Calibration of Nikkormat FTN Shutter Speeds?

[F4U]

The slow speeds on my Nikkormat were hanging up , so I stripped the camera down for a CLA job without the "A". Now the shutter is snappy again. From 1 sec to 1/60 everything is perfect. But 1/125 is testing at 1/85, and from there on up to 1000, everything turns to garbage. The service manual seems to say nothing about calibrating these Copal Square shutters, nor does there seem to be anything on the internet about it. I wonder if there are actually any adjustment points in them to pull this thing back to specs. Sure can't use it like this. Anybody know of any source for this info?Thank you.

 

[BrianShaw]

Some time ago I found the Copal Square shutter repair manual online. If you haven’t, it might be worth searching.

 

[Chan Tran]

If the higher speed is wrong check the shutter curtain speed.

 

[F4U]

Thank you. I was able to find the Copal Square service manual. It's pretty technical. And also not practical. I was hoping for adjustment points I could get to by doing another stripdown of the camera to remove the mirror box and other parts so that the shutter could stay mounted in the body frame and adjusted like that. Reason being you need the shutter assembly still mounted so that you can use the film advance lever to re-cock the shutter as needed. Removal of the shutter assembly would mean that you would lose the cocking rack, meaning there would be no means to cock the shutter since the cocking gear itself is not readily available. You would need to mount the shutter assembly is some sort of specialized jig. Since I have successfully CLA'd my 3 Nikon F bodies and gotten those shutters in-calibration, I see no sense in wasting any more time on this Nikkormat. Especially since they have a nearly zero resale value. I just finished the cleaning and lube of it and the sticking shutter is nice and snappy again. But I wouldn't use the camera when my F's are so perfect, so back in the junk drawer it goes. Oh, well Anybody wants it, it's yours for postage only. It's actually in mint condition and has the case bottom half with strap and body cap.

 

[ic-racer]

Attached documents may be of some help. Do you know the shutter transit times?

 

[F4U]

Attached documents may be of some help. Do you know the shutter transit times?

No I didn't write them down. i do recall 1/1000 was about 1/500 and 125 was 1/85. 500 was more like 1/300 or slightly less. I notice in the 3 attachments you posted that it calls for a single adjustment for everything between 1 sec and 125. Problem is that everything from 1 sec to 1/60 was perfect. Logically thinking, 125 could probably be pulled closer to spec by making the 1/1000 adjustment., and leave the 1 sec to 125 alone. I'm just not familiar enough with the Copal Square to even know how to do the 1000 adjustment. How to gain access to it, when it is still mounted in the body. I do not have a jig to mount it in, so that I could cock the shutter as needed. It has to stay in the body so I can use the film advance lever. Now the entire camera is 100% reassembled and the leather re-attached. Since I have 3 newly CLA'd Nikon F's, I'm thinking "what's the point"? The sales value of them is so low I doubt I could stand on a busy street corner and give them away. Kind of sad, really. The Nikkormat was a far better amateur camera than the Pentaxes, Olympus, Konica, Minotlta, Miranda, Yashica and the rest.

 

[4season]

IMO, the Nikkormat shutter/self timer assembly is marvelously easy to access: Once the mirror box is off the camera, removing three screws and a washer allows you to lift the assembly free from the main body casting, and allows good access to the timing mechanism. If you wish to cock it via the camera's wind lever, just screw the shutter module back into place. An actual 1/300 when camera is set to 1/500 seems pretty decent to me. You may recall (Norman Goldberg's?) bench test reports from the era, which revealed that even when new, typical mechanical shutters were often off by a full stop or more.

 

[F4U]

IMO, the Nikkormat shutter/self timer assembly is marvelously easy to access: Once the mirror box is off the camera, removing three screws and a washer allows you to lift the assembly free from the main body casting, and allows good access to the timing mechanism. If you wish to cock it via the camera's wind lever, just screw the shutter module back into place. An actual 1/300 when camera is set to 1/500 seems pretty decent to me. You may recall (Norman Goldberg's?) bench test reports from the era, which revealed that even when new, typical mechanical shutters were often off by a full stop or more.

I'm sure the camera is entirely usable for most people. But not for me. Ive been spoiled I've got my Nikon F's calibrated darn near perfect. Can you imagine trying to do good work on Kodachrome with a shutter a stop off? Yes I remember those Modern Photography tests back in the day. Read them every month, along with Cora Wright Kennedy over at Pop. Photo.