1939 Summitar...with issues

[uwe zankl]

Hello all

I recently got a 1939 Summitar (527531) for a very good price...but it has some issues. The front element has heavy haze inside. Does anybody know how to take the front group apart so that the haze can be cleaned out. Have a look at the attached pictures...

thanks
Uwe

 

[Roger Hicks]

Yes. Send it to a reputable repairer.

If you don't know how to pull it apart -- and I don't -- then you almost certainly don't know enough to reassemble it and make sure it's properly collimated.

Also: that isn't an 'issue'. It's a fault. 'Issue' is a worthless euphemism.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Uwe, every time I see you here you've bought some more wonderful toys. Will you be bringing any of them on the Ostend/Maastricht tour next summer? We'll have a "My Leica's shinier then yours" moment 🙂

Like Roger said, I would not bother taking it apart myself for fear of messing up a great lens. Have it cleaned by someone who has the experience.


Rick


p.s. I want a war-time summitar too 🙁

 

[colyn]

Specialized tools are required to take apart the lens and as Roger says send it off for repair.

Looking at your second photo the problems looks more like balsum separation instead of haze..

 

[Charles Woodhouse]

Yair, very specialised tools are required here, like two sheets of inner tube rubber and a modicum of care. We repairers aren't necessarily geniuses, but just a bit more practical than the average folk. Just grab the small diameter part of the lens in one rubber sheet and the front knurled part in the other and unscrew. Then carefully clean the exposed elements. If this doesn't solve the problem you have a balsam breakdown. The front two elements are cementedf pairs, and the cement or balsam degrades with age and storage conditions. I have solved this problem by separating the elements ( by boiling), polishing off the balsam remains, and recementing using clear epoxy. A radical solution but it has worked. I hope I never have to do it again.

 

[Charles Woodhouse]

Sorry folks, I meant the front two groups, not elements! It's midnight in my part of Australia so I'm off to bed. Good night, Charles.

 

[uwe zankl]

Hello all

The problem is solved...😀
It was balsam separation and the fix was easy. I removed the front group and put it on a china plate, I heated up the oven to 50 degrees and put the plate into it. Than I raised the temperature about 20 degrees every 15min until I ended up at around 100-110. The balsam got liquid again and the marks disappeared. I left the lens in the oven for about an hours and than shut down the oven without opening the door. About two hours later the lens was cooled off again and the result looks super, all clear again.

cheers
Uwe

 

[uwe zankl]

Uwe, every time I see you here you've bought some more wonderful toys. Will you be bringing any of them on the Ostend/Maastricht tour next summer? We'll have a "My Leica's shinier then yours" moment 🙂

Like Roger said, I would not bother taking it apart myself for fear of messing up a great lens. Have it cleaned by someone who has the experience.


Rick

Hi Rick

I am for sure going to bring a set or two onto the next "big trip" I am getting better now in taking pictures with the Leicas but the B&H 16mm is still a miracle for me. I now have a B&H tripod for it as well and, for those future days when I might master it, I have a couple of rolls 1950s Kodakcolor material in the freezer. Just imagine making a film showing the M8s rolling by with an original war time machine and even using original film material!

About the Summitar, it's the third one I got. I have a 1950s one in 1A condition and another one from 1940 in very good condition. This one I picked up for only 55EUR due to the lens problems, I actually just needed something to play around with and I am very glad now that it seems to be usable again.

cheers
Uwe

 

[John Shriver]

I did the same re-bake hack with a horrible Summar I got for $32. It was about half-separated, now it just has some bubbles. Still a wretched lens, but at least somewhat usable. (I didn't remove the globs of epoxy holding the rear together...)

I followed it with a really wonderful Summar, which is the one I use.