Contax I ribbons

[Erik van Straten]

Where do you suggest to put grease exactly?

Better not to use oil, it migrates, but a little bit of oil on the axis of the rollers is OK. I mean to put some ball bearing grease on the parts of the curtains were they meet, so they get together more smoothly.

Erik.

 

[Deklari]

And here they are! Thanks to a business trip to Stockholm, I brought the Contax I with me and I took first pictures with a Fomopan 200 Creative film.
In any case, even with a bad day and therefore slow speed times (never faster than 1/50), I'm happy about the shots I've made.
That are not masterpieces, but enough to evaluate the restore operation

Thanks to everyone for your great support!

Excellent start ! Congratulation with old/new toy

 

[Deklari]

Congratulations! Very nice and sharp images! The camera suffers only from a small, but well known Contax desease: uneven exposure. The top of the images is a bit overexposed. Sometimes a bit of ball-bearing grease on the curtains, were they meet, helps.

Erik.

I still have this issue. I always use 1/50 or 1/100 speed. I add some grease, I also increase curtain tension, but not luck.
Do you thing this will be less at faster speed 1/200 1/500?

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Shot a roll with my Contax I version 4 (where I replaced the broken strap last time) two weeks ago.

I shot only at 1/100th in the sports group, but the images are all pretty much under-exposed (by roughly a stop I think). So the corrected images are a little grainy.

 

[oftheherd]

Nice photos Rick. I don't think WWII re-enactment photos are hurt by any graininess. I was most intrigued by the third photo; an 82nd Airborne Division corporal, and an unknown unit technical corporal. The technical ranks evolved into the Specialist ranks in the late 50s. I was told that was to give promotions without violating a congressional limit on the number of Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs).

 

[Deklari]

Excellent work Rick, Just travel back in time !

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Nice photos Rick. I don't think WWII re-enactment photos are hurt by any graininess. I was most intrigued by the third photo; an 82nd Airborne Division corporal, and an unknown unit technical corporal. The technical ranks evolved into the Specialist ranks in the late 50s. I was told that was to give promotions without violating a congressional limit on the number of Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs).

Cheers,
I took these at the annual "Battle for the 11th Bridge" event at Grave. During Market-Garden elements of the 82nd Airborne captured the bunkers and anti-aircraft guns on the south side of the bridge and held the position until reinforcements arrived.
The bridge was named after their commanding officer; John S. Thompson.

Tech-5, or Technical Corporal was basically a pay raise to that of a corporal without giving you any authority of command.
Anyone with any specialist training could be one, drivers, mechanics, weapon crews, radio telephone operators, signal photo company photographers were all T-5s, An SPC Cameraman was at least Tech-4 as I recall.

 

[Gabriele Gaspardis]

Hello guys,
many thanks to all, you are a great source of information for Contax I.

Special thanks to Erik for his valuable collaboration.

Back to technical, I' beginning with another adventure.
After restoring my two Contax I(f), of which I'm quite satisfied with, now I would try to operate with the older two (model c and d, I suppose).
First one is virtually destroyed and uses that to get the pieces needed by others. Second one is working but it has the rangefinder prism with the beam splitter mirror that no longer allows focusing.
New adventure consists in replacing rangefinder prism with that of the first one. At the moment, I have no idea about how and where to start. Top cast has been removed by both chambers, so I can see all the prism bar. Watching around, though, I don't understand how prism is connected to the camera body. I think that, to get full access, front cast has to be removed. But, I don't know whether it is necessary to first remove the winding button.
Do you have any experience or some indication?

 

[Erik van Straten]

Yes, to remove the front plate the wind knob has to be removed if I remember well. Be careful with the three nickel screws on the wind part. These are damaged easily. Do not remove anything from the inside mechanism! This is the most difficult Chinese puzzle in the world. Inside there are three more screws, smaller. These must be taken out also.

You'll need to fold back the two leather lips (from the covering) that surround the winding knob. Take care not to damage them. Under them there are two screws that hold the front plate around the wind knob. These must be taken out to remove the front plate. Do not remove more than is really neccessary.

