FED 2 - Squeaky film advance?

[regularchickens]

I've got a FED 2 that is in nice working condition, but it makes squeaky noises when I use the film wind knob, but only when there's film in it. Is this just a sign that the winding gear train needs a cleaning/lube? I suppose that'd also make winding on a bit easier..

 

[wolves3012]

Do you mean wind or rewind that makes the noise? Some film cartridges can be noisy, or it could be the slipping clutch doing its job. Hard to know!

 

[regularchickens]

I mean wind, not rewind. The clutch looks okay, as in it gets out of the way and doesn't rub on anything, at least when I'm looking inside it.

 

[nthearle]

Mine does that too. I had a test with a dummy film and the back off, winding and rewinding. It's actually the film itself rubbing on the take up spool's flanges. Because the take up and the sprocket drive rotate in different directions, there's a fair bit of tension on the bit of film between them. Under load the take up spool is pulled out of parallel with the film plane. The bottom end of it moves towards the back of the camera. The whole take up is quite floppy, in that you can push the bottom end out of parallel, forward and back, with your finger. I wouldn't worry about it, even though it does sound disconcerting. It's just Soviet build quality!

 

[David Hughes]

It's just Soviet build quality!

As the camera is about 50 years old I doubt if it's due to build quality but could be because the previous owners neglected it or just hasn't used it for years.

I've just had my Leica M2 overhauled etc and the bill came to £235 for labour and £85 for parts. But I don't put it down to build quality and as it is about the same age as the FED 2 I can draw my own conclusions.

Most cameras suffer if not serviced regularly; I'm often surprised by the service intervals given. One of my young, modern, film Nikons should be serviced at least once every two years; according to the instruction manual.

The trouble is, most mechanical thing deteriorate slowly and people don't notice it. It's like going deaf or needing reading glasses...

Regards, David

 

[regularchickens]

Hm, it's squeaky with Neopan, but not at all with my self-loaded APX 100 or with Fuji color cartridges. Odd. I guess I won't worry about it.

On a side note, I am enjoying the FED 5 take-up spool I've swapped in.