Depressed Ensign Selfix 820 - a couple of questions.

I bought this rather sad looking Selfix 820 last weekend!



Its primary problem is that 2 pins are missing which should be fitted to the forward part of the chromed struts at the holes visible, and engage in the L-shaped slots so that the lens erects properly. Can someone with a similar camera describe what the pins should look like? Are they a plain pin, or mushroom headed? Is there any obvious sign of how they are attached to the struts? The holes are plain, not threaded, so I'd guess they must be riveted/peened in place, though they can't protrude above the outer surface or they would catch on the upper part of the strut when folded.

Also, does anyone know how to remove the lens/shutter unit from the lens board? Viewed from the back there is what could be a retaining ring in the usual place around the rear element, but there are no slots or holes for a spanner, and it is very much obscured by the forward fold of the bellows.

Steve.

I would think, just from looking at the picture, that a loose rivit of sorts.

Ensign used to put an exploded view drawing of the camera in the users manual 'to guide servicing'. I don't know that it would show the shape of the pin, though.

Most any pin that is a no-slop fit in the L-shaped track should work. You would need a threaded hole at one end to attach it to the standard. If the pin can be made long enough that it doesn't pop out you are finished. Otherwise you may need to drill the other end (or use a hollow pin) and put in a washer and screw to keep the pin in the slot.

If you are lucky the slot is a standard width, like 1/8" or 3mm, and you can buy a pin that will fit. Auto parts stores may have pins that will work. Stay away from 'roll pins': they are oversize and are meant for hammering into a hole in a block of metal.

It is possible to 'turn down' brass with a drill press: chuck a short length of rod into the press and use a file against the spinning rod. Move the file up and down the work piece so you don't get a groove in it or get it all 'pear shaped'. You can also use this technique to make a square cut in a rod by holding a hacksaw blade against the spinning rod.

There aren't any illustrations in the (downloaded) manual that show the pins. I'll have another search around the web looking for photos that might show them.

I've got a lathe, and the current plan is to turn replacement pins out of stainless steel. It probably isn't obvious in the photo, and I haven't checked accurately yet, but the diameter that runs in the L-shaped slot would be about 3/32" and the diameter that fits in the strut about 1/16".

The tricky part will be peening the outer ends into the hole. I'm pretty sure this is how they would have been fitted. The outer end of the hole does look to have a very slight countersink. I'll need to do quite a bit of dismantling to get good access and when I start swinging a hammer I will want the shutter/lens unit to be somewhere else, so I'll still need to figure out how to remove it.

Hi Grytpype,

It's August, is it time we exchanged an Agifmatic email again? ;-)

I have an Ensign Ranger - a much humbler camera than the Selfix, but I think the strut assembly is very similar.

I've just had a look at it and the pins are very simple affairs, basically a flat headed rivet push fitted into the hole. The flat disk is innermost and the pin facing outward.

I've taken a couple of pics - but do I need to upload them to an image hosting service before I can post them? I'll have a fiddle...

Here you go, but I'm not sure whether these help at all, now I've posted them...

Many thanks, Steve. It does look much the same. I think the missing pins on the Selfix correspond with the one visible in your 3rd picture, in the curved slot. It looks as though it is a plain pin without a mushroom head.

The puzzling thing, if it works the way I think, is that there is quite a wide gap between the strut, where the pin should be mounted, and the plate with the L-shaped slot, due to them being on opposite sides of the pivot plate on the door (nearly 1/8" gap on the Selfix). This means the pins have to be quite long relative to their diameter, and puts a great strain on their mountings, possibly the reason they came out. I'll think about making new ones with a larger diameter shoulder to give more support where they fix to the strut.

Steve.

Hi Steve,

Yep, the those pins are just a straight cylindrical pin which don't even seem to to peened over - just a tight press fit.

Steve

You may want to pay attention to the type and hardness of the steel and also make sure they have been burnished. Under a 10x power loop, they should look smooth like a automobile chrome bumper. Perhaps a very light application of a good clock oil.

By the way, my second question is resolved. The retaining ring for the lens/shutter unit does have slots - on its outer edge, just visible with the bellows fully extended. I'll need to make a tool to unscrew it without risking damage to the bellows.

Steve.

Hi Steve:
I have an Ensign 820 and I'd be happy to post some pictures of the pins you are missing but I can't figure out how to add photos to this reply. If you are still interested in seeing them and can clue me in to the picture posting procedure I'll follow through.
Adrian

Thanks, Adrian. To add pictures you need to upload them either to an image hosting site (a lot of people seem to use Photobucket) or to your own web-space which most/all ISPs provide for their customers, which is what I do. For the latter you need to use an FTP program for upload. Once the image is uploaded you write your forum post and click on the 'Insert image' button at the top (it's the one with a picture of a tiny tree!) and then insert the web-address of the picture in the dialogue box. When you've done it once it's easy, but if the learning curve looks a bit too steep I'll PM you my email address so you could send a picture as an attachment!

At the moment I'm deciding what the diameter of the pins should be; I think it will want to be just about as big as the semi-circular end on the short leg of the L-shaped slot (about .098"). steven_e007's Ranger looks that way, but a picture of an 820 would be extremely helpful as confirmation. I'm pretty certain it would be impossible to measure the diameter accurately on an assembled camera. I've got the lens-board erected at the moment with a wire through the holes, so I can see how it works, and I can see the diameter isn't critical in itself for the accurate alignment of the lens board, as I thought at first, but will affect how rigid it is.

By the way, my idea of a larger diameter shoulder to give better support where the pin fits to the strut wouldn't work due to clearance problems. Also, the lens/shutter unit came off easily once I made a suitable tool. The retaining ring has 4 slots in its perimeter and the bellows (at full extension) allow you to access two at a time, so you have to unscrew it by 1/4 turns.

Steve.

You can also "attach" images to a thread.

Click on "Go Advanced" at the bottom right, and then the stylized paper clip that is in amongst the icons. You can then upload the image from your computer - just be sure to note the information in the table that pops up about file types, sizes and dimensions.

A minor update: I think my idea of making the pins with a larger diameter shoulder where they fit to the struts may not be impossible. It rather looks as though the struts were chrome-plated with the pins already fitted, and the unplated area inside the struts, where the pins used to be, has a diameter of about .15", quite a bit bigger than the working diameter of the pin can be, which makes it look as though the originals may have had just such a shoulder. It would be very interesting to hear what your camera looks like here, Adrian.

Also, thanks for your information, Matt. I'll try that myself next time I post an image.

Steve.

Hi Steve:

Sorry for the delayed response - I have been away for the past 10 days.

Here are some photos of the pin in question from my Selfix 820. The first image shows the pin from the outside... I really had to angle the light to get this to show up - it is virtually flush with the chrome support bar and almost invisible. The second shows the pin when looking downwards. The third image might give you the most information in that it shows how the "hidden" side of the pin looks.

I hope these photos help.
Adrian

That's great, Adrian. They are extremely clear pictures and will do the job very nicely. I'm pleased to see the pins do have a shoulder (or flange) as I thought. It makes the lathe-work a bit trickier, but the chances of a reliable result are much better.

Many thanks,
Steve.