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Leica IIIG - stiff film wind knob

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infrar3d

infrar3d

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Joined
Oct 24, 2009
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I recently acquired a very pretty IIIG. It's in beautiful condition, and almost everything seems to still work reasonably well. But on the test roll I noticed that the film wind knob was very stiff. When I finished the roll, I put a couple drops of naphtha on the knob and worked it back and forth for a few minutes. It seemed much better with the second roll of film but halfway through it became stiff again. Is this something I can fix myself? Will another application of naphtha eventually loosen it up? Or is it time for a CLA?
 
Do you mean the wind knob (i.e., advance to the next frame) or the rewind knob (wind exposed film back into the cassette)? In terms of low-impact DIY attempts, the latter is much easier to get at.
 
Any time you get a binding wind knob/lever on a focal plane shutter, you need to be cautious about continuing to use it. It could be just lubrication OR something going South in the actual shutter assembly, which will destroy the camera's functionality.

Be safe; stop using it and get a CLA if you value the camera.
 
The wind knob is completely tied in to the shutter cocking mechanism through gears. Any of the gears in the line could be gummed up. Also, check that the rewind shaft is rotating easily. I have a Leica III that had a stiff rewind knob that caused the winding to also become stiff (since that shaft turns as the film is advanced).

Lighter fluid won't lubricate anything. It can make grease migrate to various places within the camera, though.
 
Warnings heeded. Thanks. So, who’s recommended for a CLA on Barnacks in the US these days? I’m in the southeast if that matters.
 
infrar3d said:
Warnings heeded. Thanks. So, who’s recommended for a CLA on Barnacks in the US these days? I’m in the southeast if that matters.
Click to expand...

I'd go with DAG.... he's still the ne plus ultra....
 
Maybe without a roll of film try working the wind, then fire, work through all the shutter speeds, look for anything else. Probably very nice because it's been " resting" for some time. Maybe try 1 more drop of lighter fluid if you want to. I have some old Kodak movie film cleaner that I've used to "fix" old Hasselblad backs
 
mshchem said:
Maybe without a roll of film try working the wind, then fire, work through all the shutter speeds, look for anything else. Probably very nice because it's been " resting" for some time. Maybe try 1 more drop of lighter fluid if you want to. I have some old Kodak movie film cleaner that I've used to "fix" old Hasselblad backs
Click to expand...

I will also try the above without film in the camera. Also make sure the rewind knob is entirely free to move in both directions. Also make sure you load the film the "Leica Barnack" way, and check there is no shredded film bits in the take-up spool and other obvious mechanical paths.

If the problem persists without film, then it is time for CLA. I will recommend Youxin Ye for CLA, fast turnaround and reasonably priced.
 
blee1996 said:
I will also try the above without film in the camera. Also make sure the rewind knob is entirely free to move in both directions. Also make sure you load the film the "Leica Barnack" way, and check there is no shredded film bits in the take-up spool and other obvious mechanical paths.

If the problem persists without film, then it is time for CLA. I will recommend Youxin Ye for CLA, fast turnaround and reasonably priced.
Click to expand...

Ye fixed a couple of Leicas for me, reasonable prices, I had a 3 month wait, very popular fellow.
 
I've had YYE CLA two Barnacks for me in the last few years (a Leica IIIg and a IIIf). The IIIf also needed new shutter curtains. In both cases he did an excellent job, and the cameras came back working as good as new. I can recommend him without hesitation. DAG has a sterling reputation as well of course, but I've never used him.
 
The symptoms for dried grease are explained by the OP, he put some naphtha on the mechanism and it worked, and two days later it was stiff again. Naphtha doesn't replace the oil in grease, and when it evaporates the grease goes back to its solid state. But I am a little concerned he worked the wind knob 'back and forth' a few times given it's only supposed to go in one direction.
 
On the advice of everyone I've unloaded the second film to avoid making things worse. And now that I'm looking at it again I think qqphot was right and I was wrong. It seems like the stiffness is coming from the rewind knob, it's just more noticeable when winding the film on to the next frame. When the camera is empty the winding mechanism seems fine. It's all the extra drag from the rewind knob that makes it difficult to wind when the camera is loaded. And as 250swb pointed out, when I was working the knob back and forth it was the rewind knob I was referring to. I apologize for the confusion.

I'm going to try a drop of lighter fluid on the rewind knob one more time, as mshchem said, and see if I can get it moving freely in both directions - per blee1996's suggestion. Then I'll leave it for a few days to see if it stiffens up again. If it does, I'll send it off for a CLA.

​

 
The rewind knob is easy to deal with. Pull it up and put a tiny bit of oil (maybe even mixed with lighter fluid) on the shaft. Push it back down and spin it around. It is completely isolated from the rest of the camera and can't have any negative impact on the shutter mechanism. You could also put a little oil on a brush and put it on the shaft from inside the camera.
 
I had a III that developed a stiffness when winding the film. Turned out it was a tiny piece of film stuck in the gears.
As far as a stiff rewind knob goes…isn’t there a clutch mechanism in there to prevent the film from spinning back during rewind? That may be dirty.
 
blee1996 said:
I will also try the above without film in the camera. Also make sure the rewind knob is entirely free to move in both directions. Also make sure you load the film the "Leica Barnack" way, and check there is no shredded film bits in the take-up spool and other obvious mechanical paths.

If the problem persists without film, then it is time for CLA. I will recommend Youxin Ye for CLA, fast turnaround and reasonably priced.
Click to expand...

It's not impossible that the path of the film is just ever so lightly out of kilter, which as you progressed through the roll, caused one edge to roll tighter than the other if you see what I mean. A couple dozen frames with no film in would soon confirm....
 
Oldwino said:
isn’t there a clutch mechanism in there to prevent the film from spinning back during rewind?
Click to expand...

No. It freewheels. The IIIg is designed a bit differently than the earlier ones, though, and looks like it would need to be taken apart to be lubricated.
 
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