What did you fix today? (part 2)

[John Earley]

Disassembled the helicoids and aperture rings of a number of old Nikon Ai-S and Ai lenses to clean the interiors, renew the helicoid grease, and lubricate the aperture rings. Went very smoothly (apart from misplacing a couple of screws for a short time) with the right JIS screwdrivers and a variety of helicoid greases of different viscosities.

No glass element or other optical module tear-downs as the glass is fine with all, but they sure feel nice with smooth, even and quiet mechanisms.

I wish I could get the screws out of my Nikkor Ai-S 135/2.8 lens so I could renew the helicoid grease. Even with JIS screwdrivers, solvents, heat, cold and repeated effort I haven't been able to get the back plate off the lens. It is a mint lens that I got for next to nothing and even though I can use it as is, I would really like for it to have smooth focusing instead of stiff.

 

[David R Williams]

I wish I could get the screws out of my Nikkor Ai-S 135/2.8 lens so I could renew the helicoid grease. Even with JIS screwdrivers, solvents, heat, cold and repeated effort I haven't been able to get the back plate off the lens. It is a mint lens that I got for next to nothing and even though I can use it as is, I would really like for it to have smooth focusing instead of stiff.

I had trouble getting enough leverage with my JIS driver to get the lens mount screws loose too. I wasn’t able to get enough hand/finger torque on the driver while also pressing down to prevent the head stripping, so I grabbed a pair of small vice-grips, clamped the handle of the driver in the jaws of the grips, and while pushing the bit of the screwdriver into the screw very firmly to prevent the bit from riding up, twisting the screwdriver with a little extra torque that the vice grips enabled did the trick almost immediately. I was very VERY careful while doing this to prevent the bit of the screwdriver from riding up where it could/would strip the head and/or slip and do damage to the lens, but was fortunate each time that they unseated with that extra little bit of torque that this applies to the screws.

 

[John Earley]

I had trouble getting enough leverage with my JIS driver to get the lens mount screws loose too. I wasn’t able to get enough hand/finger torque on the driver while also pressing down to prevent the head stripping, so I grabbed a pair of small vice-grips, clamped the handle of the driver in the jaws of the grips, and while pushing the bit of the screwdriver into the screw very firmly to prevent the bit from riding up, twisting the screwdriver with a little extra torque that the vice grips enabled did the trick almost immediately. I was very VERY careful while doing this to prevent the bit of the screwdriver from riding up where it could/would strip the head and/or slip and do damage to the lens, but was fortunate each time that they unseated with that extra little bit of torque that this applies to the screws.

I just may try that vice-grip trick and some acetone and see if that works.

 

[John Earley]

This is the camera that the previously mentioned gear rack goes on. The base section and lensboard were also fabricated.

Shop Made Gear Rack and Base on Ansco 8x10 by JOHN EARLEY, on Flickr

 

[Greg Heath]

I'm rebuilding my 7th Kodak Retina IIIc. Almost done. I just ordered some new bottom leather and just to get the rangefinder reattached and calibrated tomorrow. It will be done in a week or so. Then on to a new IIIc and then a Ia.

 

[awty]

Replaced the mirror in the view finder on my little 1/4" plate Klimax with a little mirror disc I found in the third draw down. Cut to shape using mums good sewing scissors (dont tell her). All good to go. Even found the right size film holder in my stash. Just need to make a new ground glass and she will be right to go.

 

[awty]

Replaced the glass.


Also fixed up my old TEAC as 100 amp while I'm in a fixarama mood.
The preamp hadn't worked for about 5 years, amp worked fine, after spending a lot of time checking stuff I started on the capacitors, lucky for me it was the first cap on the control panel I tried, just a bad solder joint. All running again. Might put it in the darkroom.

 

[AgX]

You might blow off your paper from the easel...

 

[hartacus]

Opened up my Zenit 12XP to check for battery corrosion (well, vinegar corrosion following battery corrosion - i am NEVER using vinegar to neutralise alkaline battery electrolyte again, it eats copper like I eat Tim Tams and now I'm a Wii controller down) and thankfully found none. While in there, replaced the prism foam with some pure wool felt.

 

[removed account4]

gotta fix the lawnmower again, replaced the carb and seals but it don't wanna start

 

[Truzi]

gotta fix the lawnmower again, replaced the carb and seals but it don't wanna start

Did you try starting fluid?
Check the magneto? I had to replace a one last year... on a mower my father got in the late 80s.

If you replaced the carb you probably know how to test for spark, but if not...
- You can get a tester
or
- Have someone pull the rope while you hold the detached plug wire (using an insulated screwdriver) near the block to see if it sparks
or
- You can hold the detached plug wire with one hand and grab the block with the other; it's fun... once. Better yet, get a friend to do the holding while you pull the rope.

 

[MattKing]

gotta fix the lawnmower again, replaced the carb and seals but it don't wanna start

John,
You just can't use caffenol or Ansco 130 in the lawn mower.
You need gasoline!

 

[removed account4]

John,
You just can't use caffenol or Ansco 130 in the lawn mower.
You need gasoline!

Thanks for your concern Matt
I modified the engine ! it runs on cinnamon roasted coffee now
My carb-rebuild went well, descaled it with lemon juice but sadly
... after giving the lawn a nice hair cut, the hose from the coffee tank and carburetor came loose
without me realizing it and spilled some delightful Sumatra on the garage floor ..

J.

 

[removed account4]

Did you try starting fluid?
Check the magneto? I had to replace a one last year... on a mower my father got in the late 80s.

