Author Topic: I just made/fixed ... (Read 109015 times)

Sandeha Lynch · « **Reply #250 on:** April 10, 2018, 05:57:57 PM »

Yep, six screws, I think, a cover and the screw mount plate itself, otherwise I could not have put the hacksaw blade all the way through. But then remounted it and used a body cap from the bay.

If your camera is completely dead it might be worthwhile, but there's a lot less to remove with a cloth shutter camera.

Francois · « **Reply #251 on:** April 10, 2018, 09:19:59 PM »

I do expect it to be a bit of a chore. It's the first time I see a camera that has different spring pressure adjustments for the fast speeds so it's bound to be more complex than I thought.

But yeah, there is a big problem with the shutter. It opens up when you wind on, and closes partially when you press the shutter button. The only thing that works well with it is the mirror...

johnha · « **Reply #252 on:** April 10, 2018, 10:43:02 PM »

I haven't fixed, but have had fixed my Pentax KX & LX bodies (far too complicated for me to have a go at). It might not be the filmwasters ethos, but it's important to me to get them back up and running.

cs1 · « **Reply #253 on:** April 11, 2018, 05:54:07 AM »

I think that keeping gear running is definitely good filmwasters' ethos. If there were capable repair shops nearby I'd probably bring my gear there. Unfortunately there aren't any that I know of and I'd probably be unable to afford them anyhow. So fiddling with the gear myself is due to this and due to the fact that I like to do it.

Sandeha Lynch · « **Reply #254 on:** April 11, 2018, 09:59:40 AM »

Getting stuff fixed by others is still good news. Bald Mountain repair shop in California closed a couple of years ago, and I recently heard that Harrow Technical (Pentax specialist) is also retiring. There will be more ...

Francois · « **Reply #255 on:** April 11, 2018, 02:17:40 PM »

I think we better adopt the maker's motto: if you can't fix it it's not really yours.

Francois · « **Reply #256 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:25:01 PM »

Here's another contraption!
http://www.filmwasters.com/forum/index.php?topic=9563.new#new
This one is easy as pie, so anyone can build it.

EarlJam · « **Reply #257 on:** May 01, 2018, 01:50:58 PM »

Raphael Orlove, features editor on the automotive site Jalopnik, has written about his attempts to repair a Pentacon 50mm for an otherwise working Praktica LTL. Section titles include "YouTube is a Lie", "The Only Thing You Can Count On With Old Parts Is That They Will Deceive You And Fail You", and "If Something Seems Like It Requires Experience, Be Prepared To Do It Over A Dozen Times", which sum up my experiences whenever I've tried to work on a lens. Well, that, and an appalling lack of fine motor skills and manual dexterity.

https://jalopnik.com/how-not-to-fix-something-1825611360

Aksel · « **Reply #258 on:** May 02, 2018, 07:45:06 AM »

Quote from: EarlJam on May 01, 2018, 01:50:58 PM

Raphael Orlove, features editor on the automotive site Jalopnik, has written about his attempts to repair a Pentacon 50mm for an otherwise working Praktica LTL. Section titles include "YouTube is a Lie", "The Only Thing You Can Count On With Old Parts Is That They Will Deceive You And Fail You", and "If Something Seems Like It Requires Experience, Be Prepared To Do It Over A Dozen Times", which sum up my experiences whenever I've tried to work on a lens. Well, that, and an appalling lack of fine motor skills and manual dexterity.

https://jalopnik.com/how-not-to-fix-something-1825611360

Pretty spot on!
Reminds me of a few projects that have been laying around far to long

Francois · « **Reply #259 on:** May 16, 2018, 07:56:58 PM »

I think it's official, the Homemade Camera Podcast made me loose my marbles!
I built this as part of their 80mm lens challenge. And this thing has seen more twists and turns than I've ever seen. From broken tools to impossible to find parts to gluing things the wrong way using epoxy (try and get this apart!), I think I've seen it all. But here it is finally.

So, in the right corner weighing in at 3 lbs 7 oz. (over 1 kg) (camera not included), I present to you the MagnaLux-Delta!
This lens designed around an old Nikon FE is based on a modified projection TV lens. It has 3 elements in 2 groups, including one aspheric lens. It's focal length is between 80mm and 85mm and has a tested aperture of.... drum roll please......
f/1.4

It focuses from 3 feet 9 inches to infinity (roughly 1 meter to infinity).

So, what do you think? Did I go overboard with that?

cs1 · « **Reply #260 on:** May 16, 2018, 08:32:57 PM »

That is pure awesomeness. Lovely work, François. And yes, I can confirm that you lost your marbles.

