This site will be updated frequently, stay tuned!
Introduction
To repair a camera or lens you have to make time for it. This site is not for first aid on cameras and lenses. Time or patience and adequate tools are essential to obtain a good result. Try to find time and the rights tools. If both are not available don´t start! Or leave the job to a trained repairman. Good tools are half the job. For cleaning use soft tissues, soft tooth brushes (for babies) and some soft cotton sticks/swabs. Tools, like screw drivers, have to fit 100%. If your screw driver is too big or too small you may damage the screw. A good online shop to buy your tools is www.micro-tools.com. They are not cheap, but why wrecking a 1000 bucks camera with a 2 bucks screw driver? If you are not confident about your intention buy a good repair manual. John Graig at www.craigcamera.com sells hundreds of them (originals and copies) for reasonable prices.
Be aware that all information given below is based on the experience of the author. Following his advises doesn´t imply a good result and no responsibility is granted.
Be careful with flammable detergents, oil and grease. When opening flashes or compact cameras with a built-in flash be aware of the capacitor/condenser. Even if not used for months the capacitor/condenser may still give a high volt shock!
For maintenance on a Nikon I/M/S rangefinder camera have a look here
For maintenance on a Nikon S2 rangefinder camera look here (with the kind assistance of Kirk Chao)
How to open and to clean a standard rangefinder lens is shown here
online restoration of an old Nikon F SLR camera
If you are interested in how to remove the top of a Nikkormat/Nikomat camera body have a look here
opening and cleaning a standard Nikkor SLR lens is shown here
Cleaning
Cleaning camera bodies and lenses belongs to the regular maintenance of your gear, even if it is locked up in boxes or so. Don´t use alcohol or acids as it may damage lens coatings, paint, leather or plastics. Never touch a lens element with your fingers. Propane-carbon-acid (aka butter acid) is a part of human sweat that can harm any lens coating easily. So use (surgeon) gloves. Be careful in using detergents as they may contain acids etc. Polish, dishwasher detergent or kitchenware soap may damage glass or its coating or may stick/suture to glass. The best cleaner for lens or glass elements is ´beer glass cleaner´, sold (in most countries) e.g. by Reckitt Benckiser as ´Calgonit´. It is used by barmen to clean glassware (beer glass). Calgonit doesn´t stick to the glass but removes greasiness and it doesn´t leave rings, etc. For a beer/ale drinker essential as the beer foam w´nt get ´killed´.
If the leather covers of your old camera (rangefinder cameras are covered with goat´s skin) has become dull it may be too dry. To give it a vivid glow you may use a drip of very thin (highly refined) oil, like the oil a butcher uses to lubricate his meat mincer. So called Venetian Cream may restore black leather as well. Soft kitchen paper or any other soft paper that doesn´t fluff can be used to dry items. Don´t use cotton or synthetic towels. Dry a lens always in a circular wipe.
When an item is not in use cover it with the original caps and keep it in your bag or box. If heavily or frequently used take every day a minute to clean your gear.
Special attention to underwater housings or Nikonos equipment: after a dive into the sea or river, take the whole equipment under a fresh water shower and see to it that sea or river water and dirt is washed out. After that dry it with a soft towel and if you are sure that it is dry open it and check possible leaks. Check all rubber rings, give them some new grease or replace them. To check leaks use air under pressure. Never use water to locate leaks!
To avoid damage to lens surfaces use original Nikon filters. Nikon UV (L37c) or NC filters do not harm any image. Replacing a filter is cheaper than replacing a front element.
Maintenance
Professional photographers, using their equipment nearly every day, should stick to a maintenance or service schedule. Although Nikon cameras are made for a long life and e.g. shutters are tested up to 150,000 activations - at least - once a year a general overhaul by a professional serviceman is a necessity. If not in use store your equipment in a dry dust-free place. Remove all batteries. Cocking a shutter before storing the camera is not necessary. If old cameras are stored for a long time, you may - now and than - cock the shutter a few times at various speeds; just to keep it going.
Older cameras are also fitted with foam (plastic), like the mirror damper. After many years a certain softener in that foam will evaporate, resulting in a sticky mess. Carefully remove that foam and replace it (see below in next chapter). Selenium sensors in exposure meters may give the same (non-repairable) problem.
Repair
Repairing or restoring a camera, lens or other photographic equipment will only become a successful operation if you are not stressed and you are not all fingers and thumbs. Take your time, buy/use adequate tools and install yourself at a quiet place with decent illumination. If you are/get tired, continue the next day. Before starting to disassemble something take a pen and paper and write down what you are doing in chronological order. This helps you to re-assemble the item in a proper way. Use lens caps or small cups for screws etc. You may also consider to use (color/black-and-white) checked material (table-mat), so you can easily group parts. Do not use or sit on a deep-piled carpet. To find back that particular screw may drive you mad!
Tools
´Mise en place´ with most relevant tools
As stated above good tools will ease the job. Buy a pair of tweezers, a spanner wrench set, a screw driver set (for slotted screws and for cross head screws), a L-wrench set and some gum rubber stops (or cork). When buying pliers choose pliers with soft jaws as many metal parts of most cameras and lenses are relatively soft. To remove lenses a lens suction cup is useful. Furthermore buy some soft brushes of various sizes and cotton buds/swabs. When working on a camera a table tripod or PanaVise standard and a headband lighted magnifier might be handy.
Will be continued!!