Zorki 1 - Transformation of an Ugly Duckling - Cleaning

Before complaining about the reliability of Soviet cameras, everyone should read this post first. It illustrates well what happens over decades when a camera hasn't been serviced.

Old grease degrades over time, losing its initial qualities and becoming mixed with dirt. Rather than reducing friction, old grease actually increases it.

During the restoration process, I had to disassemble the entire camera and meticulously clean every component, screw by screw. Every area I uncovered was coated in gunk.

I used rubbing alcohol to clean the chrome parts of the camera, and applied a bit of chrome polishing paste to restore their shine. To clean the internal mechanisms, I used lighter fluid and a lot of q-tips, as well as small interdental brushes to clean each individual tooth of every gear.

The springs inside the shutter rollers required special attention, as they showed some signs of corrosion. There was no trace of any lubricant present, which may have contributed to the rust.

The process of restoring each part to its original state took me several hours, but the results were worth it. Now that the cleaning is done, I can move on to the reassembly process.