Cleaning a Tenax II?

[shawn]

I will be receiving a Tenax II shortly. Serial # says it is a 1937 camera. Looks like it needs a good cleaning but it is said to be completely operational. It is missing the take up spool so I will need to find one or make one.

Any recommendations on what, if anything, to use to clean the finish on the camera?

Thanks,

Shawn

 

[someonenameddavid]

You can modify the Centre out of a used 35mm film canister to make up a winding spool. It is the same as a Contax winding spool, the idea behind that is you could go from cassette to cassette in the Zeiss system. While the Tenax and family were much easier to load than the leica, it's still awkward.

 

[wes loder]

cleaning a TEnax II

cleaning a TEnax II

You can buff the chrome and black paint with a soft cloth. The morocco leather may need a bit of TLC. I keep a jar of leather preservative made for leather book bindings. A tiny bit goes a long way. If it does not have "Zeiss bumps" on the back, you are lucky. Most do. Removing them is not for the timid and can be destructive. Look for verdigris around the base of the self-timer. You can usually remove that with a toothpick. Standard caution with optics: Blow and brush first, then lens tissue. The viewfinder window is only flat glass: nothing special but it is thin. Check the shutter speeds and the focus. These cameras are durable and not much can go wrong if taken care of. The frame counters tend to hang up. If the shutter is loose in its mountings, it can cause the advance to jam. Easy to fix, but you have to take the top off. lens optics are easy to remove from the focusing helicoid, but a pain to get back in right. Does this help? WES

 

[shawn]

Thanks, I will DIY a film spool. Looks easy enough to do.

Glad to hear they tend to be durable. I'm sure I will have more questions after I receive it and see what kind of shape it actually is in.

Shawn