Crazy Rollei Problem, the back door will not open.

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rknewcomb

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I have had a Rollei before and shot many rolls of film with one but...on the the Rolleicord VB that I just received the back door will simply not open, as in stuck closed. I release the latch at the bottom the camera and the back relaxes a little as in it will wiggle back and forth like it wants to open but simply will not fold outward to open. This is a "New Old Stock" camera that has never been used.The pictures in the auction site show it opened but it won't do it now. Could something slipped inside during shipping that has it jammed?
Any ideas?
Thank you,
Robert
 

BrianShaw

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Did you (1) turn the silver lever and (2) flip up the latch. Then use the flipped up latch to pull open the door?

That mechanism is quite simplistic. It is unlikely that something dislodged in shipping. It isn’t unusual for the door to be a bit “tight”.
 

Dan Daniel

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Pull the bottom section away, up, from the body.. how to describe? Use standard orientation in use? So you want to pull the front clasp part of the door down, away from the body, towards the 'ground.' So, up/down, pull away from body a bit and then back?

The leading edge of the Rollei door is designed to slide over a ridge and grab a bit as you close it. To open, you usually don't notice this much as the door will simply slide back over the same ridge. Sounds as if your door's leading edge is very tight.

New old stock? What a crazy idea for a 50-60 year old item.
 

Dan Daniel

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Do as Brian says in post 2.

That's going to be a bit difficult as the latch is not designed to flip up on the Rolleicords. It is a straight single part- no hinged part to flip up as on the Rolleiflex latch. Well, maybe Brian meant to flip/pull/push the latch 'up' as in away from the body and up in the typical orientation for opening the back...
 
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rknewcomb

rknewcomb

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[QUOTE="Dan So, up/down, pull away from body a bit and then back?

The leading edge of the Rollei door is designed to slide over a ridge and grab a bit as you close it. To open, you usually don't notice this much as the door will simply slide back over the same ridge. Sounds as if your door's leading edge is very tight.

New old stock? What a crazy idea for a 50-60 year old item.[/QUOTE

yeah!!!
Finally it opened. The “pull up then back” worked. I knew they can be tight but did not remember the little bit of a ridge and the need to pull up away from the body first and then back.
Thank you all for the help, ya’ll are just great and i just love this forum.

yes New old stock on a 50 year old camera is pretty wild. It looks it too. In box with case and instructions in German. I’m going to have to get a cla as it’s never been serviced and the shutter blades seem slow.
thank you all again
Robert
 

BobD

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I have had cameras do this when some adhesive has gotten down in the grooves that the door edges fit into when it closes.

I would face the camera downward, drip some alcohol along the door edges and let it sit a while.

Some dope may have "replaced the light seals" which do not exist on any Rolleicord I've ever seen.
 
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BrianShaw

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That's going to be a bit difficult as the latch is not designed to flip up on the Rolleicords. It is a straight single part- no hinged part to flip up as on the Rolleiflex latch. Well, maybe Brian meant to flip/pull/push the latch 'up' as in away from the body and up in the typical orientation for opening the back...
See page 6 of the user manual. That’s what I was describing.
 
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rknewcomb

rknewcomb

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Yes, i did read the instructions online twice. It made no mention of pulling upward before pulling back on the door. Plus this one is not broken in at all. I also did not want to break anything.
Thanks !!
Robert
 

BrianShaw

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I used a Vb for about 25 years. Mine was barely used when I got it and well used when it retired. I’m tempted to put it back in action because it remains my favorite camera. If you haven’t considered this already, a Rolleifix and monopod proved to be invaluable.
 

Dan Daniel

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See page 6 of the user manual. That’s what I was describing.
Ah, ok, I was wrong about it being a single part with no hinge. It is hinged and you do need to flip up the latch to clear. Should make giving a little upward tug easier with less chance of bending the latch.
 

Dan Daniel

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[ I’m going to have to get a cla as it’s never been serviced and the shutter blades seem slow.