The rangefinder itself is simple on the early models.

Good luck!

Erik.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Started fixing the v5 I picked up last spring. I had already taken it apart 6 months ago to see the condition of the shutter ribbons...of course they were both broken. One was an original, the other was repaired with Aki-Asahi ribbon.

Started replacing the old ribbon first and using the old Aki-Asahi ribbon to approximate the correct length needed.

Then I replaced the broken strap

Now...time to get the shutter crate back together and hope the gear timings haven't been messed up too much.

 

[Erik van Straten]

This camera has an aluminium shutter; I also have a 5 that I have repaired. This camera still works. I now have four more or less working Contax I cameras, but I never use them.

In fact a black M2 has no competition.

Good luck, Rick! A nice job for a Christmas-holiday.

Erik.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

I'll need it.

Winding the shutter stops 2/3rds of the curtain's way up.
I've seen this before when the shutter speed deal was not correctly assembled.
Guess I'll be going in there next.

 

[Erik van Straten]

The gears at the top are out of register. It is do-able as long as the mechanism on the inside of the transport button is correct in place. But it is a lot of work.

Good luck again.

Erik.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

There goes my hope of a quick fix.

 

[Gabriele Gaspardis]

I'll need it.

Winding the shutter stops 2/3rds of the curtain's way up.
I've seen this before when the shutter speed deal was not correctly assembled.
Guess I'll be going in there next.

I've got the same condition in one of mine cameras. I though to remove the transport button and go underneath, but I'm not so brave, still.

If you find a solution, please, share it.

Good luck.

 

[Gabriele Gaspardis]

Yes, to remove the front plate the wind knob has to be removed if I remember well. Be careful with the three nickel screws on the wind part. These are damaged easily. Do not remove anything from the inside mechanism! This is the most difficult Chinese puzzle in the world. Inside there are three more screws, smaller. These must be taken out also.

You'll need to fold back the two leather lips (from the covering) that surround the winding knob. Take care not to damage them. Under them there are two screws that hold the front plate around the wind knob. These must be taken out to remove the front plate. Do not remove more than is really neccessary.

The rangefinder itself is simple on the early models.

Good luck!

Erik.

Operation is quite easy to do. Following the Erik's instructions, I removed the front plate. Just under the front plate, there are a little spring and a washer that allow the shifting of the rangefinder brass cover plate. They came out very easely and I've had to study a lot to understand their original location.
The prism bar is held in place by a single screw in the center of it. Removing that, bar came out simply with a lifting.
In case of replacement of the beam splitter mirror, a focus adjustment is required. That can be done by the two big screws on the upper part of the prism bar.

Hope this information can help someone else, if needed.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Concerning my problem; Deklari's sketch of the shutter dial shows you can adjust the conical gear with the stop pin (marked in red) by pulling it towards the front of the camera and turn it to change timing of the gears.

Does this only change the gap size between the curtains?
Or also the moment when the curtains start to wind up on turning the dial?
I rather not mess around with the top curtain roller.

 

[Erik van Straten]

I rather not mess around with the top curtain roller.

What I remember - it is long ago - is that you only have to remove the gear on top that prevent you from reaching the axis of the top roller so you can wind up that roller independent from the bottom roller, without having to do anything with the wind knob, but I am not absolutely sure. It is too long ago to remember that exactly. In any case I would try that first.

Erik.

 

[Dralowid]

I remember starting this thread last summer and used the camera a couple of times within the limitations of what I achieved.

In the end I decided that I was not sufficiently committed to the Contax I to continue and sold it to someone in Russia. Maybe they have more time during those long dark winters...

Having said all that, amongst other stalled projects (Weltini, Certo Dollina etc etc) there is still a rather nice early dimple Contax I in my cupboard. With the liberal application of lighter fluid the shutter will fire on 1/50th but not open, at least the blind runs straight.

So...my dilemma...shall I open it up or shall I sell it and be done with Contax? After all, my Leicas work and are a lot easier to use!

 

[Erik van Straten]

there is still a rather nice early dimple Contax I in my cupboard

Don't make things hard for me, Michael.

Erik.