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Pete Ganzel | all galleries >> Tinkering >> Disassembly of the Maxxum 35-70mm f/4 for Repair > Iris Blade arrangement 036.jpg
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14-JUN-2008

Iris Blade arrangement 036.jpg

At this point you will have cleaned the iris blades if they are oily.
They can be cleaned individually with detergent and distilled water followed by rinses in distilled water and another of alcohol. Dry quickly, use a heat gun on low or a hair dryer.
They are steel and will rust if left wet too long. Also, keep magnetic screwdrivers and other magnets away as they are easily magnetized and will drag. Take care not to bend.

To reassemble, start laying the blades as shown with the dimple points down, inserting each pivot in a hole in the metal retainer. A tweezers and a toothpick can be used to coax them into position.
As you lay the last blade, you will need to slide it under the one placed previously as it has covered the pivot hole. AF iris mechanisms are completely dry and no lubrication of any kind is used.

Note the curved slots in the moving plate. This is the secret to the Minolta AF
lens not requiring a preset cam as the required aperture curve is built into the slots.
This way the camera actuator can have a fixed movement and result in the same aperture
setting regardless of lens attached.

Minolta DiMAGE 7
1/30s f/5.6 at 42.1mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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