Crown Graphic Issues (Top Mounted Rangefinder)

Apologizes for posting twice on related topics, but I feel as though this is separate enough a topic that it warrants it.

I received a Crown Graphic Special from the local police department, which was used to photograph crime scenes. (I hope I can someday photographic scenes half as exciting using this!) However, it had numerous problems. I believe somebody tried to force close the door without fully retracting the bellows, as the rails are broken and the sliding base on which the bellows are attached to is dented. That I can fix.

It uses the brushed aluminum graflite flash, however is missing the flash bracket. I found the hardware for $30 on eBay. I'm a little annoyed to spend $30 on a small piece of metal, but I guess that'll have to do...

However, what I'm not sure of is the Graflex top mounted rangefinder. The tube that is supposed to be filled with ball bearings has a spring wire in it that just hangs out. it looks like it was supposed to somehow be coupled to a piece of metal on the bellow rails, but it looks missing. The spring wire just pulls right out, and doesn't move the rangefinder mirror. I looked under the top of the camera, where the rangefinder cam should be, but I don't see a cam for the 135mm Xenar f/4.7 lens, I think it's missing. I attached pictures of the rangefinder parts, can somebody tell me what I have and what I'm missing? I removed the plastic cover to show the inner parts of the finder.

Sorry about the crudity of the images, I just used my phone camera and it was not cooperating

http://imgur.com/a/qeGmp
http://imgur.com/a/pFQw4

Download the service manual linked in the previous thread.
The cap/ External plunger at the bed end of the RF tube appears to be missing, if so the balls and spacers will most likely be gone also.

The cam is present in your picture but it is not installed correctly. It fits into the tube narrow end first and push the spring to the left until the thick end of the cam will seat in the slot in the tube.
Warning: If the end cap of the tube is missing or damaged you run the risk of causing any balls and spacers in the tube to fall out of the end of the tube.

Assembly is Cam return spring, cam return plunger (usually attached to the cam return spring, cam, Internal Plunger, ball, spacer, ball until 42 to 45 balls and the same number of spacers have been installed in this order, external plunger, end cap, bed actuator labeled bracket in the diagram.

The parallax lever spring position is clearly shown in the attached diagram.

Thank you for answering.

I don't believe I have the cam, can you point it out in the picture where it is?

Unfortunately, it looks like all the balls and spacers have fallen out. is there a way to replace them?

Looking at the price for parts to fix everything, new rangefinder glass, new cam, new plunger, I think i'll be in over $100 when it's all said in done. That's a little much for something I don't plan on using that often, when I have the Graflock back. Is there a real problem with just using the ground glass for focusing? I'm thinking about shooting a party next week with this with the Graflite flash. Focusing with the ground glass in dark settings, could I use the rangefinder lights to light up the area, or use a flashlight?

My late night mistake, I mistook a cover over the rangefinder arm as the cam.
The only source for the tube and its parts is a parts body with a complete tube assembly. Go to Graflex.org helpboard and search the Speed Graphic help section for balls and spacers. 10 to 12 years ago measurements for the balls and a corresponding description for the spacers was given as a response in one of the threads. Balls only will jam in the tube. Ask the police dept that gave you the camera if they have the parts stashed away in a box, offer to help them look for them.
Occasionally someone strips out a body and sells the parts on ebay. You might run across a complete tube someday. The rangefinder is worthless without the balls and spacers.

As for focusing in dim light on the ground glass it depends on how fast the lens is and how good your eyes are.
Now to give yourself the best chance remove the ground glass and fresnel from the camera back by removing the focusing hood item 4 by pulling on one side or the other of it

then remove screws item 5 and retainer clips 6. Remove ground glass 7 and fresnel 8 handling 7 & 8 by the edges only.
Wash each in warm water with dish detergent rubbing gently with your finger tips only. On the ribbed side of the fresnel rub with the groves only never across them. The amount of pressure applied with your finger tips should not be sufficient to move the skin on a very ripe grape. Rinse thoroughly in running water then rinse in a weak photoflo solution then stand on edge and allow to air dry.

Reassembly order is fresnel-ribbed side up, ground glass-ground side down with the focus frame laying flat on the work surface. Install retainer clips and screws, adjust so they hold the focus hood firmly and snug the screws. Do not over tighten the screws.

Some photographers with a top rangefinder Graphic also install a Kalart or Meyer rangefinder on the side, especially when using focal lengths for which no cam is readily available.

I would simply buy another camera that has everything that you want and was ready to go. Sell what you have for parts. The name of the game is taking photos, and you have a project that may cost a lot of money, effort and time. Not worth it to me.

This is not what I normally would recommend, and like making simple repairs on simple cameras myself (cue up Lynyrd Skynyrd's fantastic Simple Man below). But it looks like too much trouble for your project.

