Super Ricohflex TLR taking lens siezed

I've just acquired a great condition super ricohflex and the taking lens is siezed. I know that without regular use, this happens to this particular camera and the grease turns green and will solidify. So I have marked reference marks on the cogged wheels so can return them to the same point.

The shutter appears to work fine, all I need to do is remove the front taking lens and regrease it, check for infinity focus and replace the interlocking cogs. Can I use a solvent to remove the hardened grease or is that verboten?

I don't want to mess anything up using any solvents... Any ideas?

I have a Super Ricohflex that was siezed when I got it. After separating the lens barrel from the shutter, I tried a variety of solvents, but none would touch the hardened green "grease". It was more like Loktite. I ended up scraping it out of the threads with a dental pick, after unscrewing the focusing helicals with a pair of jar openers. Now that it is cleaned and lubed, you can focus with one finger.

Andrew...I found this on photo.net to match your problem....

John Falkenstine , May 21, 2004; 09:30 p.m.

(Ahem) I just took my Super Ricoflex TLR apart because all of the grease in the helix focus thread apparently has turned into something resembling loctite. careful swabbing using PEC-12 "Archival photographic emulsion cleaner" (smells like acetone mix and I wouldn't use it on film)gradually dislodged this scummy stuff, but a special very tiny flatblade screwdriver is need for total disassembly, so things are parked right now. Re-installing the bottom lens/shutter assy requires some care because even tho the lens is mounted tightly against the lensboard, there is a spacer right BEHIND THE front lens assembly which maintains enough clearance to allow freedom of movement of the shutter cocking/release ring. My recommendation is to take it to somebody who knows where all the parts need to go, or spend some time reading the manual so you can do it yourself. BTW I first thought this camera was a piece of frozen junk, but after a partial cleaning it is already looking much better. This would be a neat unit for adapting to 35mm. Have fun.

Sounds like it's a substantial job if you have to take the shutter mechanism apart. You could try the solvent recommendation and see if it frees up. Will keep looking for other sites I used to repair mine. Rgds, kal

One final refernce...more related to an agfa isolette problem, but it appears to have worked..

"I have just done two of these stuck elements and
was ready to try a nuke on them. Nothing worked.
Heatgun,ice,rosinol,acetone,penetrating oil..nothing. I then put the lens in a shallow
metal pan covering the lens with Rosinol(lighter
fluid) and warming it with a small lamp. In a
few hours I had a pan of green grease blobs that were floating out of the threads and was able to unlock the lenses."

Hope that helps a little. Lighter fluid and a heat source (THAT IS NOT TOO HOT OR A FALME!) sounds like it might work.

K

How did you seperate the lens barrel from the shutter?? I have removed the lens from the front plate, but cannot unscrew the lens assembly front and back. I'd like to be able to clean the inside surfaces of hte lenses as mine have dust. What I see when I took off the silver ring on front of the lens is a bronze colored collar with a smaller threaded piece inside it of which the lens is fixed to. My understanding is that the inside piece screws in and out allowing the front lens only to move for focusing? Not sure what I can grip the inner sleeve with to unscrew it??

Thanks again everyone for your help.

a

Pompiere said:

I have a Super Ricohflex that was siezed when I got it. After separating the lens barrel from the shutter, I tried a variety of solvents, but none would touch the hardened green "grease". It was more like Loktite. I ended up scraping it out of the threads with a dental pick, after unscrewing the focusing helicals with a pair of jar openers. Now that it is cleaned and lubed, you can focus with one finger.

Click to expand...

Hi Andy:

I would be very careful about lighter fluid. It may leave a film that may be very hard to remove. I have used the following with good results on hardened grease. 90% isopropyl alcohol - look in the drug store or Wal-Mart for rubbing alcohol. Most will be 70% but they usually have some at 90% + . Option two, go to the auto parts store and start looking at the break cleaners. One or two will be or have a high % (more is better) of TCE (tri-chloral ethylene). TCE will dissolve almost any petrochemical but use it outside.


George

Penetrating oil will do it in most cases. A drop or two is all it takes to soften it up.
If you want ot get it out you will need to take it apart.

Andrew Moxom said:

How did you seperate the lens barrel from the shutter?? I have removed the lens from the front plate, but cannot unscrew the lens assembly front and back. I'd like to be able to clean the inside surfaces of hte lenses as mine have dust. What I see when I took off the silver ring on front of the lens is a bronze colored collar with a smaller threaded piece inside it of which the lens is fixed to. My understanding is that the inside piece screws in and out allowing the front lens only to move for focusing? Not sure what I can grip the inner sleeve with to unscrew it??

Thanks again everyone for your help.

a

Click to expand...

I may have misspoke, as it has been a few years since I disassembled the camera. Once I had removed the front plate from the camera, I unscrewed the ring from the back that holds the lens/shutter to the front plate. I used a jar opener that resembles a pair of large rubber coated pliers, both to remove the rear ring, and to unscrew the lens helical. It has an opening for small lids, like screw top bottles.

Lighter fluid does seem to generally be the solvent of choice for this. Key I think is making sure it flushes out the old solvent lube and not just soften it but leave in there to harden later.

Brake cleaner is a great solvent in general and the spray action helps. Dries almost immediately. But I would be concerned about it's affect on anything else it gets on. If you did use it, I'd get the "non-chlorinated" type to avoid a possibly corroding chemical.