Balda (Mess) Baldix viewfinder cleaning

[underlord]

I have recently come across an above mentioned Balda. Uncoupled rangefinder,Ennagon f3.5 - 75mm. Unsurprisingly the shutter (Prontor - SVS) is sticky at low speeds,which I am confident in sorting out. The viewfinder could do with a clean though. What kind of problems am I likely to run into? Is it just a case of unscrewing the two screws holding the rewind knob and the rangefinder knob? Also the rangefinder window has no 'glass' on it. It's just an open hole. Dust and debris can (and probably have) found their way in. Is this normal?

Many thanks

Edit* Just found the rangefinder 'window' inside the top piece.

 

[FallisPhoto]

In general, removing the top cap from a camera consistes of removing the winding and rewinding knobs and some small screws near the cap edge. No, it is not normal for any windows not to have glass in them. Microscope slides, found at some hobby shops, are good sources for replacement windows; they can be cut with either a glass cutter (difficult, because they are so thin) or a rotary tool (easier, but hazardous because of flying powdered glass -- watch out for your eyes). Finally, there are a number of methods that all amount to a good scrubbing with naptha (lighter fluid) that will stop that shutter from sticking.

Edit: I almost forgot to mention it, and it needs to be said if you're cleaning out the rangefinder -- be VERY careful when you get to the semisilvered mirror (the one in front of the viewfinder). The silvering on most of the semisilvered mirrors you will find in cameras will stick to almost anything better than it will to the glass (fingers, brushes, cotton swabs and etcetera -- even a drop of water can knock it off). On some cameras it is so delicate that even a puff of air can destroy the silvering.

Another thing to watch out for is that on some cameras with colored split image rangefinders (some of the Argus C3 cameras, for example) and on some with framelines in black on the glass, the color and the framelines are water-soluable and will wash off.

 

[sevo]

My Hapo 66, supposedly a Mess Baldix variant, has glass throughout. These glass windows usually are glued into the frame, and will end up inside if the glue comes loose - you might find yours in there unless someone has opened the top and removed it in the past. Ah, I see that you already found it... 🙂

Given that I did not make any notes, it should open like any common folder of that vintage.

Sevo

 

[underlord]

Success! When i first got the camera the rangefinder window could not be detected when moving the camera. It just became dislodged from somewhere. The top plate has been removed and rf window has been replaced. I managed also to clean the viewfinder window inside without damaging the rf patch. Now the only minor problem is that having replaced the top plate the frame counter is behaving erratically. Sometimes it turns over, sometimes it does not. Further lube?

 

[ZeissFan]

Sometimes, there is a small sprung lever that connects to the frame counter.

In some cases, you just have to swing it back into place. In other cases, you it needs to be held in position while replacing the top deck. I've used thread or fishing line to hold the part while replacing the top deck.

Not sure which situation applies here.