Bryan · « **Reply #261 on:** May 27, 2018, 07:43:24 PM »

I recently purchase this Leica IIIf RD ST with a Summaron lens for about the price of the lens. The camera is in great working condition, just needed some new skin. I ordered the skin from hugostudio.com for about $25.00.

The first thing I did was remove the self timer to make both removal and installation of the skin easier. The second thing I needed to do was remove the old skin, it flaked off with ease. Now for the hardest part, a few hours of scrubbing with acetone to remove the old glue. I did this outside so I didn't get too high. You want the body very clean and smooth so that the new skin adheres properly and doesn't show bumps. After carefully aligning the section of skin around the self timer and slow speed dial I worked my around to the other side of the lens mount making sure it was all lining up properly. Now it looks good as new.

cs1 · « **Reply #262 on:** May 27, 2018, 07:52:19 PM »

Outstanding work, Bryan. The IIIf looks like new. Very well executed. May I ask what type of glue you used? I always have trouble glueing things to bare metal.

Bryan · « **Reply #263 on:** May 27, 2018, 07:59:56 PM »

Quote from: cs1 on May 27, 2018, 07:52:19 PM

Outstanding work, Bryan. The IIIf looks like new. Very well executed. May I ask what type of glue you used? I always have trouble glueing things to bare metal.

The skin from Hugostudio.com is self adhesive, otherwise I would have used contact cement. That's what I use to repair skin that is starting to peel off.

MiguelCampano · « **Reply #264 on:** May 27, 2018, 08:01:00 PM »

Amazing job, Bryan! Wow!

Francois · « **Reply #265 on:** May 27, 2018, 08:40:18 PM »

This definitely looks mighty fine.
I'll have to do that to an old Argus I got in the shed...

Sandeha Lynch · « **Reply #266 on:** May 28, 2018, 09:31:49 AM »

Gem Bond or Jewel Bond are best for sticking down leatherettes to bare metal. They're designed to glue sequins onto fabrics but they have the right density for camera bodies.

Pete_R · « **Reply #267 on:** May 28, 2018, 02:17:05 PM »

Shutter from Chris' Flexaret...

Slow speeds and self timer working now.

https://youtu.be/akYrewtEwwA

Pete_R · « **Reply #268 on:** May 28, 2018, 04:27:45 PM »

Quote from: Sandeha Lynch on May 28, 2018, 09:31:49 AM

Gem Bond or Jewel Bond are best for sticking down leatherettes to bare metal. They're designed to glue sequins onto fabrics but they have the right density for camera bodies.

How permanent is it Sandeha? Could the covers be removed again without damage if necessary?

Pete_R · « **Reply #269 on:** May 28, 2018, 04:57:36 PM »

The Flexaret back together. Cleaned the screen too. Just needs some film in it now.

Sandeha Lynch · « **Reply #270 on:** May 28, 2018, 06:45:17 PM »

Quote from: PeterR on May 28, 2018, 04:27:45 PM

Quote from: Sandeha Lynch on May 28, 2018, 09:31:49 AM
Gem Bond or Jewel Bond are best for sticking down leatherettes to bare metal. They're designed to glue sequins onto fabrics but they have the right density for camera bodies.
How permanent is it Sandeha? Could the covers be removed again without damage if necessary?

Both permanent and yet removable. They are good glues for those awkward stiff corners that are bent up the wrong way as, after a little pressure, they can hold down forever. But equally, when I've needed to make a change a year later it peels away with little obvious residue.

The glue is a different consistency from most, a bit viscous, and that may be where it gets its staying power.

Francois · « **Reply #271 on:** May 28, 2018, 08:52:04 PM »

I wonder if Gorilla Glue or E6000 would work?

Bryan · « **Reply #272 on:** May 30, 2018, 10:36:20 PM »

I painted another one. I picked the colors to match the Kodak film box.

Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash Painted Red and Yellow by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

This is what I have done so far:

cs1 · « **Reply #273 on:** May 31, 2018, 06:02:13 AM »

The result is great, Bryan. Can you give us a quick hint how you do the painting and how you make the paint stick on the bakelite (if that indeed is bakelite) or plastic? I tried painting plastic once and though I used an adhesive agent it still didn't stick properly.

I appreciate the diversity due to the fact that we fellow Filmwasters are scattered around the world but there're moments when I think how brilliant it would be to live closer by to be able to quickly meet up for things like a "I really need to paint my camera" workshop or for a "Got a hazy (Yashica?

) lens? Here's how to clean it!" workshop.

