[Leica] Re:was summarit, now lens lubes

[Summicron1 at aol.com (Summicron1@aol.com)]

speaking of lubes evaporating and resettling, here's something I didn't know:

Last year I bought an M2 with an elmar 2.8/50mm lens, old style, and sent 
both to sherry krauter because the camera was desperately in need of TLC and 
the 
lens had an inernal haze that I figured sherry could wipe off, no sweat.

uh, nope.

Turned out, she said, that some of those lubes not only evaporate and 
resettle, but they etch the glass surface, making wiping an impossibilility. 
Fortunately, Sherry has a replacement element in stock and for a larger than 
expected 
sum of money, it is now in my lens doing lovely work.

But, be advised, sometimes haze ain't.

c trentelman
In a message dated 10/16/04 1:32:48 PM, lug-request@leica-users.org writes:


> Not an urban legend at all- the natural lubes tend to evaporate over
> time, and like the oily buildup on your kitchen range hood, the lighter
> elements of the lube condense out on the glass. This schmutz really
> louses up the contrast and sharpness, even if it is not 'really bad
> looking' from the outside. The remaining lube on the helicoid also is
> much stiffer- like beeswax at times, and makes the focusing stiff.? I
> had DAG do a CLA on mine and the difference in the quality of the
> resulting photos was very evident.
>