I bought a new FD 35mm f2 lens the other day for a decent price. The lens barrel showed signs of wear, but the optics were basically perfect. However I noticed the focus ring to be a little looser than my other new FD lenses and also a bit stiff when I turn it back and forth. Overall it's less smooth. So I e-mail the seller and the person told me that it has laid in the closet for a long time and that it should become smoother as I focus it back and forth. I was wondering if that was true or are there any other ways I can fix it? I can still focus it normally it's just that I need to apply more force to overcome the stiffness. A little bump is felt as I pass the 0.4m focus distance mark as well. I really like the lens overall but I'm not sure if I can put up with it if I used it for an entire day (which I might not do anyways since I have many other lenses to use)
Sounds like the grease has congealed and/or is unevenly distributed in the focus helical. Maybe if you let the lens sit someplace warm for a while and then turn the focus ring back and forth, the grease in the focus helical will loosen up and migrate into the areas where the focus is rougher. But I wouldn't count on it. Best bet is to disassemble, clean and relube.
