09
Aug
2012
As I said the other day, gather your kids and grandkids and show them something that was built to last. . . here are two cameras that are near 35 years old and still work!
The other day I drug out my first camera bag from the storage closet. Inside was my two Canon AE-1 bodies and three lenses. They have seen little use in the last 20 or so years and at least I did remove the batteries from the cameras and the winders. Smart move there for sure!
The first thing I notice on inspection was the mirror damper and the body light seal material had turned to black goo. Yep, they used some of that open cell foam that over time deteriorates into a sticky mess. Seems that is the norm for these cameras, and others. I had a friend ask me about this several years back. I directed him to a seller on eBay that had seal replacement kits and he was able to resurrect his camera and is still using it. I had all intentions of doing the same, but just never got that round-to-it.
I decided that it was time to rework my 35mm cameras. They both still work, and neither has ever had the dreaded shutter squeak problem. I have my first AE-1 that I purchased in about 1978 and a second that I found later used. They have both seen a lot of action, yet I feel they are still as good as they ever were. . . just need to fix that goo problem.
Took a little digging, but I found a place that sells seal kits on the Internet. I ordered two kits and began the process of cleaning up the mess. By far, the hardest part of this is getting all that goo out of things, but it is something that can be done. It just takes a little patience, perseverance and denatured alcohol. If you have some vintage cameras laying around that need some light seal work, here is a place to purchase what you need;