Had a weird shutter jam on a Pentax K1000 at a flea market last weekend

I was at the big swap meet in Burbank looking for parts cameras when this guy asked if I could look at his K1000 right there. The shutter was stuck halfway, and he'd already tried poking at it. I had my little toolkit in the car, so I got it out and took off the lens. Found a tiny piece of foam seal had broken off and wedged in the curtain track. Cleared it in about 5 minutes with some tweezers. Made me realize I should always carry my basic picks and probes, not just the big kit. Do you guys keep a small 'field repair' set on you?

3 comments

3 Comments

harperr823h ago

That's a classic K1000 issue, the foam light seals turn to sticky goo. I'd be careful poking around in there with metal tweezers though, you can easily scratch the shutter curtain or bend a thin metal part. A wooden toothpick is safer for that kind of gunk. Do you use anything softer for cleaning out old foam?

the_nancy4m ago

Harperr82 is right, that sticky mess is the worst part of the job.

stella_scott962h ago

Scratch a shutter curtain? They're cloth, not tissue paper. A little careful metal on metal never hurt a camera that's already full of crumbling foam. That goo is the real enemy, not a precise tool.