FED NKVD Problem

[Semushkin]

Greetings Comrades

I just got a FED NKVD YCCP Trudkommuna, 1937, round speed-selector platform, serial 48xxx. Always wanted one of these.

Supposedly it was CLA-ed but the rewind knob has congealed old grease. Curtains look new though but with metal laths, and speeds sound acceptable to my inexperienced ears.

The problem is, though, that there is no room for the film between the pressure plate and the upper curtain rail, so I cannot load the thing! The curved edge of the trimmed film leader gets stuck there and the sprocket tooth tears the perforation right off. By Lenin's beard I am pissed!

So I thought I would remove the body and check the pressure plate. But I realize that the middle front screw holding the top to the body is actually semi-under the lens mount, and I need to at least loosen, if not remove, the lens mount to remove the top+shutter crate from the body...

Now I am very NERVOUS about that. I am afraid that if I disturb the lens mount screws I will ruin the alignment of the lens.

What should I do, short of sending the thing back to the USSR?

Any help is appreciated

 

[ray*j*gun]

Out of curiosty, which vendor did you use. There was a thread about DVDTecnik a while back and I have seen thier cameras on the web site. If it's a refinished camera they can be problematic since the refinishing process must be done perfectly.

 

[Semushkin]

What do you mean by refinished? Do you mean CLA?


It was not DVDTechnik, but another seller from ebay. I have not asked him yet to take the camera back. I may do that very soon. I will then report here on who it was and how he responded. So any suggestions? If I remove the lens mount and reattach it will I ruin the lens register ?

 

[Mr_Flibble]

This topic in the Leica LTM section of the forum should prove helpful in loading your FED.

Though if as you say you've trimmed the leader of the film....I think something else might be amiss

I have removed the screwmount frame before from a vandalized FED, and this is not quite such a
sensitive part of the mechanics that it would throw anything off balance. It's slightly more difficult
to replace the back-end parts when putting it back together, but not impossible.





I intend to get one of these myself one of these days.

Regards,

 

[Semushkin]

...
Though if as you say you've trimmed the leader of the film....I think something else might be amiss...

Yes, the pressure plate is screwed up and pushes too hard against the top curtain rail, leaving no room whatsoever for the film. No problem at the bottom rail; the trimmed leader goes through, but the curved edge at the end of the leader gets stuck where the top rail touches the pressure plate.

I have removed the screwmount frame before from a vandalized FED, and this is not quite such a
sensitive part of the mechanics that it would throw anything off balance. It's slightly more difficult
to replace the back-end parts when putting it back together, but not impossible.

Done that too with disastrous results on the shims underneath...(I am not very skilled)

I think it is very sensitive, not to the mechanics but to the optical alignment of the lens.

Since it was a humble vandalized FED did you check the lens position was affected by reassembly?

Perhaps I will try it on a vandalized Leica... (just kidding)

 

[ray*j*gun]

What do you mean by refinished? Do you mean CLA?


It was not DVDTechnik, but another seller from ebay. I have not asked him yet to take the camera back. I may do that very soon. I will then report here on who it was and how he responded. So any suggestions? If I remove the lens mount and reattach it will I ruin the lens register ?

No I don't mean CLA'd. I mean the camera was restored or repainted black etc......e.g. the numerous cameras sold by DVD and others that are Leica knock offs or phony military cameras.....are all refurbised and refinished.

 

[Semushkin]

No I don't mean CLA'd. I mean the camera was restored or repainted black etc......e.g. the numerous cameras sold by DVD and others that are Leica knock offs or phony military cameras.....are all refurbised and refinished.

It seems to me DVDtechnik is honest about the Leica copies in his descriptions. But he also sells a number of straight Soviet cameras, including FED NKVD, which are apparently not fake. I have never bought from him and have nothing to do with him although I have been interested in some of his Soviet cameras.

All right then Comrades, how about my original problem? Any advice? Do I proceed with removing the lens mount so that I can expose the front middle screw and remove the top? Will I risk ruining the lens working distance and alignment?

Incidentally, the pressure plate has a round hole in it. Does this mean it is from an earlier camera with the round plug in the back?

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Perhaps I will try it on a vandalized Leica... (just kidding)

It was a FED-1 or Zorki that had been made to look like a Luftwaffe leica. I opened it up as some part in the rewind switch assembly had come lose.

I got it all back together without problems and had no problems with it until after the first roll the curtains degraded so badly that I sold it as a prop to some re-enactors.


As to your problem, If I were to hazard a guess I'd say one of the blade springs behind the backing plate has slipped out of its groove somehow

 

[wolves3012]

If there's no room for the film, check the screws on the front of the body before doing anything else. I had the same problem on mine and it was these screws (the lower ones especially) that were the problem. They hold the crate against the front of the shell, leaving a small clearance for the film at the back. If they're slack they allow the crate to move away from the front of the shell, towards the back, hence reducing the space for a film.

Another possibility is that the shell and crate don't belong together, meaning a mismatch. Early FEDs like that were pretty much inividually made and "fitted" together. Badly aligning screws etc would give that away.

To remove the crate you have to remove the lens mount (4 screws) anyway. There are two retainers inside that will fall into the body and are a bit of a fiddle to replace. Carefully note the mount orientation and any paper shims under it. These parts MUST be replaced exactly as you find them. Next remove the four screws on the front of the body and the ones around the top plate rim. Now push the crate upwards out of the shell, whilst pushing the RF sensor in to clear the lens mount opening. That's all there is to it. Beware that the pressure plate and its two springs will come adrift during or after removing the crate. When you come to replace the mount, tighten the screws a bit at a time in an "X" pattern and don't do them too tight! This avoids distorting the mount, which is quite easy to do since it's aluminium.

 

[wolves3012]

Incidentally, the pressure plate has a round hole in it. Does this mean it is from an earlier camera with the round plug in the back?

No, they discontinued the plug before discontinuing the hole!

 

[M. Valdemar]

See if there's an old torn piece of film already jammed in there. Try to clear it with a blade.

 

[Semushkin]

Comrade wolves3012 thank you kindly. I will try it and report back

Semushkin