Topic: Zenit shutter curtain repair???

[astrobeck]

Hello!
Now that the world cup is decided...it's time to get back to taking photos, and in my case repairing the shutter curtains on my Zenit E.

They started a slow death last week, mainly on the slow speeds they would drag and not close, then they basically stopped working at all speeds.
My question is, is it really easy, to repair them, via an online manual (has anyone here done it)..or is it just better to get another Zenit E and not spend the time on the repair?

[astrobeck]

I tried fixing it, to no avail..
So it's definitely dead now.
Now I'm going to scrap it for parts since the light meter still works, and perhaps I can use it to salvage future Zenits...

Sad it's no longer working, but happy to have tried and am really happy I did not work in the factory where these things were assembled...all those teeny screws would just make a person bonkers!

[Francois]

So, what was wrong with it?
I know my Cosmic35 gave out years ago because the shutter arming lever was held by a tapered screw and the lever's hole progressively grew bigger since it wasn't lubricated at all. Then, it just popped out and that was it.

And yes, there are always more tiny screws than you would like.

But the worse is always that little spring that jumps out at you and that surely goes somewhere...

[astrobeck]

I'm not exactly sure, but the curtain was dragging at slow speeds, then it was just kaput at fast ones too.
Before it started dragging, the advance lever would not return to its start position either, so I think it was a compound issue...
In order to make an exposure, I was advancing then clicking the shutter to make the photo, then bringing the advance lever back manually.

I tried adjusting the little screws under the bottom plate as indicated online, but that didn't do diddly!
In all honesty, life is too short to spend hours and hours trying to fix stuff that should just be left to professionals, or replaced.
I wanted it to work, I like the crazy thing...but for less than a good lunch, I can get another one...and then there's the fact that I have enough cameras that work well....you know it goes on and on....
 

[Francois]

I know what you mean.
So many cameras, so little time....

[Pete_R]

I tried adjusting the little screws under the bottom plate

Sounds like the curtain tension screws.

My first SLR was a Zenit (we're talking about 40 years ago) and it had a shutter problem and I tried twiddling those screws and just made things worse. So out it went and I bought another. Sounds like history repeating itself. Except that back then, the camera was new and cost a lot more, in real terms, than another would today.

[Francois]

The only thing I keep wondering about is why the Soviets didn't pay more attention to reliability?
Just imagine how good it could have been...

[astrobeck]

Some seem to be more reliable, but that grease they used turns to iron and then kaput... it's seized .
They are cheap, and I will get another one because there are certain places I go that taking a good camera is not the best idea... I

[Kai-san]

The only thing I keep wondering about is why the Soviets didn't pay more attention to reliability?
Just imagine how good it could have been...

Most of the Sovjet camera factories were state owned and the government controlled the pricing of the cameras. The idea was that ordinary workers should be able to afford a camera, luxury products were not encouraged. One example is the Smena 8, more than 20 million were made. On the other hand many materials were not available due to export regulations in the west. After WW2 there was also a shortage of materials as large parts of the country had to be rebuilt, and there was no Marshall plan in place for the Sovjet Union. But the Sovjet cameras are not all bad, I have five different models that all works flawlessly. Maybe I have been lucky.....?

[Francois]

From my short experience with them, the issue rarely seems to be with material quality or with quality of labor. The times I've had problems with them was always related to bad design and engineering. It feels like they invented planned obsolescence before everyone....

[chris667]

Aw, Becky! I'm sorry it died so soon. It was a good one!

For future reference, this fault is usually dried up grease. Give it a clean, and if it doesn't work the curtain needs retensioning. Instructions here:

https://tomtiger.home.xs4all.nl/index.html

If you retension the curtain when there's lots of dried grease, it will just break the springs.

Do you want another?

Regarding the quality control, think of all those bullying factory owners who were desperate to get all the cameras turned out in whatever numbers the government said they had to. The design of the cameras were excellent, but they could never do it. Ideology is never a good policy if you want to manufacture good stuff.