What did you fix today? (part 2)

Helios 1984 · Nov 1, 2017

I refreshed the light seals on my newly acquired Pen-EE2 and fixed a sluggish aperture mechanism.

Friction was the culprit as usual.

Here's the sound of success: https://streamable.com/kwzhl

Helios 1984 · Nov 13, 2017

Last time I disassembled this thing, it was to clean the blades inside the shutter. This time is was to find out why a dual-stroke advance lever needed 2¼ strokes. I was nearly done when some old gunk got stuck between the ring which crank the shutter and some other part. Took me few hours, I skipped supper... and the hockey game... but it's all fixed now.

darinwc · Nov 14, 2017

Welcome to my hell.
15-16 bladed aperture of a cannon serenar 50mm f1.9.
I did not know the retaining ring was loose until I turned it over and half of the blades fell out.

It took me over 2 hours and many words. But I was able to finally get them back into place.

Helios 1984 · Nov 14, 2017

Aperture mechanisms are work of the devil, make sure you’re not using magnetized tweezers!

jim10219 · Nov 14, 2017

Kodak Rangefinder 35

I had to solder a broken post that controls the flash sync, clean out the shutter that wouldn't fire, clean out the rust and gunk everywhere else, replace the light seals, clean out the self cocking mechanism, recalibrate the self cocking mechanism (it would occasionally slip), replace the rangefinder mirror (which due to it's tiny size was a real pain to cut out), and recalibrate the rangefinder (which I'm still working on because it's not as intuitive as other rangefinders I've messed with).

I also find a tiny spring on the ground that I can't figure out where it went. I'm not even sure it's from this camera, as the camera seems to work fine without it, and the spring itself doesn't look like one I've ever seen in a camera before. Lastly, it has a flash delay sync mechanism that I can't figure out how it works. I slide a lever down, and it pops back up. Does it do anything? Maybe that's where the spring went (but I couldn't see where). Not that that matters. I would probably never use a flash with it anyway. And lastly, has anyone ever taken the whole shutter off? Where do you find a spanner wrench to reach that rear jam nut?

Also, does anyone have an idea of how to open up the back of those old Ansco 620 film cameras? Like a Readyflash or Panda? I have a few with dirty lenses and shutters that could use a good cleaning, but can't figure out to get in there without drilling out some rivets. And I don't want to buy a riveter. Not for a couple single speed, single aperture, fixed lens cameras.

Roger Thoms · Nov 24, 2017

Just replaced the 1/2AA Lithium backup batteries in my 2 GX680 film backs, the ones that are soldered in that hold the memory when the camera is powered off. The hardest part was removing the "flathead" screw at the ISO dial, the one that lacks any kind of a slot or recess for a screwdriver. I tried pressing and turning with my thumb to no avail. Some internet research revealed the Superball method which with a little persistent worked like a charm. Some people have had to resort to more extreme measures like drilling pin spanner holes or cutting a slot for a screwdriver. Who would have known that one of my favorite toys from when I was a kid would be a useful screwdriver 50 years later. Once the "flathead" is removed it's pretty straight forward to replace the battery. 6 small phillips screws, remove the cover, desolder the old battery, solder in the new one, and reassemble. I was able to find the batteries online and ordered them. But being a bit impatient, I ended up find the locally before my order arrived. One of the nice thing about living near Silicon Valley. If anyone needs batteries I'm going to list them in the classifieds shortly.

Here's a few photos. The original battery is the Toshiba and the Xeno is the replacement.

Roger

Roger Thoms · Nov 24, 2017

Few more thoughts. Rosin core solder, make sure the 1/2AA battery are 3.6 volt and have leads, Phillips screws are two different lengths so pay attention to where they go.

Roger

Kawaiithulhu · Nov 26, 2017

Re-glued the dried out frame bed of an Ansco 8x10
Hide glue, a square, clamps, and patience.

Helios 1984 · Dec 23, 2017

Not photography related but I fixed our aging dishwasher. I changed the massive pump gasket which was disintegrating due to its age. I also replaced the filter, the impeller and a O-Ring seal inside the drain pump to fix a leak. I couldn't find the O-ring listed among the Maytag parts so I went to a appliances part shop, there the guy told me that the O-ring was 116$ because it comes with the whole drain pump ಠ_ಠ (Like hell). Went to a motor part shop, showed them the O-ring, they checked it with a O-ring gage and brought me a pack of 5 for 6$. No more leak. Now the dishwasher is working like new.

OeT · Dec 23, 2017

Gave my Mamiya some new skin, the old one was atrocious.

I could not find any good template online so I made my own.
If anyone here might need just let me know.

jim10219 · Dec 23, 2017

Helios 1984 said:
Not photography related but I fixed our aging dishwasher. I changed the massive pump gasket which was disintegrating due to its age. I also replaced the filter, the impeller and a O-Ring seal inside the drain pump to fix a leak. I couldn't find the O-ring listed among the Maytag parts so I went to a appliances part shop, there the guy told me that the O-ring was 116$ because it comes with the whole drain pump ಠ_ಠ (Like hell). Went to a motor part shop, showed them the O-ring, they checked it with a O-ring gage and brought me a pack of 5 for 6$. No more leak. Now the dishwasher is working like new.

