Bought 2 very old cameras: Brownie Junior six-20 & an unknown!

[Treymac]

Hey guys. I went to my first camera swap meet and bought some very old cameras for very cheap. But one thing that I'm noticing now that I'm home is that I can't open them.

With the Brownie Junior Six-20, I'm opening it the way the manual says, to pull the button on the top up, but it's really binding or getting caught on something

The same for the unknown. It's also getting caught. It's loose, but I can feel that the two parts are hooked together and won't come apart. There is no information on this camera, other than it has a wire frame finder that you can pull up and on the lens it says: Wara-Doppel Objective 1:11.

Does anybody have any experience with this kind of problem on these types of cameras? Any idea of what I could do?

Thanks.

 

[jon koss]

Try pulling out in a gently wiggling fashion on the winding key. That may free it.
Jon

Hey guys...With the Brownie Junior Six-20, I'm opening it the way the manual says, to pull the button on the top up, but it's really binding or getting caught on something... The same for the unknown. It's also getting caught. It's loose, but I can feel that the two parts are hooked together and won't come apart.
Thanks.

 

[Treymac]

Ok, so on the unknown it was the winder, I had to pull it out a bit. Realized that after a lot of aggressive pulling, luckily only did damage to a little bit of leatherette, although I'm kind of annoyed about that. Now to find out why the Six-20 is binding.

Going to take some pics with the unknown, it's 120!

 

[jon koss]

Sometimes there is a little spring-metal tab that needs to be grabbed pretty much with the fingernail and pulled out from the body about a half-inch. Look over the body carefully for this type of thing. It might be pretty close to flush when it is pushed in.

Additional winding key idea: sometimes it helps to actually wind the key on as you apply gentle pulling force to it. It can help it to come out without so much trauma to the body.

Good luck,
Jon

Ok, so on the unknown it was the winder, I had to pull it out a bit. Realized that after a lot of aggressive pulling, luckily only did damage to a little bit of leatherette, although I'm kind of annoyed about that. Now to find out why the Six-20 is binding.

Going to take some pics with the unknown, it's 120!

 

[DWThomas]

You didn't say, and I don't know if it applies to your model, but on the Brownie are you also pulling out the winding knob? On my Brownie Target Six-20 you have to pull the little top button up, but also disengage the winding knob. I assume (perhaps foolishly) the Junior is an earlier incarnation of the late 1940s box I have (which I received new as a gift back when!)

 

[Jeff Kubach]

Maybe you can try some 3 in one oil.

Jeff

 

[Removed Account2]

If you don't know what you're doing DONT USE FORCE!

Have a close look at everything and use your brain, not your muscles, or send it to me!