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Who can CLA a Medalist since Ken Ruth has retired?

Jeff Bradford

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Looks like I missed my chance to send in my Kodak Medalist II to Ken Ruth for CLA and overhaul, as he is officially retiring. Good for him. Bummer for me.

I'm just looking for a general CLA to keep this beauty running for another 20 years. The camera still works, but it has some particles in the lens and the helicoil makes a squawk sound when I extend the lens, so it could use some cleaning or lube of some sort. Can anyone recommend someone they have dealt with?
 

Dan Daniel

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I'm in the middle of learning the Medalist but it'll be a few more months before I would be comfortable taking in someone else' camera.

I saw in another forum that someone had sent their Medalist to LeZot Camera Repair in Williston, Vermont, and was happy with the work. Drop them a note- http://lezot.com/
And yes, it was the camera Medalist, not the slide projector Medalist

(note: there are two camera operations with LeZot as part of the name in the Burlington area. You want the shop in Williston for the Medalist inquiry.)
 
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John51

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I'm in the UK and luckily for me, the film transport works fine on my Medalist, I can understand if Brit techs don't want to know. If it ever fails, I can get by using the red window.

Are there any quirks to the Medalist that make having a cla of just the lens and shutter problematic?
 

Dan Daniel

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The primary 'quirk' of the Medalist is that it is a one-off design. Like Rube Goldberg worked with with Fritz Lang to make a camera starting from scratch.

In some ways it is very straightforward- all the assemblies are obvious and visible. But then there are critical adjustments that, for example, involve simply bending metal parts and such. And the order of adjustments/assembly need to be done in proper order (typical but until you catch on it is frustrating in any camera). If there were more of them out there I think there would be incentives for repair people to know them over the years. Given the low number and low usage, it's not going to be a camera most people have seen and opened up. And once you open it up, it's like dropping into another universe.
 

johnnyh

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It's worth getting the manuals from neatphoto from over the pond - search ebay for 'medalist' and also 'supermatic' for the shutters.

CLA of the lens & shutter should not be too difficult - there are some pictures here https://www.flickr.com/photos/43334883@N03/albums/72157627967720683
 

studiocarter

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Ken Ruth fixed up a Kodak Monitor 616 with a new bellows and a cla for me just a little while ago and during our back and forths he provided some free advice on my new Medalist. There is a tiny viewfinder mask in the eyepiece he regularly removes(ed). I took mine out and now I can see to focus much easier. It is black metal and slides up and down. It can be moved with a toothpick. That is in the Medalist, not the Monitor.
 

John51

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Dan Daniel said:
The primary 'quirk' of the Medalist is that it is a one-off design. Like Rube Goldberg worked with with Fritz Lang to make a camera starting from scratch.
Click to expand...

The 'Metropolis' Fritz Lang?
 

John51

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Isn't that for parallax correction? Mine, if it's there, is stuck as nothing moves when I change focus.
 

studiocarter

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John51 said:
Isn't that for parallax correction? Mine, if it's there, is stuck as nothing moves when I change focus.
Click to expand...
It might have been. It blocks most of the view and is closest to the eye. I moved mine up and down by pushing it with a toothpick. Then I pried it up by sliding a stainless steel artist pallet knife under part of it. Then I used good new needle nosed pliers to pull it out. It is made of metal and quite tough.
 
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