Thank you very much shutterfinger for that excellent description. I already cleaned the ground glass when I first got it, but your description was much better than the one I used. I have to ask though, what is the fresnal lens used for exactly and what happens when it's not put in correctly? The 4x5 monorail I use at school (incidentally I was the first to use it in 10 years and had to repaint the bellows to fix light leaks and replace the foam seals) only has a simply ground glass.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Graflex-top...759101?hash=item2110adfe7d:g:Q8oAAOSwrnNXP0OB

Would these parts fix my rangefinder? Or is there something else it's missing. One thing that suprises me is the extremely small range of motion the rangefinder mirror has, it only really moves a cm or so. Is this normal? I don't think it's working because the rangefinder mirror when moved only moves the parallex lever arm a bit, and the actual silver metal of the parallex doesn't move, nor seems to be spring loaded.

Jim, do you have any information on how one would add a Kalart rangefinder to a Crown Graphic?

That is the complete tube assembly + a cam that you need for your camera. The moveable mirror does not have to move much, pull the cam follower arm (labeled rangefinder arm in the diagram) out from the tube as far as it will go. If the arm moves 1/2 inch (measured from the tube base to the edge of the arm) out from the tube and the mirror moves accordingly then its operating properly. Infinity position is .437 inch from the base of the tube. Graflex Corp. cameras were laid out using an engineers rule. All measurements are in inch, tenths, hundredths, thousands of an inch.

To add a side rangefinder you will have to drill a 1/4 inch ? hole in the side of the body and the 4 #2 wood screw mount holes, add the eccentric to the rails at the rear, then calibrate the rangefinder for the lens focal length.
Kalart rangefinders can be calibrated for focal lengths from about 90mm up to 165mm, Hugo Meyer rangefinders were made for one focal length only per rangefinder and are adjustable for the normal focal length variance of the focal length. The common ones are for 127mm and 135mm lens.

Cams were cut to a specific focal length and if used on a different focal length the close focused distances will be off. There are 5 cams for 135mm lens, http://www.graflex.org/speed-graphic/top-rangefinder-cams.html P31 through P32 in the list.
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A fresnel spreads out the light from the scene making it easier to focus. It eliminates hot (bright) spots and allows one to see into the shadows easier. If installed in front of the ground glass incorrectly it will throw the focus off. If the camera was not designed for a fresnel in front of the ground glass and one is installed there moving the ground glass back the focus will be off. If the fresnel is installed behind the ground glass it will have no effect on focus.

I'd like to shoot our Graduation on Thursday, so I'd like something I can fix fast. It seems to me that the Kalart is notorious for not being a very good rangefinder, and rather fiddly to set up and use. I'm leaning towards purchasing the tube and installing it. Is that all I need to fix the rangefinder? The parallex silver foil piece is rather slow to move back into position, so i believe i will need to replace the spring. Where does one purchase such a spring?

BySumbergsStache said:

Where does one purchase such a spring?

Click to expand...

You make one from scratch or rob it from another body. NOS replacement parts are very rare to non existent.

You can increase the springs tension by spreading the arms farther apart, 10° should be sufficient.
Clean the shaft and pivots first then apply a very small drop of light weight machine oil.
Do not use WD40 or 3 in 1 oil.

Shutterfinger, As I recall, the Meyer on an Anniversary bought long ago had external adjustments for a range of focal lengths. Later models may have internal adjustments.

I came across some 5P Meyer's on some speeds, they were for 127mm lens. I used one on a 135mm that infinity focused at 132mm and the Meyer calibrated to it with the adjustments at one of the limits. The other end limit would probably be around 123mm, the normal focal length variance found in lens of the day.

A Kalt that is being finicky about adjusting needs a full disassembly, cleaning, and very light lube. Once serviced it will adjust easily without hassle.

So I was able to purchase and install the parts, and everything seems to work broadly ok. It came with a P7 cam, which is similar enough to the Xenar 135 F/4.7 have. In addition, I'm using flash bulbs so I'll stop it down to F/22 or something similar.

My question is this: Is there a need for the master cam when calibrating for infinity when there is only one lens to be used? I don't see why I can't set the lens for infinity with the ground glass and then calibrate the rangefinder with the P7 cam.

In addition, the rail bed scale markings are a bit confusing. Why is there both an arrow and separate 100 and infinity lines on the right sidr?

BySumbergsStache said:

Is there a need for the master cam when calibrating for infinity when there is only one lens to be used?

Click to expand...

The service manual was written for factory service centers. As long as you can keep a lens cam on the infinity position of that cam while adjusting the rangefinder all is good. In a service center you will probably receive the camera without a lens or cam.

You can use your cam as a template to make additional cams for other lens, only the slope of the cam will change for the other lens. Start with the length and infinity height the same, the longer the focal length the higher the close focus end of the cam. There is no table of cam height for focused distance for Pacemaker cams. Make one by carefully focusing on a measured distance, marking the cam position at that distance then measuring the cam height. I did it for Super Graphics.

BySumbergsStache said:

Why is there both an arrow and separate 100 and infinity lines on the right sidr?

Click to expand...

The 100 foot and infinity focus points are so close that it would be extremely difficult to distinguish between them if one indicator was used and very difficult to scribe the scale. Align infinity marks for infinity, align 100 foot marks for 100 foot, use the closer distance arrow/line for closer distances.