Canon QL17 GIII Explored View

[cralx2000]

Hi all,

I'm in the first phase of the camera repair. Here is what i got so far.

http://home.swbell.net/leao/


I need learn how to calibration and lubrication.

Please let me know if you have some tips.

Thanks
cralx

 

[TPPhotog]

I'm going to report you to the Royal Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Canonets 😛

Good luck with your project, I look forward to watching your progress so I can play with mine 🙂

 

[the_other_dirk]

Wow! Hope you'll get it back together 🙂

There used to be a thread around here somewhere explaining how to calibrate the RF. Didn't require to take the entire camera apart though! I'll see if I can track it down.

 

[the_other_dirk]

cralx,

can't find that thread anymore (I think it was in a member's gallery somewhere)

anyway, to realign the RF, there's two screws (one for horizontal and one for vertical adjustment). You can access them without opening the camera though, look here for some pictures (look at the posts made by greyhoudman James Burton). Point the camera at a distant object (set the camera at infinity), then adjust the RF. Can't help you with the lubrication question though.

 

[dmr]

Please let me know if you have some tips.

Well <lol> the one tip I might suggest is to not take it apart unless you REALLY need to. <vbfg> 🙂 🙂 🙂

I'm in the first phase of the camera repair. Here is what i got so far.

http://home.swbell.net/leao/

I need learn how to calibration and lubrication.

You've got yours stripped down a lot more than I had to. May I ask what doesn't work on yours, or are you just trying to do more of preventive stuff or general clean-up and such?

The one thing I've been looking for and haven't found is a concise and authoritative source (like a book or something) on basic camera calibration and lubrication. It almost seems like it's a craft that's passed on from master to apprentice within a guild, the members of which are sworn to secrecy. 🙂 🙂

The people here are really super about passing on what they've learned either by experience or from others. This is mostly bits and pieces of practical advice on one specific topic, like how to un-stick a stuck shutter, how to remove the front lens element, how to do the harder-than-it-looks messy replacement of light seals, etc.

The message board on the Classic Camera Repair Forum has been very helpful too.

There are 2 pieces of information I'm trying to get hold of, and haven't so far ...

1. How to lubricate the shutter. What I have now, I'm sure, is a shutter with 25-30 year old lubrication that's been partly reactivated by some Ronsonol seepage. My instinct says that it should be properly lubricated again.

2. Anybody who has tried and succeeded (or failed) to recalibrate (or intentionally mis-calibrate by one stop) the meter so the range is ASA/ISO 50-1600 instear of 25-800. I figure I can't be the only person in the known universe who wants very much to shoot 1600 film in that thing. 🙂

There are a couple other things I'm wanting to do, but putting it off until I get the urge to take the thing apart again, such as finding out why the frame counter doesn't always count (it's usually like about 20 at the end of the roll) and more carefully checking the accuracy of the rangefinder. At 6' it seems very close, and at infinity it's off a very very very teensy bit, not enought to worry about.

Oh well, We learn more about this the more we do it, right? 🙂

 

[cralx2000]

The camera is not working.

1. The shutter does not fire. I can wind the shutter 4 consecutive times before it locks. I then open the back and I can repeat the procedure. The shutter button pushes but nothing happens.

2. The aperture does not open it stops at 5.6. I cannot get it to go past that.

3- The film counter goes to almost 2 before it locks. (FIXED)

4- I inserted a fresh battery and the battery check light came on last week, now it doesn't.

Thanks All
cralx

 

[dmr]

1. The shutter does not fire. I can wind the shutter 4 consecutive times before it locks. I then open the back and I can repeat the procedure. The shutter button pushes but nothing happens.

Hopefully this will be helpful to you. My shutter was apparently stuck in the "cocked" state, the shutter speed dial was jammed and yes, the film advance lever did not have the right feel to it.

I very carefully removed the front lens element with a spanner and took off the next few layers. It was obvious that the shutter speed dial had been forced, as the tab that goes down into the shutter was bent. Careful un-bending with pliers fixed that part.

