W
wlewisiii
Guest
Notes from a PM about relubing an Agfa Karat. Put here for members reference.
Ok, looks like the Karomat is simply a rebadged Karat 36 with only one lens option. It's got the Syncro-Compur too, which is plus in my book as it's a better shutter than the Prontor in my experiance.
First the shutter. Is it sticking on all speeds or only on some speeds? If all, it's probably the shutter blades that have cruft on them. Take a small bowl of lighter fluid and a handfull of q-tips. Remove the front lens element. Dip a qtip in the fluid and gently wipe it over all the exposed surfaces of the blades. Then exercise the shutter. Repeat as nessecary till the shutter works correctly.
If it sticks on specific speeds only (usually slower speeds), then it's a little more complicated. Take off the front element and then turn the little keeper screw so that it's unlocked. Then take out the three screws and unscrew that ring. This is as far as I needed to go; if you feel the urge, look up Syncro-Compur on Google 🙂 Then take a small syringe, fill it with a bit of lighter fluid, and flush the shutter as necessary to clear out the bits of goop in side of it. Hold the camera so the shutter opening is over the cup so your lighter fluid will drain back into it.
The focus helical is similar. First, let the camera get warmed up as that will loosen the grease a bit. Being summer, a sunny window shelf might be good, or on the car dash for an hour or two. I did mine in winter, so I put it in front of a heat duct overnight. Start by pushing the front standard in so it latches back. Push the focus to infinity and open the rear. You'll see some of the helical exposed to the rear of the lens. Take a q-tip dipped in lighter fluid and wipe the exposed surface of the helical. Some of the green Agfa/Ansco grease will come away. Wipe it down again until the exposed surface is clear. Now comes the fiddly part. Wipe it down again and cycle the helical out and back. This allows the fluid to work down into the helical and break up the grease further down. Wipe off the goop that comes out, then put more clean fluid on it and cycle the helical again. Repeat until no more grease comes out and the helical moves freely. It took me a couple of hours of this. Once you have reached this point, let all the fluid dry out, say overnight. Then it's a matter of relubing the helical. I got some synthetic lithium automotive grease to use. Take a small bit on a q-tip and wipe the sides of the helical. Rotate it out and back. Do this a couple of times to work the grease throughout the helical. Stop when the movement is smooth throughout it's range.
It's simpler than it sounds, just a bit of patience is needed. The camera is a delight to use and well worth a bit of effort to get it usable.
William
Ok, looks like the Karomat is simply a rebadged Karat 36 with only one lens option. It's got the Syncro-Compur too, which is plus in my book as it's a better shutter than the Prontor in my experiance.
First the shutter. Is it sticking on all speeds or only on some speeds? If all, it's probably the shutter blades that have cruft on them. Take a small bowl of lighter fluid and a handfull of q-tips. Remove the front lens element. Dip a qtip in the fluid and gently wipe it over all the exposed surfaces of the blades. Then exercise the shutter. Repeat as nessecary till the shutter works correctly.
If it sticks on specific speeds only (usually slower speeds), then it's a little more complicated. Take off the front element and then turn the little keeper screw so that it's unlocked. Then take out the three screws and unscrew that ring. This is as far as I needed to go; if you feel the urge, look up Syncro-Compur on Google 🙂 Then take a small syringe, fill it with a bit of lighter fluid, and flush the shutter as necessary to clear out the bits of goop in side of it. Hold the camera so the shutter opening is over the cup so your lighter fluid will drain back into it.
The focus helical is similar. First, let the camera get warmed up as that will loosen the grease a bit. Being summer, a sunny window shelf might be good, or on the car dash for an hour or two. I did mine in winter, so I put it in front of a heat duct overnight. Start by pushing the front standard in so it latches back. Push the focus to infinity and open the rear. You'll see some of the helical exposed to the rear of the lens. Take a q-tip dipped in lighter fluid and wipe the exposed surface of the helical. Some of the green Agfa/Ansco grease will come away. Wipe it down again until the exposed surface is clear. Now comes the fiddly part. Wipe it down again and cycle the helical out and back. This allows the fluid to work down into the helical and break up the grease further down. Wipe off the goop that comes out, then put more clean fluid on it and cycle the helical again. Repeat until no more grease comes out and the helical moves freely. It took me a couple of hours of this. Once you have reached this point, let all the fluid dry out, say overnight. Then it's a matter of relubing the helical. I got some synthetic lithium automotive grease to use. Take a small bit on a q-tip and wipe the sides of the helical. Rotate it out and back. Do this a couple of times to work the grease throughout the helical. Stop when the movement is smooth throughout it's range.
It's simpler than it sounds, just a bit of patience is needed. The camera is a delight to use and well worth a bit of effort to get it usable.
William