Sit and fire the shutter again and again for a while. Watch a show or put on a good album. You might get the oil and grease loosened up a bit and find little need for a cleaning for a while.

You can put a 120 spool in the takeup chamber and the camera will act as if there is film in the camera. If the jumping and grinding noise scares you, wrap the left end of the spool with a few winds of masking tape to cushion the metering gear as it rolls over the plastic spool. If the counter and wind system are hanging up, best to find it out before you get a roll of film in there. And as with the shutter, could be good to loosen up the old lubes.
 

BrianShaw

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With my Vb a shutter and body overhaul was goed for a decade, maybe a dozen years. The Vb I bought way-back-when eass little used, sat idle for probably 15 or so years, and needed a shutter overhaul before I could use it. So it does not surprise me that an overhaul might be needed even if the camera just sat in a box.

But exercising it is a good thing to do... might get to shoot some pictures before having to send it to the spa for a vacation.
 

shutterfinger

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Open the aperture wide open. Set the shutter speed to 1 second. Position the camera and a watch or clock so that you can see the shutter blades and the second hand at the same time. Cock the shutter.
Release the shutter just as the second hand reaches a second/minute mark and observe the shutter, it should open then close fully just as the second hand reaches the next second mark. Tolerance is the width of the second hand either side of the close second mark. Set the shutter to 1/2 second and repeat. The shutter should open and close just as the second hand reaches the mid point between the second marks. Tolerance is 1/2 the width of the second hand either side of the mid point. Increase the shutter speeds 1 speed at a time cocking and tripping on each. The shutter should operate noticeably faster up to 1/125., above 1/125 is too difficult to tell the difference in speed. Turning the speed down from 1/125, cocking and releasing, the speeds should get noticeably slower. Not the most accurate speed test but better than sound only.
 
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rknewcomb

rknewcomb

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s-l1600.jpg I will try the exercise routine. It would be nice to shoot a little before its cla trip.
I kind of figured before I bought it that it would need a service since its been unused for so long.
I can't believe I had so much trouble getting it open, although my Rollei shooting days were about 30+ years ago.
I've gotten old(er)
Robert
 

Dan Daniel

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I wonder if the paint has changed shape. Those were the days of solvent-based paints. They can be gassing off for a long time. I bet Rollei expected that the back would be opened in a relatively short time after they close it, box it up, and send it off to be sold. Maybe sitting closed for so long so soon after manufacturing led the paint to melt a bit, expand strangely or some other defects to grow as the last of the solvents hung around. Or other solvents from the packaging seeped in.

Examine the back/body interference area. Look for any change in the paint surface. Rub it down with some safe cleaners- alcohol, maybe a little Windex? See if you can 'polish' the paint in the area a bit? Start in the middle and do testing before using something that could affect the exterior paint!

I've never had the experience of dealing with a new in-box Rollei TLR. Maybe this kind of minor binding was designed in, and it will relax after a few uses. I've seen a fair amount of variance in the 'clip' action of the back, from almost no friction to binding. I know people who have forgotten to close the latching mechanism on a Rolleiflex, shot a roll, and had no light leaks! The clip action is not an accident. You might find a particular angle for pulling that leads to quick opening.

As shutterfinger says, the back is relatively weak and prone to bending. It is possible to increase or decrease the interference, and I fine tune backs all the time. But I wouldn't suggest you attempt this in any fashion in this case, at least not before a few months of use! I would hope that Rollei knew how to package their cameras to avoid damage in transit and stocking, but again I doubt they were expecting the camera to sit for 50+ years in the packaging!
 

gone

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You can tell we're the pros, it took all of us to try and figure out how to open a camera's back.

Tune in next week as we attempt to load the film! That may have to be broken into several episodes, it just depends.
 

MattKing

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You can tell we're the pros, it took all of us to try and figure out how to open a camera's back.
As it is a 50 year old camera that has never been opened before, it is a little bit like a time capsule or Tutankhamen's tomb!
 
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