AJShepherd · « **Reply #274 on:** May 31, 2018, 12:34:17 PM »

Wow! That yellow and red Hawkeye is utterly striking!
The others are great too but that one really stands out.

Francois · « **Reply #275 on:** May 31, 2018, 01:25:50 PM »

Really good paint job.
Did you use some krylon fusion? I know that it's made to stick to plastic, but it takes a good week to really fully harden.

Bryan · « **Reply #276 on:** May 31, 2018, 02:41:18 PM »

Quote from: cs1 on May 31, 2018, 06:02:13 AM

The result is great, Bryan. Can you give us a quick hint how you do the painting and how you make the paint stick on the bakelite (if that indeed is bakelite) or plastic? I tried painting plastic once and though I used an adhesive agent it still didn't stick properly.

I appreciate the diversity due to the fact that we fellow Filmwasters are scattered around the world but there're moments when I think how brilliant it would be to live closer by to be able to quickly meet up for things like a "I really need to paint my camera" workshop or for a "Got a hazy (Yashica? ) lens? Here's how to clean it!" workshop.

Thanks everyone for the comments, my wife calls it ketchup and mustard.

I have never had a problem getting the paint to stick to Bakelite. The first thing I do is take the camera apart as much as possible. On the Hawkeye I leave the shutter mechanism in place. I then clean the surface that I will be painting with water and Dawns dishwashing liquid, it’s great at removing the grease. It’s hard to damage the shutter on these so I don’t stress too much about getting a little water in there. I then dry it thoroughly, a little isopropyl alcohol helps dry it out if you get some wTer in the shutter mechanism.

After everything is dried out I start taping with masking tape. This is the hard part and you have to get creative. You don’t want any paint to get inside the camera and the part on the top that has the lock mechanism needs to be taped where the metal makes contact. If you don’t do that it will be difficult to open and close. There are lots of little corners and odd shapes to tape, an exact knife comes in handy. A good tape job is the most important part.

The paint I used is Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2X. It says you don’t need a primer but I probably could have done fewer coats and got a better finish if I had used one. Primer does help the paint stick to the surface. I put on light coats, 2 within an hour then let it dry for 24 hours. Then I put on the third coat followed by a clear coat, then let it dry for another 24 hours before removing the tape, flipping the lens and putting it back together.

Bryan · « **Reply #277 on:** May 31, 2018, 03:41:04 PM »

A few more notes on painting:

I leave the strap attached to the back of the camera. I tape it up good and bend it back to paint under it. Leave it in a straight position like it will be when it’s attached when painting so it looks good when it’s re-attached. The back of the strap is riveted on so it’s more work putting it back together if you want to take it off.

Paint the two body parts separately, you don’t want to glue the together with paint.

Use good 3M masking tape, the cheap stuff will only make it more difficult.

Use a tooth pick to get the tape shoved into tight spots.

Trim the tape with a sharp Exacto knife, this makes fitting odd shapes easier.

Take notes and photos when taking it apart, is one of the parts like the viewfinder can be a bit confusing when you put them back together.

There are some good instructions online for taking it apart. Some focus on flipping the lens but they can be helpful for this.

Kai-san · « **Reply #278 on:** July 08, 2018, 05:00:15 PM »

I guess this story should not be in this thread, but I couldn't find any better. Almost ten years ago I bought a Yashica 35 rangefinder (not the Electro 35), these were made between 1958 and 1959. I did not know the condition of it, but it looked nice. Checking it out it soon became clear that the film transport was not working. I unscrewed the bottom plate and sure enough; a couple of broken parts fell out. But knowing that not many of these were made, I decided to send it off to Mark Hama to try to get it fixed. The first message back was not encouraging, obviously somebody had messed up this camera seriously. But he managed somehow to find parts for it. On it's return, the first film I ran through it had overlapping frames showing that the film transport was still not working properly. Disappointed I put the camera in a drawer and got on with life.
But then about a week ago a thread on this camera appeared over on RFF, and one of the contributors had an important piece of advice. Before loading a new film you have to move the film transport roller backwards until you hear a click, otherwise the film transport might not work properly. So yesterday I loaded the camera to test it out, and today I lifted out a roll of Fomapan 100 from my Paterson tank with 37 perfectly spaced frames.
Here is a nice link if you want to know more about this camera: http://www.mikeeckman.com/2017/05/yashica-35-1958/

cs1 · « **Reply #279 on:** July 08, 2018, 07:51:32 PM »

I'm glad that you got the Yashica 35 to work properly. I have a thing for Yashicas. I own a 35 Electro GSN and love it (I only need to figure out how to brighten up the viewfinder again). You Yashica 35 looks gorgeous. It's quite tempting to search for a working copy.

