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c/camera-repairers•jamiemillerjamiemiller•2mo ago

The weirdest camera I ever fixed was a Polaroid SX-70 that smelled like bacon

Honestly, a guy brought it in last Tuesday saying it wouldn't focus and had a weird smell. Tbh, I opened it up and found a greasy, crystallized mess inside the bellows. Over about six months, he'd been using it at his breakfast food truck in Austin and the constant grease vapor had coated everything. After a full clean with isopropyl and replacing a spring, it works fine but still has a faint pork scent. Has anyone else had to fix gear damaged by kitchen air?
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3 Comments
river190
river1902mo agoMost Upvoted
I worked on a Nikon from a pizza shop that had pepperoni grease in the zoom ring, @the_robert. The salt from the cured meat actually caused some corrosion on the contacts. Kitchen air is just brutal on gear over time.
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the_robert
the_robert2mo ago
That faint pork scent is a new one.
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juliawalker
Man, pepperoni grease actually eating through contacts? That's a new level of kitchen horror I never even considered. You'd think the smell would be the worst part, but no, it's the corrosive meat juice. I've seen some nasty gear come out of restaurant kitchens but that takes the cake.
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