Argus C3 experts -- advice on cam follower needed

[RLangham]

So I'm a C3 man. That shouldn't be surprising. They're the solidest little camera I've even encountered. I own two and they're both on my workbench right now--I payed 20 for each of them down at the antique store of my good buddy Claude Leaman, who can price a camera correctly like no one I've ever seen. If I ever see another one in that price range rest assured I will buy it.

On one, the speed dial got unscrewed, so I'm about to, with the help of this tutorial (https://www.arguscg.org/manuals/c3/gaon-repair/), open it up, align the cam, screw it down and hopefully reassemble a working Argus. It's my first one, my favorite camera of all time, a 1949 if I recall correctly, with low-magnification rangefinder, blue filter, and a very smooth action on the lens and lens gearing--and it's a very sharp Cintar with absolutely lyrical color response. Until the speed dial came unscrewed, it was the most reliable camera I've ever owned, with perfect shutter timing, great accuracy (when I set the rangefinder gear correctly when I change lenses, which isn't always.) I'm hoping to take it out in the field today after I repair it.

The second one is in nominally working shape, but I've noticed that it came to me with a problem. I think it still has the first roll of film in it, so I can't speak to its lens, but it's a 50's Colormatic model, yellow magnified rangefinder, cold shoe, the works. Stiff action on the lens, but that's not what I'm worried about. See, this camera has a textbook loose speed cam follower arm-- the speed dial is very lax at 1/300th, most of the speeds all look like 1/300th--1/200th, and the very slow speeds are still a little fast.

The tutorial I've linked above is mute on adjusting the cam follower. What may I expect to do with it?

EDIT: I fixed the first camera. It's the first time I've ever worked on a leaf shutter without killing it! American-made shutters must be my lucky charm.

But now I'm even more confused about how to adjust the cam follower, now that I've had a good look at one.

 

[Mamiya_Repair]

There is no actual adjustment of the cam follower. Shutter speeds are adjusted by the bell crank eccentric. You can work through the inspection port on the bottom right hand side of the camera front cover. I would adjust the shutter so that no retard of the escapement is heard at 1/300 and just a slight retard is heard at 1/125. It helps to hold the setting lever and let it release slowly so that you can hear the speed escapement.

 

[RLangham]

There is no actual adjustment of the cam follower. Shutter speeds are adjusted by the bell crank eccentric. You can work through the inspection port on the bottom right hand side of the camera front cover. I would adjust the shutter so that no retard of the escapement is heard at 1/300 and just a slight retard is heard at 1/125. It helps to hold the setting lever and let it release slowly so that you can hear the speed escapement.

So you mean the metal plate (vaguely bell-shaped) that the cam arm is connected to at the bottom right-hand side of the camera? It has a screw in it. Is that what I adjust? And in what manner?

 

[Mamiya_Repair]

Yes, that plate is connected to the speeds escapement via a wire. You adjust the shutter speeds by loosening the bell crank screw and turning the eccentric.

 

[RLangham]

Yes, that plate is connected to the speeds escapement via a wire. You adjust the shutter speeds by loosening the bell crank screw and turning the eccentric.

So if the follower arm is not contacting the cam at 1/300, I should turn it, what, counterclockwise?

 

[Mamiya_Repair]

Well, have not had a C3 in the shop for about 30 years so I don't recall which way to turn the eccentric. But make sure the follower arm pin is connected to the bell crank. That might be the issue.

 

[RLangham]

Well, have not had a C3 in the shop for about 30 years so I don't recall which way to turn the eccentric. But make sure the follower arm pin is connected to the bell crank. That might be the issue.

Oh, it's certainly attached. There is a difference between 1/300 and 1/10, it's just not more than two or three stops. The retard becomes audible at... I should say 1/20, and is only significant at 1/10. I believe you've told me what I need to know. I do screw the screw back down when I'm done, right?
Anyways, it's impressive that you remember so much from that long ago. Were they a common repair job for you up until then?
As a humorous aside, I know a very old lady (probably as old as the oldest C3's!) who repairs cameras at a film lab, and I know she did a C3 as recently as last year, but when I asked her about this problem, she did not know the camera offhand and said "I have no clue. Just bring it in here and open it and maybe I'll remember!"

 

[Mamiya_Repair]

Well, even 30-40 years ago there were not many of these camera being repaired. I learned about them as they were a different style of shutter to study. Don't know of any other cameras off hand that used the system of controls that Argus used on the C3.
As for the screw, yes, it needs to be tightened down after you make the adjustment. If for some reason you can not make the adjustment with the eccentric, you should check the wire link between the bell crank and the speeds escapement. It might be bent. As a final effort, re-forming the wire link may be necessary.

 

[RLangham]

Well, even 30-40 years ago there were not many of these camera being repaired. I learned about them as they were a different style of shutter to study. Don't know of any other cameras off hand that used the system of controls that Argus used on the C3.
As for the screw, yes, it needs to be tightened down after you make the adjustment. If for some reason you can not make the adjustment with the eccentric, you should check the wire link between the bell crank and the speeds escapement. It might be bent. As a final effort, re-forming the wire link may be necessary.

Yes, the C series shutter is unique. The original C was the same without flash sync and with no coupling between the lens and the rangefinder, and the C2 added the gearing, but did not have flash synch installed from the factory, though it could be converted to a C3 later. Then the C3 had cosmetic variants such as the colormatic and the matchmatic. I never cared for the matchmatic, though I've almost bought several.

The reason that not many were being repaired in the 80's and 90's is probably because a lot of them have never needed repairs! I imagine Tony Vacarro may still shoot with the one he used in the European Theater, if he shoots at all these days. He would hardly be the only one using a 30's Argus in 2020.

This is an American shutter in every sense: bulky and underengineered, but easy to understand, rugged and easy to repair. I rebuilt a Pacemaker Speed Graphic shutter recently and it was the same way---no miniaturization, nothing elegant, but nothing that could normally break except for the curtain itself. Our design philosophy is different from the German design philosophy, and that is different still from the Japanese design philosophy. None of them is better to me, but I do appreciate that American designs are usually easier to fix.

At any rate, thanks for all the advice! I'm imagining that it won't take much more than adjusting that eccentric, but I'm glad you've given me contingencies in case that's insufficient!

 

[RLangham]

So it turns out that this latter C3 was used a lot more than my other one. The follower arm and eccentric were already adjusted all the way "up," but the follower tip is extremely worn down from what must have been decades of changing the speeds. I put a drop of sewing machine oil on the retard timer and worked it in, but in the end the eccentric simply wasn't getting pushed far enough by the cam. The camera is, to be sure, somewhat usable like this, but not in the way my 1949 C3 is with all the speeds accurate. Eventually I'll find a broken one cheap and buy it for parts, and take the follower arm off that. If I'd known, I would have bought one of the three or four Matchmatics with sticky shutters I've seen for ten and twenty dollars!

I suppose I could try straightening out the bend in the pusher wire a little (it has a dog-leg in it due to the relative positions of the timer and the eccentric), but I'd be afraid of damaging the timer...