Old camera maintenance

The Nettar series from Zeiss Ikon was a successful range of self-mounting folding cameras for 120 mm film. This Nettar S 515/2 version released in the early 1930s produces 6×9 cm images and features a self-timer (hence the “S”). It also features a brilliant viewfinder on the lens body and a pop-up viewfinder on the camera body.

After nearly a century, there's no doubt that this compact camera (when folded) has been everywhere: at the beach, camping, in an airport, on a shelf for a while, in a camera bag, and the list goes on! Dust and other small particles can easily get into the mechanism through the tiny gaps around dials, plates, lens mechanisms, etc. These dust and particles can penetrate into the mechanism and cause damage to the camera. This dust and particles can penetrate mechanisms and start to prevent parts from working.

It's time for a thorough cleaning!