Francois · « **Reply #280 on:** July 08, 2018, 09:24:20 PM »

You just gotta love when things are an easy fix like that

Kai-san · « **Reply #281 on:** July 09, 2018, 09:19:03 PM »

Well, I forgot to mention the other thing that "fixed itself" on that camera. All those years ago when I first used the camera I thought the viewfinder was rather unclear and fuzzy, but I did not react to it as many old cameras are like that. The other day before I set out to test it, I took a look through the viewfinder without my glasses on by pure mistake. And then I realized that I could see very clearly even on long distances! So it turns out that the camera has had a -4 diopter installed when I purchased it, and I never suspected it at all. I did not even know that you could get a diopter for an old camera like that!

jharr · « **Reply #282 on:** July 10, 2018, 05:15:30 AM »

Kai, a surprise internal -4 diopter in a Yashica 35 is so far down the camera nerd rabbit hole that I'm going to flower foul you just for the fun of it!

ChinonCP5-EliteChrome-029 by James Harr, on Flickr

Francois · « **Reply #283 on:** July 10, 2018, 02:44:29 PM »

Wow!
That is so big that you don't even need glasses to see it

Kai-san · « **Reply #284 on:** July 10, 2018, 05:58:11 PM »

Thanks James, I love your nerdy flower pictures. But I'm afraid I'll have to give you one in return for "camera nerd rabbit hole". Shot without diopter and without glasses by the way......

Bryan · « **Reply #285 on:** July 12, 2018, 03:43:10 PM »

I re-stitched another case. This one fits the leica III, IIIa and IIIb cameras with an Elmar lens. Any other lens and the front wont close, they stick out too far. The leather on this one is in great condition but the threads were very rotten. I stitched the top, bottom and the lens cover after pulling all the rotten thread out.

Francois · « **Reply #286 on:** August 01, 2018, 09:25:48 PM »

Here is my latest monstrosity.
It's a dual pinhole anamorphic camera that I call the BendoBot for some obvious reasons.

Kai-san · « **Reply #287 on:** December 02, 2018, 02:21:17 PM »

It seems like investing in some repair manuals is starting to pay off. These are two cameras that I had more or less written off. The Nikon FE has been sitting on a shelf for several years with a mirror locked in the upper position, film advance and shutter blocked. Really an easy fix once you understand how things work. Took off the bottom cover and removed the cover plate over the cocking bar. This bar operates both mirror and shutter, and when you lift up this bar you will be able to operate the shutter and mirror separately. So now I know that if the mirror doesn't come down after exposure, I must not advance to the next frame because that will lock up the camera. The correct thing to do is to remove the lens, lower the mirror with the little lever on the side and then advance to the next frame.
The problems with the Nikon 35TI I have described in a separate thread, it had a shutter that didn't seem able to make up it's mind whether to operate or not. The other day it struck me that it could simply be a case of dirty contacts. I found a service manual online and I starting working on it. Removing the top cover gave me access to the on/off switch which also selects between program and aperture priority mode. I also had to separate two flexible printed circuit boards. I cleaned the contacts between these two boards and the on off switch contacts. I did not have any high hopes as I was not able to clean the shutter button contact, this was encapsulated and not possible to open. But after running a test roll through the camera camera twice it seems to be fine! The whole operation takes a bit of time as you have to remove the front leatherette to access the top cover screws. And then you have to clean the glue from the leatherette and the camera body before re-gluing. But hey, it's worth it!

Francois · « **Reply #288 on:** December 02, 2018, 08:42:28 PM »

When it works, it's definitely worth it.
And as a bonus you get to experience that "I can't believe I fixed it" moment

grit · « **Reply #289 on:** December 05, 2018, 01:20:35 AM »

I just cleaned all the sand out of my tripod! Was photographing at the beach and the bottom of my tripod got hit by a wave. It's an old Manfrotto one with pins at each joint that you hammer out in order to take the legs apart. Took me a good 2 hours to do the whole job: lesson learned. But the legs slide freely again, good as new!

Francois · « **Reply #290 on:** December 05, 2018, 04:05:14 PM »

This is a bit like their light stands. They use a tapered pin that comes out easily only if you got it from the correct side.
Let's just say it took me a while to figure this one out.

Sandeha Lynch · « **Reply #291 on:** January 31, 2019, 05:05:40 PM »

A friend sent me a tin of home-made biscuits the other week, in a beautiful and shapely tin. Apart from the excellent biscuits I was struck by the dimensions of the lid - would it be imperial or metric?

