Contax III - shutter repair question

[Blind_spark]

Hi all,

I know the Contax ribbon replacement has been done to death here, but I am having an issue that I can't seem to figure out. Haven't found a reference online to what it might be, lest I am mistakenly identifying the issue.

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Contax III - both ribbons were on their way out when I got the camera. Replaced both using Oleson's very helpful tech notes. Issue I'm having now is that when winding the camera (set to B) the yoke on the first curtain stops just short of the safety catch. Thus the fingers on the end of the yoke don't seem to reach the ramps on either side of the crate that would unlock them from the second curtain. When the shutter is released both curtains travel together because they can never separate. It seems to stop about 1/8" too short.

I took this to mean that the ribbons were not long enough (I used the 4 3/8" between the folds specified by the tech notes, measuring twice 🙂), and when I redid them today I added 1/8 of an inch to the next set of ribbons. Result was no change - curtain yoke still stops about 1/8" too short.

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In addition to this, I cannot adjust the shutter speeds beyond 1/5 when the shutter is cocked.

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To my mind, it seems like there may be a timing problem in the gears, but I wanted to check here before I started any further disassembly. Attached are a couple shots, one showing how the yoke sits cocked at the moment. Another has the shutter cover replaced to illustrate how low it might be sitting.

Thanks in advance for all insight and assistance!

 

[ForestCap]

http://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=155103

Kiev-4a problem, solved. Might help.

 

[Blind_spark]

Thank you for the link! I've tried to avoid mixing too much Kiev knowledge in with the Contax, as the consensus I understand indicates that the small details can make a big difference. That said, what was suggested by Valkir1987 and Mr. Oleson is dead on. The curtain unwrapped at least once from around the top roller. I had to remove the film chamber baffle to redo it. The mistake I think I made was to set the camera to B to do the ribbon swap. I should have done it at the other end (1/1250)...

Like you, I've now had to disassemble the camera more than I wanted to initially , but it's been a fairly smooth experience, and doubtless one that will come in hand when it comes to my inevitable next project Contax or Kiev!

Would you happen to still have a copy of the Mazenberg (Maizenberg) camera manual you mentioned in that post? Most links I can find are long dead.

 

[ForestCap]

Thank you for the link! I've tried to avoid mixing too much Kiev knowledge in with the Contax, as the consensus I understand indicates that the small details can make a big difference. That said, what was suggested by Valkir1987 and Mr. Oleson is dead on. The curtain unwrapped at least once from around the top roller. I had to remove the film chamber baffle to redo it. The mistake I think I made was to set the camera to B to do the ribbon swap. I should have done it at the other end (1/1250)...

Like you, I've now had to disassemble the camera more than I wanted to initially , but it's been a fairly smooth experience, and doubtless one that will come in hand when it comes to my inevitable next project Contax or Kiev!

Would you happen to still have a copy of the Mazenberg (Maizenberg) camera manual you mentioned in that post? Most links I can find are long dead.

I actually cut the ribbons, flipped the roller back to normal, and reinstalled the ribbons. Just to avoid further disassembling.😛

Here is a link of the book:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mt7uuvdm8...bout Design and Repair of Russian Cameras.pdf

 

[Blind_spark]

I actually cut the ribbons, flipped the roller back to normal, and reinstalled the ribbons. Just to avoid further disassembling.😛

Here is a link of the book:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mt7uuvdm8...bout Design and Repair of Russian Cameras.pdf

Thank you!