Contax I ribbons

[Deklari]

I need to figure out if this has anything to do with the release mechanism for the top curtain (regulated by the slow speed escapement) or maybe the curtain is snagging on the guides on the back plate.

when curtain gets stuck how you make it close?

 

[Mr_Flibble]

If I manipulate the jammed lower curtain it will run down (not before the top curtain drops on it.
Otherwise I wind the shutter and set it to the faster speeds and then it'll work fine.

1/500th and 1/1000th seem to be capping again now. 🙁

 

[Deklari]

If I manipulate the jammed lower curtain it will run down (not before the top curtain drops on it.
Otherwise I wind the shutter and set it to the faster speeds and then it'll work fine.

Same here. I still used faster speed setting at slow group to get slower 1/25sec (but honestly never use any slower then 1/50s so far)

 

[Mr_Flibble]

I figured it out, more or less.

There are those two small bits of blade spring on the outside edges of the bottom curtain. At the same level as the friction buckles. These parts normally hit the bottom of the shutter crate, preventing the curtain from rolling up further.
Well, the one on the right side, looking from the back of the camera, was hitting one of the small gears of the slow speed escapement as the curtain came down. The blade would snag between the teeth of the gear, jamming both the curtain and the slow speed mechanism.
At first I thought this was done on purpose. The part hitting the gear to start the release of the top curtain.

I bent the blade slightly towards the back cover so it wouldnt' hit the gear anymore. That seems to have cleared up some problems with the slow speeds.

Like with my v4 and like yours, Deklari, l can't use these speeds with the red dot, but must use the white indicator dot on the dial. This gives me reasonable 1/2nd, 1/5th and 1/10th of a second times.

Remaining problems;
Zeit doesn't work. It just drops the top curtain on the lower curtain, but doesn't release the lower curtain.
And 1/500th and 1/1000th are still capping.

Nothing I couldn't live with.

Also, the frame counter reset button replacement arrived from Nobby Sparrow. Hurrah!

 

[Erik van Straten]

Congratulations, Rick.

Now the capping of the high speeds. This must be something fundamental too that I was never able to find.

Erik.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

I could try and realigning the conical gear behind the winding knob. By shifting it a tooth or two should increase the gap for the high speeds, but this would effect all other speeds to.

Maybe it's really time for me to invest in a shutter speed tester....


Anyway, the brothers:

 

[Erik van Straten]

Beautiful, Rick, something to be proud of.

"I could try and realigning the conical gear behind the winding knob. By shifting it a tooth or two should increase the gap for the high speeds, but this would effect all other speeds to." I would not dare to touch that part. I think this would made the tensioning movement impossible.

Erik.

 

[Deklari]

I could try and realigning the conical gear behind the winding knob. By shifting it a tooth or two should increase the gap for the high speeds, but this would effect all other speeds to.

Maybe it's really time for me to invest in a shutter speed tester....

I have only touch that part because the gap for high speed too big in my camera. I have manipulate those conical gear to make few mm. gap for 1/1000s. The curtains speed is same in each group and different between group. By selecting speed on winding knob in each group, we only changing the gap between curtains. But Erik correct increasing gap will change the tensioning movement.

 

[Deklari]

Maybe it's really time for me to invest in a shutter speed tester....

It is easy to make..

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Mechanical stuff I'm fine with...it's electronics more complicated than bicycle lights that I don't do. 🙂

Fine, I'll leave the camera alone for now. Will shoot a roll with it once I'm done with the one in the Nicca 3-f.

 

[Gabriele Gaspardis]

I know it was published already. Just want to refresh.

Few critical steps there. First remember how "speed selector disc" was installed (central part has "square" connection that give 4 different combinations and only one is really working). Second, biggest "conical" gear could be push away from main shutter gear (what seat at 90 degree) and rotate to adjust top curtain moves (clockwise, if look from the front -will reduce distance between two curtains). I'm not professional, it work for me, but I couldn't warranty what this correct way to do it.

After a few weeks, finally, I can get back to put my hands on the camera. Time is always missing, you know how it is.
Deklari, I followed all the indications you put in the drawing. I removed all components inside the speed selector disk, but it was not possible to shift the conical gear forwards. I also forced a bit with different tools, but every try I made has failed: gear doesn't move in any directions. I surely wrong something.
Any suggestions?

