dunking focus rings in 99% isopropyl and scrubbing with a toothbrush for a while now, and last Tuesday this guy named Ray who has been fixing cameras since the 70s watched me do it. He said the alcohol is drying out the rubber and I'd see cracking within 2 years on Nikon glass. He showed me his method: warm water with a drop of dish soap, a soft paintbrush, then a light coat of silicone grease worked into the rubber with a q tip. I tried it on 3 gritty rings off a beat up F3 and they came out looking almost new plus they felt grippy again. The soap did not touch the grease inside because I kept the ring off the helicoid, which was my main worry. Anyone else here using grease on rubber parts or does that just attract dust in the long run?

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The old timer at the bench next to mine said I was cleaning focus rings wrong and he was right | Camera Repairers - The Community Guide