Did I just commit fsu murder? Kiev II(I)

[Stu W]

Noel, since I am having some thoughts about eventually returning the camera back to its original state I am going to keep hold of the III top plate. If it was spare you would be more than welcome to it.

I was wondering whether you might be able to help me (again)... I am having some trouble with my rewind knob. It is tightening to such a resistance that I know rewinding the film will be a real pain. Below is a quick picture (sorry for the poor dof of the rewind parts)... I took a hesitant look at the rewind from my good 2a and it doesn't appear that I'm missing any parts. Do you know why it is tightening so much?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Peter

Is the top plate seated properly? I had the same problem on a Contax and I had to loosen the 4 top screws on the faceplate, jigglle things around a bit till the focus and the rewind were smooth. Stu

 

[physiognomy]

Thanks for the help guys. I tried all your suggestions, but nothing changed.

I did find a fix though... Looking at the winding mechanism I decided what was needed was to shorten the length that the winding fork screwed into the end of the spindle. Effectively this would lengthen the spindle & allow it to fully tighten as well as allowing free rotation of the rewind knob. I looked at the winding fork from the original Kiev III and found a washer that fit perfectly. After removing the wavy washer from under the rewind knob it tightened and worked perfectly, but I would have liked a little more clearance so the I didn't need to remove it. The result is a very smooth wind, but it is a little loose... Since there is no play I am happy, but will keep an eye out for a thicker washer with the same dimensions.

I really find working on these cameras enjoyable... It gives me a great sense of achievement when it all goes back together in working order! Everyone should give it a try.

Peter

ps Ruben mentioned an interest in some disassembly/assembly pictures of the original Kiev III top plate... I just installed it onto the donor Kiev 2a and will include some pics in another thread.