 

[Deklari]

After a few weeks, finally, I can get back to put my hands on the camera. Time is always missing, you know how it is.
Deklari, I followed all the indications you put in the drawing. I removed all components inside the speed selector disk, but it was not possible to shift the conical gear forwards. I also forced a bit with different tools, but every try I made has failed: gear doesn't move in any directions. I surely wrong something.
Any suggestions?

Sorry didn't check this thread. It long time ago I have to look how I did.

 

[Deklari]

After a few weeks, finally, I can get back to put my hands on the camera. Time is always missing, you know how it is.
Deklari, I followed all the indications you put in the drawing. I removed all components inside the speed selector disk, but it was not possible to shift the conical gear forwards. I also forced a bit with different tools, but every try I made has failed: gear doesn't move in any directions. I surely wrong something.
Any suggestions?

1. remove all components inside the speed selector disk
2. press on second larger conical gear, it will disconnected gear teeth and you will able to shift the gear. Just remember position of the gear and shift only on 2-3 teeth.

 

[Gabriele Gaspardis]

Sorry if I have not published updates on the progress of work. The good news is that ... Contax I works.
It was not possible to shift the gear because in my version, the camera has a screw that blocks the movement (I suppose it is an improvement introduced over time). It is necessary to rotate the main axis until the screw appears and then you can remove it and free the gear.

Anyway, I would like to share my experience with all you.
The rotation of the gear was not enough to get a full synchro system. Based on the knowledge of Contax II and III that I repaired before, I operated differently: I unhung the upper drum from the winding chain, I rotated the bigger gear in chain counterclockwise until it was self-locking and finally after refitted the top drum, I set the position of the speed selection disc and put the locking screw.

A lot of tries to understand what it was wrong in the position, et voilà: Contax I has resumed life!

Hope this can help someone else.

 

[Deklari]

Sorry if I have not published updates on the progress of work. The good news is that ... Contax I works.
It was not possible to shift the gear because in my version, the camera has a screw that blocks the movement (I suppose it is an improvement introduced over time). It is necessary to rotate the main axis until the screw appears and then you can remove it and free the gear.

Anyway, I would like to share my experience with all you.
The rotation of the gear was not enough to get a full synchro system. Based on the knowledge of Contax II and III that I repaired before, I operated differently: I unhung the upper drum from the winding chain, I rotated the bigger gear in chain counterclockwise until it was self-locking and finally after refitted the top drum, I set the position of the speed selection disc and put the locking screw.

A lot of tries to understand what it was wrong in the position, et voilà: Contax I has resumed life!

Hope this can help someone else.

Thanks for sharing. Congratulation with success repair. Interesting how different Contax I could be from model to model.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

It really was an ongoing process of improvements

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Well, here we go again.

Looks like I'm the proud new owner of another Contax I.
This time a Version 7 with matching black-face CZJ 5cm f/2.8 Tessar.

Shutter is said to hang up on firing, leaving me to suspect at least a shutter strap is broken. But for now I have to wait until it gets here.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

I received the camera the day after Christmas.
Focus was VERY stiff, winding was VERY stiff, but the shutter straps were okay.

After a few drops of Naphtha in the focus mount and the star wheel it broke free and is now silky smooth.
Same for the winding knob. It was really hard to turn and lift to set the different speeds. The speed group dial was stripping the skin off my fingers as well. A couple of small drops of naphtha cleared that right up. Though after a day it became somewhat stiff again so I repeated the process.

Winding was smooth, but it revealed the next problem;
The sports group speeds were spot on, but the retarded speeds would run down VERY slow or not at all.
So opening the shutter on "Bulb" I used a seringe to inject some naphtha into the slow speed gears.
This seems to have solved all the problems.

Need to clean the lens first, but she's pretty much ready to shoot.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Congratulations, Rick, the camera looks fantastic. Maybe some sewingmachine oil instead of naphta will have more effect on the long term.

I've just brought back to life a Leica I with only some cleaning and oiling. Of course minimal quantities of oil.

Good luck!

Erik.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

I'd prefer giving it a bit of oil as well, but I'd rather not strip down the camera to get at the slow speed escapement if I don't have to.
If the "nahptha-fix" doesn't keep, I might have to, though.