Trying to clean a Praktica FX...

[MrFus]

Well, I ended getting two bodies for around $15 the other day...

One was nice cosmetically but the shutter will not lock after been cocked the other one is not as clean on the cosmetic area but the shutter works (not sure how accurate are the speeds but at least it do all the mechanical steps and fires when intended!)

I have been slowly taking apart the non functional one in order to be able to get a better understanding of the mechanical components, plus separating the parts so anything useful can be transplanted to the partially working one...

Contraire to what I know and what experience will dictate there is not indication of any sort of light seals on the door! Doing a quick search I found that at least in the Practika FX2 the flanges of the door are big enough that there is no need for light seals (I can't find a lot of information on the FX version), can someone please confirm that this is the case for the older FX version too?

What do you recommend to use for cleaning, not only the gears and mechanic parts but in general the inside body of the camera (the area where the mirror is located, the spot where the ground glass is fixed, the focusing screen, etc.) And can the shutter curtain be cleaned too?

Thank you for any advice and recommendations!

 

[gone]

I would avoid fooling w/ the shutter curtains, and q-tips and alcohol/lighter fluid are what most people use to clean things. Don't use it on the mirror since those are usually surfaced w/ silver on the front, not the back.

I use a bottle of lens cleaner that came w/ my eyeglasses to clean mirrors. Brush the mirror off w/ a soft brush first, spray some cleaner on the lens tissue, and give it a quick wipe w/ the least pressure possible.

The mirrors are generally sturdier than you would think, but it pays to be careful when dealing with old cameras..

 

[chuck3565]

I m not sure on the FX but alcohol will dissolve the internal plastic gears on the Praktica L series. Lighter fluid works well.

 

[Peltigera]

Contraire to what I know and what experience will dictate there is not indication of any sort of light seals on the door! Doing a quick search I found that at least in the Practika FX2 the flanges of the door are big enough that there is no need for light seals (I can't find a lot of information on the FX version), can someone please confirm that this is the case for the older FX version too?

I don't think any German camera makers used foam light seals. Germans like engineering. Certainly, none of my Zeiss Ikon, Praktica, Balda or Voigtlander cameras have any foam light seals.

 

[MrFus]

Thank you for the help so far guys... I started the cleaning, so far everything is looking OK...

The bottom plate of the camera was glued by some idiot, the metal is all scratched and what it looks like some sort of contact cement was "poured" all over making it impossible to remove the screws that hold the tripod socket, I have used isopropyl alcohol and a drop of goof off solvent without results... The glue is not softening at all, it can be scrapped but not whipped and the heads of the 3 screws are gone to a better place =(

 

[bernard_L]

The bottom plate of the camera was glued by some idiot, the metal is all scratched and what it looks like some sort of contact cement was "poured" all over making it impossible to remove the screws that hold the tripod socket, I have used isopropyl alcohol and a drop of goof off solvent without results... The glue is not softening at all, it can be scrapped but not whipped and the heads of the 3 screws are gone to a better place =(

Both epoxy and cyanoacrylate dissolve in acetone. For epoxy heating (gently!!) helps; obvious precautions: no open flame, outdoors. When i had to do this, I used a larger container with hot water, about same amount as acetone in the smaller container; acetone boils at 56°C.

 

[MrFus]

Both epoxy and cyanoacrylate dissolve in acetone. For epoxy heating (gently!!) helps; obvious precautions: no open flame, outdoors. When i had to do this, I used a larger container with hot water, about same amount as acetone in the smaller container; acetone boils at 56°C.

Thanks... This thing smells old, it brings memories of been a child and turning on my grandmother Zenith vacuum tube radio!

The positive it's that at least the mechanical part looks on remarkable good shape, u was expecting to find spiders and dirt inside that gears that work the shutter but everything is ok, there is not rust or anything slowing the gears, I'm just going to do a quick clean with a brush and we should be able to move on!