Taking apart a Pentax 6x7 meter prism

[mmcneil86]

Has anyone taken apart a Pentax 6x7 meter prism before? Mine's been having power issues and my guess is there's something loose inside since my camera body's electrical contacts are fine.

I managed to get the shutter dial and power switch off with a paper clip and I unscrewed the screws I could see. But I guess it's not that easy since the top wouldn't budge. Is it glued or are there more hidden screws somewhere? I had to give up and put it back together and it still works sometimes like it used to.

 

[John Koehrer]

Nothing visible from the bottom?
If it's got hidden screws they're most likely under the leatherette.
I don't have one to look at but in addition there may be small pieces of aluminum name/data plates that are glued on. use a straight pin at the edge to pick these things off. Alcohol works as a gentle solvent for the leather.

 

[mmcneil86]

That's what I thought. I'm not in much of a position to do surgery like that now but when I get the chance I'll take pictures of the process and post them in case anyone else ever has the same problem as me.