If you replaced the carb you probably know how to test for spark, but if not...
- You can get a tester
or
- Have someone pull the rope while you hold the detached plug wire (using an insulated screwdriver) near the block to see if it sparks
or
- You can hold the detached plug wire with one hand and grab the block with the other; it's fun... once. Better yet, get a friend to do the holding while you pull the rope.

Hi Truzi
Thanks for the suggestions !
I used an old "snapper" for years keeping it on the road
replaced the magnet coil, carb , seals. gave me good practice for the current beast.
Sadly ethanol gas gums things up (even with sea foam or other additives ) and I get tired of
buying un-ethanoled gas from the lawnmower place for a kidney each time so I swap out a carb and seals
about once a season . I checked the sparky and it looks good. not sure exactly what was not happy but its all good now
except for all the coffee on the floor

great suggestions -- hopefully another small engine mechanic wannabe like me . will also find them helpful

J

 

[jay moussy]

Baby steps, here: first work on my just-adopted 2A Ansco Buster Brown Folding, made the shutter work more reliably by using very light touches of cleaner fluid, with the housing cover off.

Tense moments at reassembly, as I did not quite see where the speed selection ring should engage. Steeping back a bit, I gave it a few minutes, tried light wiggles, and it eventually fell in place. Whew!

There seem to be a few very fine chips on shutter leaves - metal wear on this 1915 shutter?
That would be for another day, as I can access that by just removing the front lens element, and perhaps use a light vac action?

 

[Mr Flibble]

Made a new curtain for a Thornton-Pickard Roller Blind Shutter;

Speeds not calibrated yet, but it works

Youtube movie of running shutter

 

[Pentode]

Just got a Hickok Duplex meter back up and running. Not super accurate (was it ever?) but I'm going to let it drink up some room light for a couple of weeks before I try to "calibrate" it.

Calibrate in quotes because I only intend to try to get it to match a known working meter in outdoor daylight because that's likely to be the only set of conditions I'd use it in anyway. It just seemed a shame to have it sitting there broken.

 

[Lucid]

Made a new curtain for a Thornton-Pickard Roller Blind Shutter;

Speeds not calibrated yet, but it works

Youtube movie of running shutter

Looking good! That is on my to-do list as well.

 

[Lucid]

Baby steps, here: first work on my just-adopted 2A Ansco Buster Brown Folding, made the shutter work more reliably by using very light touches of cleaner fluid, with the housing cover off.

Tense moments at reassembly, as I did not quite see where the speed selection ring should engage. Steeping back a bit, I gave it a few minutes, tried light wiggles, and it eventually fell in place. Whew!

There seem to be a few very fine chips on shutter leaves - metal wear on this 1915 shutter?
That would be for another day, as I can access that by just removing the front lens element, and perhaps use a light vac action?

I have an identical issue. I've also noticed some chipping or flaking of the black paint on the leaves. I suspect when there has been a shutter jam, and the mechanism was forced, the leaves took damage. From then on their operation would always be impaired.

On my first attempt of repair, I tried a little isopropanol to loosen things. That worked for all of 5 minutes until the iso evaporated. On my second attempt, I disassembled the entire shutter and cleaned each component. Despite everything being spotless, the shutter leaves are still sticking. The spring tension is sufficient, but I have noticed there is some slightly buckling/wave to the leaves, but as I have the dexterity of a gorilla, I'll leave tweaking those for last. For my third attempt, I'll apply a very tiny amount of clock makers oil between the outermost edge of the leaves and the brass cavity in which it fits. Hopefully that'll do it!

Each go around I clean the main camera body a little more. I don't think it's been this clean for over 100 years!

 

[Tel]

A neglected Schneider 240mm in a sticky Copal No.3 needed tune-ups. Took the elements apart in the Schneider and gave each of them a good cleaning, and now the haze is gone. The shutter was hanging up on the slow speeds, so I took out the escapement and gave it a thorough cleaning. All fine except, for some reason, the lens fires at something like 1/60 when it's set on 1/4 second. All the other slow speeds are right on but this one. Anyone have similar experiences?

 

[awty]

Made a new curtain for a Thornton-Pickard Roller Blind Shutter;

Speeds not calibrated yet, but it works

Youtube movie of running shutter

Nice work, I have a couple waiting on new curtains, what material did you use?

 

[MattKing]

I put some more feet on one of my two matching enlarger baseboards.
Now both will fit and sit level both on the rolling cart I use for transporting the one in use, as well as the bathroom counter I'm likely to use it on.
I also put up the blackout curtain and brackets that came from Amazon - when added to the curtain rod I already had I can now have a dark bathroom/darkroom, so can look forward to printing again soon (fingers crossed).

 

[Mr Flibble]

Nice work, I have a couple waiting on new curtains, what material did you use?

Bought a large sheet from Aki-Asahi.com a couple of years to restore a Popular Pressman. Using up the leftover. Not sure,but I think this is the rubberised nylon they sell.

 

[Pentode]

Encouraged by my partial success rejuvenating the old Hickok selenium meter I dove into last week, I dug a Weston Master II out of the potentially-dead meter bin and was able to get it responding to light. I'll now let it sit with the Hickok and drink up room light for a few weeks before I move them to non-direct window light for a few more. I've heard this process can revive selenium cells if they're not totally shot. I don't have my hopes up but it costs me nothing to try.

 

[Kino]

Encouraged by my partial success rejuvenating the old Hickok selenium meter I dove into last week, I dug a Weston Master II out of the potentially-dead meter bin and was able to get it responding to light. I'll now let it sit with the Hickok and drink up room light for a few weeks before I move them to non-direct window light for a few more. I've heard this process can revive selenium cells if they're not totally shot. I don't have my hopes up but it costs me nothing to try.

So, you just sit them in the sun to begin with? What's your technique? I have a few Westons I'd like to rejuvenate if possible.