Yashica 635 Shutter Inoperable

[ChristopherCoy]

I bought a Yashica 635, and the shutter seems to be inoperable. I have heard of people taking them apart and cleaning them, but I'm wondering how difficult it is?

I know that there is some kind of issue when the shutter is fired in the "M" flash setting, but I can't remember what causes it.

When you cock the shutter, and release it, the blades sort of move, but dont open in the slightest. Is there any way to correct it?

 

[Donald Qualls]

Sounds like it needs a CLA (Clean, Lube, and Adjust) by a qualified, experienced technician.

M flash problems, in my limited experience with them, seem to be due to the delay mechanism. An M sync delays shutter opening about 20 milliseconds after closing the sync contacts to allow time for a "medium speed" flash bulb (the old one-shot variety) to come up to brightness. In some shutters, this delay mechanism works similarly to a self-timer, and similar to a self-timer, may hang when the main shutter is fine, because it hardly ever gets used (you'd use X-for-"xenon" sync instead with modern flash units, which have ramp-up times measured in tens of microseconds or less). Some shutters that have hung in M sync setting will start operating normally again if you can get the sync to return to X, but I'd avoid forcing it, for fear of breaking something. Even if that occurs, it's a signal that the shutter is due for CLA, as the speeds are likely significantly slow.

Your specific problem is more likely due to oil on the blades (surface tension locking the blades together, needing more force than the shutter's operating spring can apply), and can only be fully corrected by proper cleaning.

 

[ChristopherCoy]

Who’s does CLA’s on these things and any idea what the approximate cost is?

 

[Ian Grant]

Most repair shops do CLA's, and a good workshop will rebuild the whole camera, that includes wind and film transport. My Rolleiflex Automat MX came back from the repair shop last week £120 ($147) then + VAT at 20% and postage.

You have to decide if it's worth it as an excellent and possibly better condition Yashicamat is inexpensive.

Ian

 

[Donald Qualls]

The alternative, of course, is to do the work yourself. I've cleaned and lubed a few leaf shutters, though if you want to learn to do this, I'd suggest starting with either a large format or folding camera shutter (typically completely independent of the camera body, hence relatively easy to get into). Even with some experience, I'd hesitate to work on an internal shutter, even a leaf type, just because there's so much tie in to the camera body. I did something (don't recall what, now, been almost twenty years) to a Seagull TLR and got everything working afterward, but I wouldn't take on a Yashica TLR (with double exposure interlock, meter linkage, sync to hot shoe, etc.) unless it was bought for next to nothing, in "as is, parts only" condition -- in other words, with some confidence I wasn't going to make it worse.

 

[John Koehrer]

Ian's right about teardown & rebuild. FOR BRITAIN! In the US few(if any) shops do that because of time constraints, parts availability and lack
of familiarity with the equipment.
Here you may get a good cla of the shutter. The key word here is GOOD you may or may not get a good one, it's hit or miss on older things.
Cleaning the delay synch of the blades isn't beyond many people's ability but some people can't change a tire.

 

[shutterfinger]

Do a search on line for yashica 635 repair manual. The Yashica forms has a thread about repairing one of these cameras but that person dumped lighter fluid in the shutter which I deplore and the site did not like my ad blocker.
This one though might be of actual help: https://simonhawketts.co.uk/2017/06/17/yashica-635-twin-lens-reflex-shutter-removal/

 

[ChristopherCoy]

.
This one though might be of actual help: https://simonhawketts.co.uk/2017/06/17/yashica-635-twin-lens-reflex-shutter-removal/

nope.... too much for me!

I sent it back to the seller.

 

[dxqcanada]

It's not as difficult as it looks ... and you will learn some helpful skills along the way for any future camera.

 

[Randy Stewart]

"Who’s does CLA’s on these things and any idea what the approximate cost is?"

I'll guess that $125 should do it if they just bath the shutter without opening up the front panel. In other words, twice what the camera is worth in good working order. If you are going to order up a full CLA on a older TLR, suggest you spend the money on a Minolta Autocord or Ricoh Diacord. 80% of the 635 model are equipped with a 3-element Yashinar, which is a relative dog. If you want to save a nice old TLR, first you need a nice old TLR.