Oil in the wrong place!

[roydonian]

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For half a century I have used my father's 'lipstick-style' lens brush which I inherited along with his IIIb, and several lenses. It is a relic of an age when such small accessories were made of metal rather than plastic, and until now was one of few bits of his camera gear that I use regularly (the other is his 35mm f/2.8 Summaron). To judge by the worn condition of the brass plating on the cap of the brush, my father must have used since he took up photography - probably in the 1920s.

A couple of days ago I found that the 'turn to extend' mechanism of the lens brush had become so stiff that the brush was unusable. I put a couple of tiny drops of oil into the mechanism, and by the next day this freed up the mechanism.

But inevitably, the oil has now made its way onto the brush...

While it is possible that immesting the complete brush in a solvent of some kind could dissolve the oil, I'd then have to wash out the solvent (assuming that the latter does not ruin what is probably century old animal-hair of which brush is made up).

[TomB_tx]

I think you might have luck with Isopropyl alcohol - shake it out and let it dry.

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[Anbaric]

Maybe a mild detergent like washing up liquid and water, followed by clean water, followed by isoprop to dry it? But then how will you lubricate the mechanism again? Personally I would preserve it as a family heirloom and clean the lenses with something else (I just use a Rocket blower and Zeiss alcohol wipes).

[jimofnyc]

Always be wary of those.  I have had several of them over the years and people play with them by rubbing the brush against their nose... They should be locked away in a cabinet or something.

[david strachan]

That style of lens brush is not designed for in perpetuity.  They  do get old, dirty and no longer suitable...not really repairable or cleanable.

Store in a drawer, or your objets de art showcase, and look at it periodically remembering your Father.

....

[LocalHero1953]

I made the mistake once of absentmindedly 'stropping' the end of such a brush on my (clean, dry) fingers. It picked up enough grease to show marks on the next  lens I used it on. Fortunately it was a cheap plastic one and I just replaced it.

Are they squirrel hair?

Edited April 18 by LocalHero1953