Crazy DIY restoration project

[PeterL]

Hi,

I will probably have a summer off with no work and no studies so I was thinking of starting a crazy camera restoration project. I'd buy a really beat-up M3 or M2 and get it back to its pristine best. I want to get a really bad body, but without major dents or other nasty mechanical defects. Preferably OK mechanics and shutter curtains but with the lubricants gone bad, vulcanite worn and/or torn etc. If everything succeeds, I'd like to end up with a user M body. If everything fails, well, it's some money down the drain and a few illusions less (which would be a shame, because my illusions are collectors' items these days).

I guess that a really beat up body would need 3 things: CLA, RF adjustment&cleaning and cosmetic work. To get me started, I'd get a decent work tray and see how far I get with my small screw drivers. I'd also get a service manual from yaBe as a guide into the internals. Would that be sufficient information or do I need more ? Any web resources ?

I don't have too much experience working on finely crafted precision mechanics, but I want to have a go at it. Is the M3 a good candidate or should I take it easy at first and work on an LTM like the ii that doesn't even have slow shutter speeds ?

As a second project after this one, I'd like to do the same with a lens or 2, including polishing. Oh yeah, I promise to document my project on the web 🙂


Peter.

 

[Wimpler]

Uhm.... I would try an argus C3 first, if you have no experience with camera repair. If you need bodies to work on, I live near Antwerp and I have some stuff around 😛

 

[jaapv]

I'm impressed with your ambition. Good luck and be careful the men in white coats don't take you when desperation sets in.... People like Sherry Krauter and others probably started this way. Who knows where it may end?

 

[je2a3]

I'd start with an FSU Barnack clone, these are simpler than M cameras and parts can be cannibalized from another parts Fed or Zorki 1. They are cheap[er] too and the rate of success is greater from my experience. M cameras are complex and I've never seen parts units go for a price I'd deem "experimentable", as for M parts....don't know where to source them except from the manufacturer. Just my 2 cents and whichever route you go I wish you the best!

Joseph

 

[Kim Coxon]

Hi,
It needs a bit more than a set of screwdrivers and a work tray but good luck! I would start on some other cameras. Everyone I have spoken to messed up and just about wrecked the first camera they tried. As has been suggested getting some experience on some cheap FSU cameras would be a good idea. This might be a good start point http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/sea...=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&seller=1&sass=alex-photo

Kim

 

[berci]

Go for the M, take pictures of your moves, step bt step. This way if anything, you will be able at least to put it back together. M or FSU, steel-steel. #;-]

 

[PeterL]

OK, I'm getting the impression that an M at the first attempt would be like trying to get through driving school with an Aston Martin. The FSU parts bodies seem to come in bundles of a few at a time, that's good 🙂 If I ruin one, there's always another one to have a go at. I have a Zorki, I could try on one of those first. And then get to the M project when I'm confident enough.

It's not the end result, it's the process that I'm interested in.

Thanks for your advice,


Peter.

BTW: there already is a FED-2 DIY sticky thread in the FSU group so I'll just let this thread die out & I won't start a new thread over there.

 

[Hamster]

Hey I am on a similar project restoring a Zorkii 1b, I have so far managed to disassemble the whole thing and removed the vulcanite, my next step is paint and chrome stripping, followed by applying patina finish to the previousely chrome parts. Reassembly is scheduled by mid-summer.

My perceived end result would hopefully be a nice patina finished zorki with silky smooth mechanics and perfect alignment that I will use WITH CONFIDENCE as a snapshot camera.

I would say a Zorki is enough of a challenge already and I really would dissuade you from doing the M on your first go. As for tools and consumables you'll need. For a start, think of all the different grease and lubricant you will need to get all the different parts lubricated correctly, also other stuff like threadlocks and metal-filled epoxy that you'll need for repairing screwthreads. Shim? Flatblack paint? Spray can / airbrush? What would you use to polish off the oxidation on the geartrain? How would you apply the thin coating of oil? Would you need a ultrasonic cleaner to get all the crud off? Etc etc...

My experiance with the Zorki so far is that most things are straightforward enough to think of a solution without spending much money. I really think if you have time, you should start with a zorki as a week-long initial warm-up project, once you have an idea of the challenge ahead, then by all means go for the M. This way, you'll have most of the experiance and tools, and most importanlty, the confidence before you take out your first screw on the M.

 

[Harry Lime]

Hmmm. The M series is a very complex piece of gear and you need a lot of specialized tools and rigs to work on them.

May I suggest a Leica LTM for your project? Mechanically they are a lot simpler and do not require a lot of specialized tools.

 

[mad_boy]

My advise for what it is worse would be to start with a proper working Zorke/FED.
Just disassemble it and reassemble it.
My guess is that is difficult enough, and excluded the fault-finding you would have
with a camera having a problem.

Once you can get them into parts and back again, then try a broken one.
(If you wish I can break one for you 😛 )

Mad_boy

 

[lmd91343]

Try a FED or Zorki first. If you mess it up you are out only a few bucks and you won't feel bad.

Early FEDs and Zorkis are cloth focal plane shutter cameras that are bottom loaders. After you are done you will have an extra camera.

 

[PeterL]

Hey Hamster !

I would say a Zorki is enough of a challenge already and I really would dissuade you from doing the M on your first go. As for tools and consumables you'll need. (snip)

Cool, thanks for that info ! I was expecting to hear from somebody who was on the same track. Do you have a service manual or something like that ? Or are you just doing it on your own ?

A lot of success to you and wish me luck when I'm diving in myself 🙂


Peter.

 

[ninetyguy]

"People like Sherry Krauter and others probably started this way."

I don't know about Sherry Krauter, but DAG started as an apprentice in Wetzlar, according to an old article in the LHSA Viewfinder.