Bought another Fed 3 for repair

[colyn]

I just bought another Fed 3 today that needs repair and was wondering if anybody knows of a repair manual source online.
The camera had new curtains installed but incorrectly. While winding, the curtains barely cap untill the opening curtain catches up with the closing curtain just before being fully wound.. 🙁

 

[Ducky]

This may help.
http://jay.fedka.com/index_files/Page455.htm

 

[colyn]

This may help.
http://jay.fedka.com/index_files/Page455.htm

I have this site bookmarked but it deals with the Fed 1 which is the Leica II copy. It doesn't help with disassembly of the Fed 3 though.

 

[captainslack]

This site you're looking for is here:

http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-58.html

 

[colyn]

This site you're looking for is here:

http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-58.html

I have this site bookmarked also but it does not give any information on separating the crate from the body which is what I need to do in order to fix the problem.

 

[w3rk5]

I don't know if this will help but I think it might be the same with the FED 2. First remove the top plate. Then remove the two screws at the top of the camera and the 4 screws at the front of the camera. The crate should come off easily.

Here's a different link that might help. Again, I know it's for a FED 2 but I'm 80% sure the crate is held in the same way.

http://stephenc7.tripod.com/cameras/fed2.htm

 

[fidget]

The pictures of the curtain positions look about normal. There is not much overlap at the left hand side. It is common for some cameras to let in light as the pair of curtains is wound on. The overlap of the curtains seems to be critical. A few of my FEDs can let some light past when held up to a strong light, between the curtains in the position shown in your first photo. It is made worse if the metal strips don't match closely. I try to take care to rewind away from strong light. Does this let light in when in the released position, before you wind on?

 

[Valkir1987]

The first curtain, which straps are glued on the main drum. (this curtain is released first when firing the shutter) should be reglued a little. Test the curtains gap with a strong flashlight first to make sure it is necesarry.
The curtains overlap slightly moves during winding on russian cameras.

 

[Spyderman]

Reglue-ing might not be necessary.

If you add a layer of ribbon under the first curtain ribbons on the rollers (in your pictures it would the rollers above and below the main drum on the right-hand side). This way you would make the rollers larger diameter, and the lath would move slightly to the right. It might be just enough to make the curtains cap and avoid ligh leaks. I think this is described somewhere on the internet... but I don't remember where I read it...

 

[colyn]

I don't know if this will help but I think it might be the same with the FED 2. First remove the top plate. Then remove the two screws at the top of the camera and the 4 screws at the front of the camera. The crate should come off easily.

Here's a different link that might help. Again, I know it's for a FED 2 but I'm 80% sure the crate is held in the same way.

http://stephenc7.tripod.com/cameras/fed2.htm

This did it... 😀
Thanks

 

[colyn]

The pictures of the curtain positions look about normal. There is not much overlap at the left hand side. It is common for some cameras to let in light as the pair of curtains is wound on. The overlap of the curtains seems to be critical. A few of my FEDs can let some light past when held up to a strong light, between the curtains in the position shown in your first photo. It is made worse if the metal strips don't match closely. I try to take care to rewind away from strong light. Does this let light in when in the released position, before you wind on?

This one let in too much light to the point of ruining the frames even when shooting in low light.
As soon as the caps cleared the edge you could clearly see between then. Only when at the point in the first photo did they start to cap.

 

[colyn]

The first curtain, which straps are glued on the main drum. (this curtain is released first when firing the shutter) should be reglued a little. Test the curtains gap with a strong flashlight first to make sure it is necesarry.
The curtains overlap slightly moves during winding on russian cameras.

w3rk5 gave me a url that helped me get the camera apart.
Once inside I found the closing curtain to be the culprit. Whoever replaced the curtains did it right except they overlapped the scribe mark with the edge of the curtain.
Once I peeled off the closing curtain from the main drum and reglued it at the scribe mark it now works fine.
The hard part was after retensioning the curtain was to replace the tiny lock screw. Took several trys..:bang:

 

[colyn]

Reglue-ing might not be necessary.

If you add a layer of ribbon under the first curtain ribbons on the rollers (in your pictures it would the rollers above and below the main drum on the right-hand side). This way you would make the rollers larger diameter, and the lath would move slightly to the right. It might be just enough to make the curtains cap and avoid ligh leaks. I think this is described somewhere on the internet... but I don't remember where I read it...

I like the way Leica curtains were made. The curtain was glued over the metal lathe and capped cloth to cloth instead of metal to metal.

Another thing I've noticed about Russian cameras is that the curtains are installed with the rubber side of both curtains on the same side facing inside the cameras throat instead of one facing in and the other facing out..

 

[w3rk5]

Glad to hear everything worked out.🙂

 

[colyn]

One thing I have noticed on both of my Fed 3's is that the shutter tapes were too long causing enough of an overlap that it would affect proper capping of the curtains.
I have since corrected the problem by shortening the tapes on both of them and they both now work properly without any light bleeding through. Even with a bright light shining into the throat of the camera.

😛

 

[comp_wiz101]

I like the way Leica curtains were made. The curtain was glued over the metal lathe and capped cloth to cloth instead of metal to metal.

I took a look at my FSU cams.... the '57 Zorki C is cloth-edged, the '54 Zorki 3 is cloth, and the '74 is metal edged.