Contax I ribbons

[Dralowid]

Erik,

Are you telling me you really want a box full of broken Certo Dollinas, Pentinas and assorted junk?!

Michael

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Isn't the 'dimple' Contax I (a?) a total shelf queen?

Anyway, I'll save messing about with my v5 until Christmas. Gives me a bit more daylight to work with.

A re-enactment buddy of mine just bought a v6 with 5cm f/2.8 Tessar, that was freshly overhauled and had new ribbons installed. I've warned him off, but he just wouldn't listen. 😀

 

[Deklari]

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.

As I remember it only change the gap. But maybe I forgot something. Good luck 😉

 

[Dralowid]

Isn't the 'dimple' Contax I (a?) a total shelf queen? 😀

At least they don't have those pesky slow speeds. Obviously they were not without their problems (!!!). The one modification that I can see on this one is that the bottom shutter roller is the other way round, ie like a Contax II. This looks very well done but I have not delved further inside.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Are you sure that it is a modification? I was being told that not two Contax I v1 cameras are the same, even when new.

Erik.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

In other news:
Well crap. While adjusting the spring tension on the bottom roller something slipped, sending the cover that secures roller, the screws and the cross bar flying off around the room. Only managed to find the cover so far. :bang:

 

[Dralowid]

Are you sure that it is a modification? I was being told that not two Contax I v1 cameras are the same, even when new.

Erik.

I don't know...I just assumed...but could well be wrong

 

[Dralowid]

In other news:
Well crap. While adjusting the spring tension on the bottom roller something slipped, sending the cover that secures roller, the screws and the cross bar flying off around the room. Only managed to find the cover so far. :bang:

Bad luck! Don't forget to look on the bottom of your socks. From memory the screws are brass so won't get found with a magnet but that cross bar is steel so should get picked up, fingers crossed.

These days I do detail work in a cutaway plastic box, improves the chances of retrieving flying bits, sometimes.

 

[nhchen]

In other news:
Well crap. While adjusting the spring tension on the bottom roller something slipped, sending the cover that secures roller, the screws and the cross bar flying off around the room. Only managed to find the cover so far. :bang:

I lost the cross bar as well in my one when I was fixing it a few years ago. Never found it, but I managed to make a replacement by cutting down a needle that was a similar thickness to it.

And in both of the times I changed the shutter ribbons on these I had to remesh the gears of the rollers, luckily it wasn’t too hard though. I used the same method as in contax ii cameras, where the curtain gap between should be about 1-1.5mm when the shutter is set at 1/1000s.

Nathan

 

[Mr_Flibble]

I managed to make a replacement by cutting down a needle that was a similar thickness to it.

I was already thinking of using a needle as a replacement.

And in both of the times I changed the shutter ribbons on these I had to remesh the gears of the rollers, luckily it wasn’t too hard though. I used the same method as in contax ii cameras, where the curtain gap between should be about 1-1.5mm when the shutter is set at 1/1000s.

Thanks for the tip! I'll keep it in mind.

@Dralowid; Yeah, I've already swept the floors twice, but nothing has turned up yet. Possibly the pieces ended up on some other piece of furniture....I feel kinda lucky none of it went into my eyes 🙄

 

[Larry Cloetta]

You guys should get a medal, seriously. Above and beyond.

 

[Erik van Straten]

While adjusting the spring tension on the bottom roller something slipped, sending the cover that secures roller, the screws and the cross bar flying off around the room. Only managed to find the cover so far. :bang:

O.m.G. This is what I was afraid of every time I adjusted the tension.
Good luck Rick, I really hope that you'll find the lost pieces.

Sometimes it helps to find small things when you use a vacuum-cleaner on its lowest setting with a nylon stocking around the opening of the hose.

Erik.

 

[Gabriele Gaspardis]

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.

I looked back in the thread, but I didn't find the sketch you refer to.
Maybe, I miss something.
Sorry, what sketch are you speaking about?

PS: really sad for what happened. Hope you'll find all. Good luck!

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Deklari made some very good sketches of the inner workings in the following posts:

• 383 - Curtain gap Vs. Dial
• 385 - Inner workings of the Speed Dial
• 491 - Release mechanism

I hope that helps you too Gabriele.


I found the tiny cross bar about a foot from my workspace, only the two screws that secure the plate are missing now. 😛

And I think I figured out my timing problem, the top roller had gotten wound an extra turn which threw off the winding gear timing.
It will involve removing and replacing the ribbons again. Luckily I bought over 2 yards of the stuff from Aki-Asahi 😀

 

[Erik van Straten]

And I think I figured out my timing problem, the top roller had gotten wound an extra turn which threw off the winding gear timing.
It will involve removing and replacing the ribbons again. Luckily I bought over 2 yards of the stuff from Aki-Asahi 😀

I also had to do that a couple of times. Why didn't they make a simple coupling prong?

Those two small screws can be replaced. Just look in your gear box if there are any. You can file off their heads if neccessary.

Good luck, Rick.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Timings look good now. But the slow speed escapement is sticky. Found a couple of replacement screws to hold the bottom roller.
Next problem is the bottom curtain slipping on the ribbons when winding. Sometimes leaves an opening when the bottom curtain reaches the top of the film frame.
The quest continues

 

[Erik van Straten]

Sometimes leaves an opening when the bottom curtain reaches the top of the film frame.
The quest continues

Needs more tension.

Great that you could repair the bottom roller.

Good luck!

Erik.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

I tried it with 9 turns on the spring. Felt a little too snappy. Have 8 on it now, but will try 10.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

The extra turn seems to help.

Next problem:

• Shutter fires okay at 1/50th and 1/100th in the medium speed group and
  in the 1/100th and 200th of the sports group.
• Slower speeds; Lower curtain pulls crooked and jams
• higher speeds; Shutter caps.

Video of shutter firing at 1/200th

 

[Erik van Straten]

Next problem:

• Shutter fires okay at 1/50th and 1/100th in the medium speed group and
  in the 1/100th and 200th of the sports group.
• Slower speeds; Lower curtain pulls crooked and jams
• higher speeds; Shutter caps.

The capping of the higher speeds (200, 500 and 1.000) seems unavoidable. I never managed to get them going. However, I have one Contax I of wich all the speeds run correctly. As this camera has a flash synch, it must have been reworked, probably by Zeiss themselves.

The slower speeds are another story. Usually I got them right after some time.

Erik.