Topic: Flexaret VI issue

[chris667]

Hello all

I swapped a Brompton bike for a Flexaret VI TLR. It looks beautiful, but it's shutter isn't working.

I know it has to have a film inserted for the shutter to cock. Any ideas where to start? Is there someone I could pay to sort this, io should I write it off? It was a swap with a friend, and he thought it worked, so I am not feeling ripped off. If it is unfixable, he has a free bike, which is good.

[Francois]

First questions: does the film spools wind?
Does the shutter cock but simply not trigger?

If the winding mechanism for the shutter relies on a wheel that rubs on the spool, this could be part of the problem.

I have a Flexaret 3 that I fixed. They are fairly easy to get into and quite straightforward to diagnose. On mine, there is a set of gears in between the film chamber and the advance lever. If these are gone, you can call the camera a write-off.

The only hard part about fixing those is that you have to reset the infinity focus stop on the bottom lens after you've taken it apart. A spanner is really needed to re-tighten the lug nut.