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Your repair projects 2024?

Andreas Thaler

Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2017
Messages
4,863
Location
Vienna/Austria
Format
35mm


What do you have planned for next year? Do you have specific projects you want to tackle or are you seeing what lies ahead?

I will be starting the new year with a Minolta X-700 that has obvious moisture damage. Then it's finally the turn of @miha‘s Leica R3 MOT, a few Minolta X, and finally I have to decide whether to continue with the Minolta Auto Winder D and G or start with Canon A.

The focus should be on the details and quality should come before quantity.

The practical work will be linked to intensive literature study (SPT Journal, The Camera Craftsman. C & C Associates Electronic Troubleshooting).

I would also like to familiarize myself with the basics of mechanics.
 
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Andreas Thaler said:
I would also like to familiarize myself with the basics of mechanics.
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Books on precision engineering are not that easy to find, at least in German. Here are two classics and a current book.

I would like to understand basic principles in mechanics as well as how components such as those found in cameras work. If electronics is a child of mathematics, then mechanics is its sibling

But in order to understand the fundamentals, you don't have to be able to calculate things; the engineers have already done that.
 
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My camera repairing skill is actually from clockworks books. That was long ago after I fixed a puppet dancing musical cuckoo clock (free from junk store outside!).

I think one of the most missed area in camera repair is checking the wearing of the gears. In clockworks I would use magnifiers to check and so I do the same in camera as well. And now this is how I understand why some camera are claimed "unreliable" , "poor design". It is actually some gears have worn too fast, or use the previous user did something really bad to the camera .
 

It's similar to the plastic plain bearings in zoom lenses. Often a weak point as they fall apart.

Such plain bearings are also built in in some Canon nFD fixed focal lengths, where the focusing than can no longer be precisely adjusted. Endless construction sites
 

My loved nFD 28-85 /4 Zoom lens is dead because of this. But ironically those days "plastics" are known to be "advanced " and "high tech" .
It is not just Canon , but also some other brands, like Pentacon 50 /1.8 use plastics in the lever/catch, Praktica camera top cover are also plastic.
 

That's why we can't give up and have to keep repairing!

Because if we don't do it, who will?
 
Andreas Thaler said:
That's why we can't give up and have to keep repairing!

Because if we don't do it, who will?
Click to expand...

The best of today is having 3D printer. I am studying it and hoping to restore some gears/ parts that is not easily available.
 
I'm going to try to bring some Konica FT-1's back to life.
 
I have some old Eastman & Kodak 5x7 wooden cameras that I will be refurbishing in the spring & summer.
I look forward to undoing decades of neglect and ham-handed Depression-era repairs & modifications in order to bring them back to attractive & useful life.
 
I repaired a Nikon Df (shutter plate unit and sensor DC/DC pcb) already today - I itended to do that in January 2024.
A Nikon D90 with a severe defect in the aperture control unit is still waiting for repair - I replaced the aperture control unit already twice, it is'nt working still...
 
My 2024 repair projects are -- my 2023 repair projects!!!
 
Now it's 2024 my New Year resolution is to get stuck into SLR restorations, I have a backlog However mine are the opposite of Andreas and others as the smallest is Quarter plate, well not quite true I have an ICA Tudor Reflex that has an 8x10.5cm back, but it's not a practical format to use. But I have two Butcher Pressman Quarter Plate cameras which are identical to the ICA, and the backs are inter-changeable. (William Butcher made the ICA Tudor cameras, it was a joint design with Krugener).

So the list begins with the 3 Butcher SLRs, 2 Ensign SLRs, 3 or 4 Thornton Pickard Quarter plate SLRs, 2 Thornton Pickard 5x4 SLRs, and 2 Kershaw/Marion Soho Reflex cameras. Oh and a Postcard size Compact Graflex and a Mentor reflex.

On top of that many wood & brass cameras.

Ian
 
I would like to get the shutter working for slower speeds on my Rolleicord. I would also like to get the shutter working properly in my RB67 50mm lens, but a repairman (Vantec in Vancouver) told me he can't get the part, so I may have to just buy a used one from Japan.
 
The Rolleicord's Compur should be an easy shutter CLA. The Mamiya lens I'd try the original importers repair department if it still exists. I;m told the best repairer is the German distributors.

Ian
 
Andrew O'Neill said:
Well, I've had the 50mm for 30 years, purchased in Japan. At least I can still use the lens in bulb mode
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It is worth ringing a few other Canadian repair shops, you might strike lucky. The repair shop I use here in the UK has his own lathe, & machine tools, to make parts if needs be, that's similar to watch making skills. I would add I had a Mamiya 645 100s repaired by the UK Importers, it came back with the same fault, after a second attempt they had chipped the prism, fixed the X synch fault but not the other. They no longer exist, I had previous issues with a Tamron lens their work was shoddy.

There's a huge difference between repair shops, the best Leica repairman lives here in the UK, he's about 30 miles away from me. The Leitz factory use him for their historic collection.

Shorter answer is don't give up . . . . . . . . .

Ian
 
There is a repair shop in Saskatoon - Paramount Camera Repair that may have your parts. They show both the RB67 and a Rollei being worked on in their web pages
 
gordrob said:
There is a repair shop in Saskatoon - Paramount Camera Repair that may have your parts. They show both the RB67 and a Rollei being worked on in their web pages
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OOH! My home town!! Thanks!
 
Well, if I get through the F1 that will be an achievement! I'm unstuck as I took some drastic measures, and made my way through removing the mirror box. I'll document my progress in the dedicated thread.
 
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