I just fixed mine three days ago! The water inlet valve wasn’t opening and I thought it may need replacing. Turns out, the contacts on the switch that controls it got corroded. So it didn’t cost me a dime to repair!

Sirius Glass · Dec 23, 2017

OeT said:
Gave my Mamiya some new skin, the old one was atrocious.

I could not find any good template online so I made my own.
If anyone here might need just let me know.

Much better. The old skin made it look like it was whooped with and ugly stick.

Truzi · Dec 31, 2017

Repaired a diffuser window on a View Master model G viewer. I cleaned the lenses while I was at it. Not really a big deal, but I'm impressed I didn't break it on disassembly.

John_Nikon_F · Jan 18, 2018

Fixed up a Nikomat FT2 body that I got for $25.95 shipped from KEH. Swapped the crusty and beat top cover with one that I'd pilfered from a junker last spring. Also replaced the baseplate with the one from the aforementioned junker, then fixed the latch for the back, so it sits flush again. Replaced the silver/black advance lever with an all black one from an FT3 that I decided wasn't worth my time and money to fix up. Took the rewind knob/crank assembly from the same body as well.

I also AI'd an 85/1.8 Nikkor-HC that I traded in on my 15/3.5 back in July. Used the F3HP as trade fodder toward the 85, then swapped rings between my beater 85/1.8 H and this one. Found one cross-point screw that decided to strip its head out enough that I had to switch to a 1.5mm x 40mm slotted screwdriver to remove it from the lens mount flange.

-J

John Earley · Jan 22, 2018

Raised up this bent and broken Tachihara Hope 4x5 from the grave. Machined some new parts to replace missing ones and made new lens boards.
Before

After

Helios 1984 · Jan 27, 2018

I successfully replaced the desilvered prism of my Spotmatic II by the immaculate prism of a Spotmatic. The later was a backup that I bought at a flea market.

BMbikerider · Jan 27, 2018

My household telephone. There was a fault in the cable which I traced and spliced in a new section. Not a photographic answer, but the topic question was - what did you fix today.

Helios 1984 · Jan 27, 2018

BMbikerider said:
My household telephone. There was a fault in the cable which I traced and spliced in a new section. Not a photographic answer, but the topic question was - what did you fix today.

Did something similar on an old corded telephone, just a few weeks ago. Where is the broken wire? Oh whatever, let's just cut 1 meter to be on the safe side haha

kb3lms · Feb 3, 2018

Unstuck the shutter and mirror on a Ricoh A-100.

Helios 1984 · Feb 9, 2018

I troubleshooted the last bit of trouble in my Jupiter 21M. A loose screw was getting in the way of the Aperture lever which prevented the usage of stops beyond f/16 when using Auto mode, and bent the A/M ring actuator which caused a 2 stops offset in Manual mode.

nosmok · Feb 16, 2018

Managed to bodge a couple of Kodak Service Rangefinder mounting shoes onto a couple of Kodak Bantams -- one Flash, one not. You can't just use the screw holes they give you-- spacing is wrong for KSR shoe, and they're too close to the shutter release button. Have to drill another hole further out, and figure out how to tap it (I don't have any taps-- even if I did, the thread on the Kodak screws is something like 64 tpi, not easily available at my local hardware stores). Used the screw itself to tap into the aluminum rail top, after drilling the pilot hole a hair big. The threads are half as thick as they should be, but as long as I don't take it out (don't plan or need to) it should be OK. Everything mounts and unmounts fine, and the Kodak Service RF is the ne plus ultra of add on RFs, as far as I can tell.

EdSawyer · Feb 16, 2018

Do you like the KSR better than the voigtlander one? I have the voigt but was thinking of the KSR one (the vertical one, right?).

nosmok · Feb 16, 2018

I haven't tried the Voigt, but yeah the KSR is vertical, and wins for that, and this reason: it displays the distance in the RF window (!), so you don't have to read the dial once you've got focal distance, saving a half-step. My previous fave was the Watameter, which is pretty good but the horizontal format kind of spoils it for a small camera like the Bantam, or if you need multiple add-ons as for a Leica Ig sort of camera, which I plan to build out of a Zorki-3M. The only downside to the KSR is, though it's designed to mount vertically, it's easier to use horizontally.

Helios 1984 · Feb 19, 2018

For a while, I've been bringing back to life the top cover of my Topcon 35-L's case. I got it with the camera, but it was good for the bin... I started by re-stitching the top & bottom partd, re-glued the tong which snap on the bottom part of the case, stripped the rotted lining and made a new one with felt.

To reattach the tong, I made hinges with the leather of a discarded soviet camera case. (Zenith TTL, If I remember well)

I still need to make a new tong to snap on the top side.

removed account4 · Feb 19, 2018

went to fix a bowl but ran out of cement

What did you fix today? (part 2)

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