Zorki 1 Rewind, a little help

[Richii_Bee]

Hi there,

I have a Zorki 1 with a collar rewind set around the shutter button. However the rewind doesn't disengage the sprocket and let me rewind the film. If anyone has any ideas or knowledge on how to fix this i would be really great full.

Regards,

Rich

 

[Mablo]

Hi Richii and welcome to the forum.

Usually the Zorki-1 rewind switch is the small lever in front of the shutter button. The photo below shows the rewind lever in the rewind-position. Hope this helps.

 

[Richii_Bee]

sadly mine has no such switch. It has a collar that twists around the shutter button. Perhaps it isnt a Zorki 1, the date on it says 1970. ill try and find a picture of it.

Thanks anyway though!

 

[batterytypehah!]

There's a sticky thread at the top of the FSU sub-forum with details for the various models. Another good source is www.sovietcams.com.

Is there a roll of exposed film in it right now? If you have a dark room or closet or a changing bag, you can try to remove the film and then rewind it into the cartridge. Wouldn't be too hard if it's indeed a later model, with a removable back. If there's tension on the film (from trying to squeeze out one more frame after 24...) you may end up tearing out a few sprocket holes and getting scratches or wrinkles on that part of the film. But that's not the end of the world. Just keep it totally dark while you do this.

 

[rbiemer]

Welcome a board!
For the cameras with the rewind release around the shutter button, either push it down and hold it or turn it clockwise. I think the Zorkis use a turning release and the later FEDs are push down and hold.
If your camera is from 1970--where are you seeing this date?--that would probably be a Zorki 4 and I think (don't have mine in front of me) that the collar turns.
If you can show us a picture of your camera, we can offer more specific help!
Rob

 

[Richii_Bee]

It says 1970 on it, strangely enough i guess!

could well be a zorki 4, it definatly has a colar. its just that nothing happens when its twisted.
I hope the link works. thank you for your help so far!

 

[Richii_Bee]

If that link doesnt work then maybe good ol flickr will have a better result.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/50923504@N05/4682865992/

 

[pschauss]

Your camera is a Zorki C ("C "in Cyrlic is pronounced like an "S" in the Latin alphabet). Turning the colar clockwise should release the film so that you can rewind. As you turn the colar, it should go down about an 1/8 of an inch or so. If you remove the bottom of the camera (after you have manually extracted your exposed film), you should see a flat spring running across the inner bottom plate. As you turn the colar clockwise you should see something pushing down on this spring.

 

[wolves3012]

The 1970 on the top doesn't relate to the year! I think the Zorki C was only made until the late 50s or so. Pschauss' advice is spot on. If the advance doesn't release by turning the collar clockwise, there's a fault.

 

[Richii_Bee]

Nothing seems to move at all when i twist the collar. Does this flat spring move when the shutter button is pressed? ill see if i can get a photo up of the bottom of my camera with the plate off.

 

[wolves3012]

When you turn the collar, two things happen. Firstly, the shutter button goes down, as if you pressed it (yes, that flat spring in the bottom moves). Second, the sprocket drive is released through a dog-clutch, internally. Check to see if the sprocket can indeed be turned with it on "rewind" mode. If it can't (and yes, it's a bit fiddly to get your fingers at it!) then the clutch is probably gummed up with dried grease. To be honest, the reverse problem is more common - they won't re-engage when the collar is turned back.

The bad news is that the clutch is not readily accessible, although you might get away with just removing the bodyshell and getting some cleaning fluid into it that way.

 

[Murray Kelly]

Nothing seems to move at all when i twist the collar. Does this flat spring move when the shutter button is pressed? ill see if i can get a photo up of the bottom of my camera with the plate off.

I have a 67 Zorkii 4 and the rewind release actually screws down and inwards, clockwise, and comes to a stop. The sprocket wheel is now released and the film can be rewound.
It almost sounds as if you can turn and turn the collar. If so, there is a fault. It should only go about half a turn and stop.
When you reset the collar anticlockwise for normal winding, the dog clutch can indeed not engage and the cure is to check that the shutter release itself is turned fully clockwise. The fellow I bought the camera from said it had a problem but a few minutes fiddling found out what I was doing wrong.
So, does your collar turn and stop, or go round and round?
Murray

 

[Richii_Bee]

The collar turns and stops. However the shutter release doesnt go down with it or even turn. so im guessing the problems around there somewhere. Sounds like the clutch is gummed up as Wolves3012 suggests. Ill have a look at cleaning it up. the camera hasn't been used in many years i would guess so that diagnosis would make sense!
Thanks guys!

 

[Murray Kelly]

The collar turns and stops. However the shutter release doesnt go down with it or even turn. so im guessing the problems around there somewhere. Sounds like the clutch is gummed up as Wolves3012 suggests. Ill have a look at cleaning it up. the camera hasn't been used in many years i would guess so that diagnosis would make sense!
Thanks guys!

OK - I didn't mean the shutter release would turn, altho it often does when you wind the collar back up. It only turns to lock the shutter up on 'B' and make it a 'Time' exposure. You'd need the hands of a brain surgeon to actually use it without a lens cap or somesuch.

The collar is supposed to screw in as you turn it. That way the dog cog at the bottom of the sprocket wheel is pushed down as well and releases the sprocket so's you can rewind. Check around the top end of the mechanism for something stuck or missing.
Murray

 

[Richii_Bee]

I think the clutch is knackered or just gummed up. Probably be easiest to remove the film in a dark room.
On a random note, the camera was built to commemorate the Russian lunar landings and their lunar rover which was then lost on the moon some 40 years ago. NASA found that rover last week, and its still working.

 

[wolves3012]

I think the clutch is knackered or just gummed up. Probably be easiest to remove the film in a dark room.
On a random note, the camera was built to commemorate the Russian lunar landings and their lunar rover which was then lost on the moon some 40 years ago. NASA found that rover last week, and its still working.

I'm curious to see a picture of this camera, if you can post one. There were various commemorative editions but I've never heard of that one.