Rolleiflex hood won’t close

[mooseontheloose]

So somewhere in Turkmenistan my Rolleiflex hood decided that it no longer wanted to close properly. I can get it about 70% closed and then that’s it. I can’t see that anything is out of alignment but it must be since even trying to force it doesn’t work. Any helpful suggestions? I’m currently traveling so have no access to tools to take it apart and I’m with a group so not a lot of time to find someone local (?) who could help me out. This has been a problem for 3 days but I finally have access to good internet.

 

[Dan Daniel]

Which type? The later collapsing sides one? Or the earlier descending into the body one?

Descending: Check the stud on the right side interior. Make certain it is engaged properly before you do anything else.

Play with the sides. There are two pieces to each side. Flex them back and forth a bit to see if they seem loose. As you close, play with each part a bit. You might be able to find the piece causing the binding and figure out which way yo massage it for it to work.

Inside the camera, the side panels go into a groove in the body. If they get off a bit they can ahng up on the groove. Pushing and pulling in and out can show you where it is hanging.

All of this pushing and pulling is LIGHT!! Thin aliminum. You are trying to massage new angles, not bend anything, if that makes sense.

 

[John Koehrer]

^^^What Dan said.

 

[shutterfinger]

The magnifier may not be seated properly in the up position.

 

[choiliefan]

Howabout the eye-level sportfinder mirror position?

 

[mooseontheloose]

Ok. Apologies for the delayed reply, WiFi is spotty in the Stans. Dan, I have the descending into the body type hood. I keep thinking it’s the eyepiece since that’s where the hood jams, the stud and groove on the right side seem okay, everything seems to work fine until I get it to the final closure.

It’s late and my eyes are tired, but I’ll try to see if I can do something tomorrow morning when there’s more light. I’m not trying to force anything anymore, I’m just living with the partially closed hood, which is awkward in my camera bag, and is depositing a lot of dust on the ground glass, but it’s better than breaking it while I’m in a situation with limited tools and time.