Phantomas
Well-known
Hello people! I don't post here, you might even call me new, but I've been lurking for quite some time and find this site great with wealth of information.
Here's my probably first question here. I own quite a few rangefinders, mostly old Russian cameras due to direct and cheap (or free) access to them and some German and Japanese stuff in between, nothing too fancy like Leica though 🙂
A couple of my Russian friends are acting less perfect than desired and while this doesn't effect me negatively (more cameras than I can use daily) I'd still like to fix them. The value of these cameras doesn't justify third party CLA cost, and even after fixing I'd probably not use them much. So I decided to try to do it myself.
Because I own so many cameras (and more to come!) I think it would be a good idea if I can dig into them and be able to at least perform some basic maintenance/tuning. Plus I've got two to experiment with - a Zorki 2c with sticky short shutter speeds and a Fed 2 with stuck rangefinder lever. I've also been able to pick up an old (1961) Russian rangefinder fixing guide on a flee market on my recent trip in Ukraine. I can read Russian so no problem. It's a thick book with detailed explanation of all pre-61 Russian cameras and their parts. It also gives a good insight into rangefinder class camera innards in general. Score!
I consider myself fairly handy, always trying to repair stuff, but lack experience with small fragile objects like cameras. I'm confident I'll be able to handle them though. What I do need though is the right tools. I have a few but none that will handle small parts of cameras.
I'd like your advice - is there any resource out there that gives a list of essential tools required for camera fixing? Obviously I can imagine the basic screwdrivers, tweezers and such. But what are other basic tools I need to safely start opening up a camera? Lubricants? Maybe some sites that sell "camera fixing essential tool sets". Any tips or experiences you've had with some really handy stuff you've used?
Any such info appreciated!
Here's my probably first question here. I own quite a few rangefinders, mostly old Russian cameras due to direct and cheap (or free) access to them and some German and Japanese stuff in between, nothing too fancy like Leica though 🙂
A couple of my Russian friends are acting less perfect than desired and while this doesn't effect me negatively (more cameras than I can use daily) I'd still like to fix them. The value of these cameras doesn't justify third party CLA cost, and even after fixing I'd probably not use them much. So I decided to try to do it myself.
Because I own so many cameras (and more to come!) I think it would be a good idea if I can dig into them and be able to at least perform some basic maintenance/tuning. Plus I've got two to experiment with - a Zorki 2c with sticky short shutter speeds and a Fed 2 with stuck rangefinder lever. I've also been able to pick up an old (1961) Russian rangefinder fixing guide on a flee market on my recent trip in Ukraine. I can read Russian so no problem. It's a thick book with detailed explanation of all pre-61 Russian cameras and their parts. It also gives a good insight into rangefinder class camera innards in general. Score!
I consider myself fairly handy, always trying to repair stuff, but lack experience with small fragile objects like cameras. I'm confident I'll be able to handle them though. What I do need though is the right tools. I have a few but none that will handle small parts of cameras.
I'd like your advice - is there any resource out there that gives a list of essential tools required for camera fixing? Obviously I can imagine the basic screwdrivers, tweezers and such. But what are other basic tools I need to safely start opening up a camera? Lubricants? Maybe some sites that sell "camera fixing essential tool sets". Any tips or experiences you've had with some really handy stuff you've used?
Any such info appreciated!
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