Then I followed the procedure discussed here to remove the middle lens element, which exposed the shutter blades from the front. This was kinda spooky, as it involved drilling two small holes for the spanner, but it went smoothly. I'm actually quite handy with a little Dremel too. 🙂

I then took a bit of Ronsonol on a q-tip and started to massage the shutter blades. I was not expecting this at all, but all of a sudden they began to move and >>SNAP<<! It actually startled me, as I was not expecting it at all. I let a bit more of the Ronsonol seep in between the blades and used the newly-straightened ring to try the shutter at different speeds. After an exercise of maybe 20 or so snaps, it actually appeared to be fine and has been since. The speeds sounded right, and from the first test roll it was obvious that they were at least in sight of the ballpark. 🙂

Once the shutter was fixed, all of the uncertainty of the advance lever and the cock-lock mechanism went away.

Of course getting it all together again was a lab exercise for the student. 🙂 🙂

Hope this helps. 🙂

 

[Kim Coxon]

Hi Again,
I will try and find a link I had to a good camera repair course but in the meantime-

1. Most shutter mechs are designed to run dry. The problems normally start when they are lubricated. the idea of the ronsonol is to remove any lub that has migrated where it shouldn't. If you are talking aout the blades, there should never be lubed. At very best and if you really have to use something, use a very small amount of pure graphite.

2. I think I have answered this elsewhere.

Regards
Kim

The one thing I've been looking for and haven't found is a concise and authoritative source (like a book or something) on basic camera calibration and lubrication. It almost seems like it's a craft that's passed on from master to apprentice within a guild, the members of which are sworn to secrecy. 🙂 🙂

There are 2 pieces of information I'm trying to get hold of, and haven't so far ...

1. How to lubricate the shutter. What I have now, I'm sure, is a shutter with 25-30 year old lubrication that's been partly reactivated by some Ronsonol seepage. My instinct says that it should be properly lubricated again.

2. Anybody who has tried and succeeded (or failed) to recalibrate (or intentionally mis-calibrate by one stop) the meter so the range is ASA/ISO 50-1600 instear of 25-800. I figure I can't be the only person in the known universe who wants very much to shoot 1600 film in that thing. 🙂

There are a couple other things I'm wanting to do, but putting it off until I get the urge to take the thing apart again, such as finding out why the frame counter doesn't always count (it's usually like about 20 at the end of the roll) and more carefully checking the accuracy of the rangefinder. At 6' it seems very close, and at infinity it's off a very very very teensy bit, not enought to worry about.

Oh well, We learn more about this the more we do it, right? 🙂

 

[Kim Coxon]

Hi,
I think you may have gone a bit OTT but to answer some of the questions,

1. The wind is supposed to work like that! It's so you don't have to fire the shutter at the start of the film. If the camera was working, you would then be able to fire and wind once. Is there a click when you try the shutter? Is there any movement at all? It sounds as though your blades are stuck.

2. Same problem as the shutter. Normally both are affected and get dirty. They probably just need a good clean.

4. You have probably broken a wire. They tend to get fragile after 30 years and with that amount of disassembly you may have cracked one. Get a meter and check the continuity of each one.

Regards
Kim

The camera is not working.

1. The shutter does not fire. I can wind the shutter 4 consecutive times before it locks. I then open the back and I can repeat the procedure. The shutter button pushes but nothing happens.

2. The aperture does not open it stops at 5.6. I cannot get it to go past that.

3- The film counter goes to almost 2 before it locks. (FIXED)

4- I inserted a fresh battery and the battery check light came on last week, now it doesn't.

Thanks All
cralx

 

[cralx2000]

Kim, what is OTT? 🙂

There isn't a click. Definitely the shutter are stuck. Do I need to remove the rear element to get the blades clean? I order the spanner tools. How I clean and lube the the shutter?

Kim, I need some info to clean and lube all.

Thanks
cralx

 

[Kim Coxon]

Over The Top. You can clean the blades from the front or back. I tend to take both out so as not to get any muck on the elements. It also aids the drying process afterwards. No need for lens spanners. I find them less suitable than a pair of needlepoint pliers with the tips ground. I also know of at least 2 proffessional repairers who do the same. Clean the shutter but don't lube it or you will back where you started. See DMR436's post lower down.

Kim

Kim, what is OTT? 🙂

There isn't a click. Definitely the shutter are stuck. Do I need to remove the rear element to get the blades clean? I order the spanner tools. How I clean and lube the the shutter?

Kim, I need some info to clean and lube all.

Thanks
cralx