Lost Leica MP shutter dial screw

ericdan

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My shutter dial came off pulling the camera out of my bag. Luckily I didn't lose the dial itself but the screw is gone.
This looks like a standard metric thread but I'm not sure about the length.

I assume leica or any repair shop will charge a fortune to fix that. Does anybody know where I can find specifications for this screw? It should be the same as the M3 dial I believe.




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summicron1

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Go to DAG repair on the web -- http://www.dagcamera.com/index.html --- don goldberg is the god of leica repair. I bet if you ask him nicely he'll send you a new screw for the price of postage and a very modest sum. Heck, he has entire shutter dials for $20, so don't sweat it.

If it is not listed on his site, call him. He told me his site only shows 10 percent of what he has. This sort of screw is a standard stock item, i am sure.

meanwhile, dig around your camera bag with a magnet -- it might be there.
 
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ericdan

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Just called Leica in Germany. Turns out Leica replaces those screws for free. I'll post spare part number and specs once I receive it.


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Xmas

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Some screws will be brass so invert gbag over bed sheet and look carefully.
 

Xmas

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E. von Hoegh said:
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES OR FOR ANY REASON PUT LOCTITE ON A SCREW THIS SMALL.
You'll be booby trapping the next person who works on the item.

Worst advise I've seen so far today...
Click to expand...

confirmed ~ even screw lock is ill advised.
 

Xmas

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When you have replaced the screw dab a small spot of ladies nail lacquer on top of screw and wipe the top of dial with a rag damp with nail lacquer remover before the lacquer hardens.
Id use garish red but some people use clear...
 

E. von Hoegh

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Xmas said:
When you have replaced the screw dab a small spot of ladies nail lacquer on top of screw and wipe the top of dial with a rag damp with nail lacquer remover before the lacquer hardens.
Id use garish red but some people use clear...
Click to expand...

I've collected several awful colors from the free tables at yardsales: Gold, bright yellow, teal, blood red, metalflake red. I use them as the mood strikes me. Sometimes all of them on one camera.
With very small screws a dab of lacquer - or enamel such as Humbrol or Testor's modelling paints - on the screwhead is a far better plan than anything on the threads.
Stubborn screws that have had sealant on the threads can often be loosened with a soldering iron, wipe off any solder and hold the tip on the screwhead. Properly fitting screwdrivers are a must, I cannot stress this enough.
 

benjiboy

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It looks to me this screw has such a long thread on it it would take a lot to dislodge it without noticing it until you lost it.
 

E. von Hoegh

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benjiboy said:
It looks to me this screw has such a long thread on it it would take a lot to dislodge it without noticing it until you lost it.
Click to expand...

It has a fairly coarse pitch - which means high frequency mechanical vibration will loosen it and back it out rather rapidly - vibration such as it will find on jetliners and some other forms of transport. Also at loud music events.
 

benjiboy

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E. von Hoegh said:
It has a fairly coarse pitch - which means high frequency mechanical vibration will loosen it and back it out rather rapidly - vibration such as it will find on jetliners and some other forms of transport. Also at loud music events.
Click to expand...
It's hard from the photograph to get a sense of scale of the size of the screw, but I think if screwed in tight it wouldn't unscrew so easily by vibration.
 

E. von Hoegh

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benjiboy said:
It's hard from the photograph to get a sense of scale of the size of the screw, but I think if screwed in tight it wouldn't unscrew so easily by vibration.
Click to expand...

The pitch is proportional to the diameter - a screw is a wedge rolled up. The steeper the wedge (coarser the pitch) the more likelihood of it loosening. The more you tighten a screw, the weaker it becomes.
A hundred years ago, gunsmiths used boiled oil to lock screws holding sights and so on; they also used the finest pitch screws practical. American sizes still used in such applications are 6-48 and 8-40.
 
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ericdan

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The thread is long but only the bottom part is actually used. The shutter dial itself doesn't seem to have threads.


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