[Leica] whale oil

["Patrick G. Sobalvarro" <pgs@sobalvarro.org>]

> From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Michael
> Garmisa
>
> what lubricant does leica currently use in the factory?  In the
> past it was
> whale oil which caused fogging as the lens aged right?

I've always heard the whale oil story told particularly about the 90/2.8
Elmarit, a lens introduced in 1959.  While I certainly know that old lenses
become internally fogged, and it seems possible, even likely to me that the
fogging is caused by the deposition of more-or-less volatile parts of the
lubricant compounds, do we have any solid information that indicates that
whale oil is responsible?  For example, has any person who has worked for
Leitz said so?

What seems so fishy about this whale of a tale is that, by 1959, there was a
whole world of fancy petroleum-based lubricants with better properties than
animal products and which were cheaper than animal products.  If Leica were
a violin shop, I might believe they would stick to some traditional animal
product, but all indications are that these people were and are
honest-to-goodness engineers.

- -Patrick