Hasselblad magazine jamming in cold weather?

[Kvistgaard]

Hi all,

went out this morning with my 500CM. Temperature was a one-two degrees above zero. The first 4-5 frames went well, then the thing suddenly jammed when I tried to wind the film on. The two red dots next to the film counter appeared.

I removed the magazine and put it back on, and I could forward the film again. Next time I fired the shutter and tried to wind the film on, the same thing happened.

Back home, after resting for a while at room temperature, the camera worked perfectly again. Any idea what this is all about - could it be related to lubricants losing hardening up at low temperatures? Am I right that this is NOT the infamous jamming-shutter problem that a lot of Hassies seem afflicted by?

Your help most appreciated, as always.

Thanks

 

[Q.G.]

You are right that it is not the "infamous" jam.
(Infamous, mostly for being reported much, much more often than it occurs. It is not true that "a lot of Hassies" suffer that problem. If anything, a few Hasselblad users don't know what they are doing, and then blame the camera).

And you are probably right that it will be due to old lubricants. Time to have your kit serviced!

 

[arigram]

Yes, it must be the lubricants. I can't see how else a fully mechanical camera would jam in relation to the weather unless something liquid hardens and prevents the parts from moving.

 

[Arvee]

Hasselblad lubricants tend to dry out in the older magazines normally, cold temperatures exacerbate the problem.

-Fred

 

[StevenJohn]

I've had the same problem and need to send my A12 in for service. The gear that mates with the body is returned by a spring, and when the lubricants get old, it won't return correctly. Taking the magazine off is often enough to allow the gear to "spring" back and allow you to wind like normal. Cold weather makes the lubricant even more stiff... to which Fred has alluded.

 

[arigram]

A quote from The Hasselblad Manual by Ernst Wildi 5th ed. on the subject of shutters but it mentions lubricants:

Lubricants, however, work differently at different temperatures and the lens shutter operation can be affected by temperature, especially cold temperatures. The shutter also slows down when lubricants are old. Shutter lenses therefore should be cleaned and lubricated at regular intervals, depending on frequency of use.

 

[Kvistgaard]

Thank you Gents! Seems like I should start saving up for that CLA now.

 

[bill schwab]

I too have had this in the past. Time to get it cleaned and lubed as has been said.

As for the "infamous" jam I'm hearing about, I've shot 4 different blads heavily over the past 30 years and never once have I experienced any jamming that wasn't due to my own mistakes.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I too have had this in the past. Time to get it cleaned and lubed as has been said.

As for the "infamous" jam I'm hearing about, I've shot 4 different blads heavily over the past 30 years and never once have I experienced any jamming that wasn't due to my own mistakes.

When that happens to me I call it an Operator Assisted Failure. This term is used in the form of "The OAF did this ." or "The OAF did that ."

Steve