Some Repair Tools

wjlapier · Feb 27, 2021

I'm looking to buy some screw drivers I can use to do some basic repairs to one or two cameras. What are some of the better screw drivers and what size are common to own? Something with good grippy handles to work on stubborn screws. Anything else to add would be appreciated.

Thanks!

bernard_L · Feb 27, 2021

What I have:

Crosspoint screwdrivers: Wiha PicoFinish PH0, PH00, PH000, in 40mml length. PH is for Phillips. PicoFinish is a surface textured like fine sandpaper, gives additional grip on the screw head. Those Wiha screwdrivers are the best I have ever handled, mine or borrowed. I found no need for JIS cross point heads.
Slot screwdrivers. I could not find WIha PicoFInish slot screwdrivers in a suitable assortment at available (to me) distributors. I bought Wera screwdrivers (also German) from Farnell (Newark in USA), 2035 series, also known as Kraftwerk Micro. Sizes 0.8; 1.0; 1.2; 1.5, 1.8, 2.0, 2.5.They have a slim black handle with a green pattern.

Advice.

Screwdriver tip must be an exact (tight) fit into the screw head. For crosspoint, the tip is often larger than the screw head in a non intuitive way. For slot heads the thickness is more important than the width to ensure a tight fit.
When unscrewing a tight screw, press hard; if the screwdrivers slips the head will be damaged and your chances of success decrease.

AgX · Feb 27, 2021

With those sizes of screws you hardly can bring over the torque thick grips offer. Screw heads easily can get damaged.
I find the classic swiss models on the thin size, but the grips from Wiha already more than needed.

In any case go for the best fit possible.

Cross-Slit Wiha Sizes PH 0-00-000

Screw drivers for slit screws you best grind yourself to size. For set screws watchmaker screwdrivers are good.

(I find the tip of Wiha PH 1 a bit on the soft side, but then those tools can be seen as consumables.)

Reserve those tools for optics and cameras. For generic items use extra sets, as these items often have non standard cross-slid heads

bdial · Feb 27, 2021

If the cameras are Japanese, you may need JIS screwdrivers. Moody tools (US) and Vessel (Japanese) are two brands I’ve seen recommended. I just bought a set from Moody, they seem to be quite nice, but I haven’t turned any screws withe them yet.

beemermark · Feb 27, 2021

definitely JIS for all Japanese cameras. You'll just ruin the slots by using regular Phillips.

bernard_L · Feb 28, 2021

Screwdrivers are not the only basic tools needed. Here's a few that I found useful:

Tweezers. Possibly two pairs: one high quality, electronics/semiconductor industry style, and one cheapo supermarket for rough work where you might damage the fine one.
Lens ring spanner. I started off with an old mechanics's scribing compass, with tips suitably filed. No tip shape would fit all uses; So I bought a cheap Chinese ring spanner, like this, except for mine the fat tips are at a small angle (sometimes useful). Works OK for me.
"Pencils" with tips of fiberglass, steel brush, brass brush. To clean contacts.
Sometimes the front ("beauty") ring of the lens does not have slots, and must be turned by friction. These:

can be useful, but one can also manage with proper use of double sided tape. Or thick household rubber gloves.
Stuck filters and rings can be unscrewed using a hose clamp, with some piece of rubber (tire inner tube) to avoid surface damage.

More advice.

Take notes and pictures as you dis-assemble!!!
Lubricant in shutter: in doubt, NOT. Nowhere near shutter blades, not on the pivots of these blades.
Try to leave the slow speed escapement in place, or you'll have to re-adjust it, and for that need a shutter timer.
One of the most common repairs is shutter stuck or sluggish from old lubricant; One school just soaks the shutter assembly, another insists you must dis-assemble down to shutter blades. To put them back, once clean, wet them in pure naphta (aka ronsonol) so that surface tension will keep them in place; then wait a short while for the naphta to evaporate.
Lens cleaning: window cleaning liquid is OK. Rub lightly, after removing dust, grit.
Fungus: hydrogen peroxide + ammonia.

good luck

bernard_L · Feb 28, 2021

AgX said:
In any case go for the best fit possible.

AgX said:
Screw drivers for slit screws you best grind yourself to size.

I find these two statements contradictory. My attempts to file slot screwdrivers have been failures. That is why I finally bought a complete set of small sizes.
Maybe my hands are all thumbs?

bernard_L · Feb 28, 2021

beemermark said:
definitely JIS for all Japanese cameras. You'll just ruin the slots by using regular Phillips.

I was tempted to say "useless". But I looked up this:
https://www.dateelectronicsupplies.co.uk/news/the-jis-standard/4

And indeed, the phillips tips are much longer, from the marked reference plane. But I wrote in post #2 above:

bernard_L said:
the tip is often larger than the screw head in a non intuitive way

so I guess I must be selecting the next-higher size of Phillips tip (going for a tight fit), effectively using only the bottom 2/3 or so of the tip, mimicking the shorter JIS tip. I don't think I have yet stripped a cross head screw;
But definitely JIS screwdrivers is the professional option.

bernard_L · Feb 28, 2021

Yet another piece of advice. The set screws, 1mm diameter approx, found in the rings of front-element focusing lenses, are fragile because the slot goes across the full width of the screw, and the wedge shape of a regular screwdriver tends to push them apart: they break. Maybe some watchmaker's screwdrivers have a more suitable shape, where the sides are parallel near the tip, so that the screw is driven at the bottom of the slot, rather than at the top. No excessive torque: finger tips only.

AgX · Feb 28, 2021

bernard_L said:
I find these two statements contradictory. My attempts to file slot screwdrivers have been failures. That is why I finally bought a complete set of small sizes.
Maybe my hands are all thumbs?

A file is not the way to go, but a miniature grinding wheel or a grinding stone. Though achieving parallel faces of tips, as best suited for slits, is a different story.
At cine cameras I often came across long, thin slits, for which I never saw a readymade tool.

AgX · Feb 28, 2021

beemermark said:
definitely JIS for all Japanese cameras. You'll just ruin the slots by using regular Phillips.

As I stated repeated and as confirmed by others, the small Wiha sizes fit perfectly, at least as we with our means can establish.

AgX · Feb 28, 2021

Concerning varying tip lenghts at same angle as Bernard hinted at, I experienced a respective need with large screws, beyond the size used at cameras..., here I had good results by shortening the tip.

Concerning large (non camera) screws, slit screwdrivers can rather easily kept in shape, but once flanges of a cross-slit driver are damaged there is not much chance in grinding without changing the geometry. Thus my remark on being consumables.

wjlapier · Mar 1, 2021

Thank you for the info on all tools. I'm really looking for screw drivers mostly since mine are of the cheap variety bought on Amazon. In fact, two of the slit type screw drivers broke, so I'm looking for the usual sizes needed and well made.

AgX · Mar 1, 2021

But the best screwdriver is useless if the screw head is already bad. The way to go then is to exchange such screw. With slit head screws you als can cut a new slit. No big deal for those experienced in fine metal work. I just did so on a 1mm or so set screw.

Some Repair Tools

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency