zorki 4k: shutter stuck

[Roger Vadim]

Hi fellow members,

on my newly aquired Zorki 4k, which is cosmtically beautifull, the shutter is stuck!
You can't wind the wind -lever, and if you press the shutter nothing will happen.

Now my question: Is there any common fault that could be the issue here? The 4k looks great, is from '77 and I dont want to do a fully strip of the camera if this is avoidable.

thanks for your help,
-Michael

 

[Roberto]

Please post some pictures of the shutter curtains..
Rob.

 

[santino]

Roberto is right, post some pics. If the curtains are messed up, it's pretty hard to replace them (not for a skilled repairman who I am not).

 

[Roger Vadim]

The curtains look perfect, no crumpling, just perfect. they are closed and if you peek to the sides you cant see were the slit might sit - means I can't figure out if the shutter was released or not. sorry, don't have a digicam here at the moment😉
I haven't opened the camera yet. it feels like something is stuck or blocked. Thats also what the previous owner said: it was working flawlessly, then out of nothing the shutter / wind lever blocked.

-Michael

 

[Roberto]

Try to see whether the rewind collar (or button I can't remember) is in the right position..
Rob.

 

[giovatony]

Try this:
Turn the knurled shutter collar ring counter clockwise til the dot on it lines up with the dot on the plate. (6 o`clock ) It should automatically lift itself to a higher position. Then make sure the knurled shutter knob itself is turned clockwise to release it from the locked position. Then click the shutter and turn the film advance/shutter crank knob til it engages the gears.
I went thru this when I first got my Z-4.
Hope this is the fix.
John

 

[lkgroup]

Anyone have any more ideas.

I also have a Zorki 4K that is also stuck. It is a beautiful camera, it just won't advance or the shutter won't fire.

The curtain is fine, and the camera worked fine until it just became stuck.

Michael, did you get your 4K working?


I hate to tear into without knowing what I am looking for to correct.

Leo

 

[David Murphy]

Anyone have any more ideas.

I also have a Zorki 4K that is also stuck. It is a beautiful camera, it just won't advance or the shutter won't fire.

The curtain is fine, and the camera worked fine until it just became stuck.

Michael, did you get your 4K working?


I hate to tear into without knowing what I am looking for to correct.

Leo

I hope that's not the one I just bought from you!

 

[lkgroup]

David,

I could see how that would give you are start. The one I mailed to you today, (Priority 2-3 days) along with the Zorki 4 are in great shape.

This one is beautiful but is stuck. You got any ideas? I hate to send to Oleg, with the price of shipping having gone up lately, it has added to what was his reasonable price.

Anyway don't worry David, the good one is on it's way to you.

Do you want to buy this one or fix it up?

Leo

 

[David Murphy]

David,

I could see how that would give you are start. The one I mailed to you today, (Priority 2-3 days) along with the Zorki 4 are in great shape.

This one is beautiful but is stuck. You got any ideas? I hate to send to Oleg, with the price of shipping having gone up lately, it has added to what was his reasonable price.

Anyway don't worry David, the good one is on it's way to you.

Do you want to buy this one or fix it up?

Leo

Hi Leo. Thanks for the info. I don't need another one right now, but I think you could sell it pretty easily (and recover some of your investment) as a parts camera since there are a lot of people that like to work on them (I guess their relatively simplicity makes that possible).

 

[wolves3012]

If the wind-lever is jammed then that's probably an indication that the shutter is cocked and refusing to fire. Take the lens off and, looking into the lens mount it's *just* possible to see the lath on the left-hand side if the shutter is cocked. If it is, you need to figure why it's failing to release. One suggestion is the tiny latch that's part of the flat spring in the base. If this is broken (and I have seen one like that) the shutter cannot release.

 

[Roger Vadim]

Hello friends of obsolete technology,
so i`ve finaly opened the zorki... really nice and clean inside!

But: the shutter ribons came unglued from the right roller and the lower one is now stuck in the gear shaft... how difficult is it to reglue the ribbons on the roller (tension??) and are there any websites explaining such a procedure? I was googling, but didn't found anything about this issue.
I can't get the ribbon out of the shaft without opening the whole assembly further, as it seems. but without further instruction it seems like a tricky task...


Any help apreciated!
thanks,
-Michael

 

[wolves3012]

It'll be impossible to glue the ribbons back without completely dismantling the camera I'm afraid. If you follow the instructions on the Zorki 4 CLA thread you're a couple of steps away. Once the parts mentioned in the CLA are removed (i.e. all steps) you can proceed. The top plate screws are on top, two of them. One is hidden under the RF assembly so that'll need to come off. After that the top plate lifts away and all the rollers etc will fall out (!). Make sure to de-tension the other roller first - the one that had the ribbons will already have de-tensioned itself.

 

[pevelg]

BTW, Oleg from post #9 is an excellent repairman. I had him repair my old Jupiter lenses, plus my FED and Zorki. Can''t remember the website though! 🙁

 

[lkgroup]

Pevelg,

I have sent cameras to Oleg and he is an excellent repair person. His prices are very reasonable, but it is the shipping costs that have gone up that make the prices high.

http://www.okvintagecamera.com/index.html

I'm just trying to decide if I am going to tear into the 4k, get it repaired or sell for parts.

If anyone has experienced the shutter problem I have and have repaired the cameras them self, I would love to hear how.

leo