It turned out that a sheet of 4x5 fitted the space perfectly.

Find the centre, drill just above it, and then root around for the aperture lever of an old rotary shutter and fix in place with a stop point.

The next task was to build a supporting frame for a sheet inside and then adapt the cover with a spacer to hold the sheet firmly in place.

Then take it for a test drive.

It appears to run quite well.

Francois · « **Reply #292 on:** January 31, 2019, 09:11:53 PM »

Funny thing is it looks like there is some astroturf in the camera

Sandeha Lynch · « **Reply #293 on:** February 01, 2019, 10:33:40 AM »

Just green felt.

AJShepherd · « **Reply #294 on:** February 01, 2019, 10:57:25 AM »

That's a really cool-looking biscuit-tin-cam! Liked the picture from it too.

cs1 · « **Reply #295 on:** February 01, 2019, 01:59:53 PM »

That's a stylish pinhole! Great work!

cs1 · « **Reply #296 on:** February 23, 2019, 10:58:48 AM »

I tried to improve the looks of my battered Altissa Periskop Box camera. This is what I did:

Masked all leather parts and front parts that I didn't wan to spray paint (this was a real pain).
Used a Dremel-like tool to sand off the old paint.
Coated the blank metal with a primer which helps against rust and also helps the paint to better stick to the metal.
Coated the primed parts with "silky black".

Altissa Periskop restauration (before) by C S

Altissa Periskop restauration (during / after) by C S

This was my first time doing this and here're the lessons that I learned:

I should have also treated the rim that surrounds the lens.
Even though I thought that I was careful, the primer is really liquid and there were little amounts of primer on the rim of the leatherette. I'm still trying to figure out how to avoid this.
Box cameras in general are really hard to disassemble which is due to the cheap manufacturing methods that are usually used. For on thing, a lot of parts (like the viewfinder in the Altissa's case) are riveted to the body which can hardly be undone. Some other parts are crimped to it (like the "lens mount"). So you have to make do with the fact that you can't really do much about some things if you don't find a way to undo the riveted or crimped parts and re-do them. In the Altissa's case you can't easily renew the leatherette because it continues under the viewfinder which is riveted to the body.

All in all I found it surprisingly challenging to work on the box. But it was fun anyhow and I'm pleased with the result. There's no rust anymore and I was also able to polish the rust off the chrome parts. Now the hood of the viewfinder is of the same colour as the metal parts of the box which looks quite nice (and judging from a box that's in an even better shape, this was the original look of the box; due to the rough surface it seems like the grey tone of the hood is dust that collects on it which is not the "intended look"

).

Francois · « **Reply #297 on:** February 23, 2019, 01:57:22 PM »

Definitely was worth the effort. It probably looks better than when it was new.
Taping is always a chore but as I say: one hour of taping is worth ten hours of swearing.

I know that as a metal primer, I really like the Tremclad rust converter. You spray it on lightly and it sticks to metal really good. It's a super flat black and it gives the finish paint really good adhesion. I used it on a little red wagon and it did a fantastic job.

Bryan · « **Reply #298 on:** February 23, 2019, 06:47:12 PM »

Nice job cs1, it looks great!

cs1 · « **Reply #299 on:** February 23, 2019, 07:37:22 PM »

Thanks for the advice, François, I need to check whether that primer is available here.

Thanks Bryan. I also reworked a second box for my daughter. She's five yo. and loves photography (and she's surprisingly good at it because she actually thinks a shot through; sometimes she's the one who returns from a photowalk with the best keeper shots). She loves my little Altissa Periskop and asked whether or not she can get one of her own. I said that of course she can (they really don't cost that much) and since I reworked mine I asked her which colour she'd like for the metal parts of her Altissa. Well, enter the "Altissa Pinkiskop" which I'll be showing here when it's finished... Who am I to judge her choice of colours if it makes her happy and by way gets her into film photography, so sure she can have her Altissa Pinkiskop.

On her Periskop I also reworked the rim of the lens because that's metal as well. I used a technique to get the white colour back into the engraved letters which uses water based acrylic paint to freshen up e. g. distance or aperture engravings on lenses. I picked the technique up on YouTube. You basically roughly fill in the engraved letters with white acrylic paint and use a kitchen towel which is slightly wet to remove the excess colour on the surface. This leaves enough colour in the letters themselves. It turned out nice, despite the fact that the engravings on the Periskop weren't that good in the first place. I'll re-assemble her box tomorrow and try to post a picture of it then.