FED-2 RF adjustment not going so well & other CLA questions

[Martytoof]

Hi everyone!

My shiny FED-2 arrived in the mail today. I threw my Industar-50 on it, and unfortunately the rangefinder was WAY off, both vertically and horizontally.

I'm trying to follow the comprehensive sticky in this forum, but I'm running into a few "gotchas".

1. Unfasten the screw by the "E", turn screw beneath to adjust horizontal RF:

The problem is that I don't see a screw beneath here. I see a little notch in the metal in the upper right side of the hole in the picture above. Should I be trying to insert my screwdriver into that and turning it? I don't think I can get much turned if I don't have a second notch for my screwdriver to catch as well.

2. Unfasten the RF window then use a spanner to remove the glass:

The whole window came out in one turn. Should the silver metallic part be separate from the black metal underneath? I tried to gently pry the two apart but I'm not sure that's the right thing to do. If I rotate the lens itself (by holding the silver screw-in part), my RF patch rotates around, but the point where vertical is correct leaves the window ridiculously loose so obviously that's not a long term solution.



I'm trying to just take the top off to do a comprehensive clean, but I'm having no end of trouble taking off the winder knob. The screw inset is really hard to see, and when I insert my screwdriver and gently turn it doesn't seem to catch anything. When I pull the screwdriver out I see little bits of silver so I'm worried I'm starting to strip the screw. I'll try again with a slightly smaller screwdriver when I get a chance, but I thought maybe I'd try this focus adjustment first since pretty much everything else seems to be working perfectly on this camera.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

 

[Penny Lane]

Have you checked with a flashlight if the adjustment screw is there? It's tiny and can be quite deeply recessed. As for the vertical alignment: the round bezel and RF window come apart; the brass part is screwed into the aluminium bezel. This can be very tight. Once open, you'll find the window itself consisting of two concentric rings, both with notches. The innermost should turn to adjust the vertical alignment of your rangefinder. The slots in the outermost ring are there to be able to prevent unscrewing the whole assembly, which would remain in the camera body during basic RF adjustments.

Derk

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Be very, very cautious with the screw in the winder knob. Screws like that can split in half along the slot if wedged/jammed/rusted in and then you are up the proverbial creek etc, etc. In your shoes I'd get it done by a camera repairer as they'll have the experience and know-how to deal with it and the parts to replace it if the worst happens.

A sound rule with old cameras and other things is to assume the worst will happen. Ask any technician.

Regards, David

 

[KoNickon]

Leave the top on -- sounds like you don't need to get inside there (though I realize the temptation is great!) and you may be asking for more trouble than it's worth.

Only thing I'd add about the horizontal adjustment screw is that it may not be exactly in line with the hole -- shine a light at different angles through the hole and you may see it. This is actually easier to do in bright ambient light than trying to shine a flashlight inside. If you really can't find it, then I guess it's possible the screw isn't there at all -- in which case you may need to send it out. Good luck!

 

[Martytoof]

Thanks for the info everyone. One final question regarding the grub screw in the film advance knob: Can you actually see it clearly on a good copy FED-2? I rather suspect that the last person to own my camera just epoxied the film advance knob onto its shaft, at which point i am up the proverbial creek anyway as far as taking the top off.

I haven't done anything with the RF adjustments yet, but I'm not quite sure that any screwdriver I have will fit into the absurdly tiny hole that is under the "E" screw. If I had to guess I would say that the hole is maybe 1mm across so it's hard to imagine that there would be an accessible screw underneath, especially when in all the photos I see of people performing this adjustment they just seem to stick a big screwdriver in there.

Since I paid $17 for this camera I'm not too worried about just leaving it and calling it a display item (especially given the fact that the advance knob doesn't seem to want to come off). I'm not really leaning towards sending it off to be serviced when I can get one with a clean bill of health from Fedka for a hundred dollars, probably what I'd pay with shipping to have mine serviced. I might just consider this a lesson learned in buying old cameras in unknown condition off eBay 😉

 

[Warren T.]

Marty, where are you located? I have a some FSU gear here including a Fed 2 that I can donate to you (for the cost of postage) for you to play with. My Fed 2's focus is aligned (for now, I can't guarantee that it will survive shipment roughness), but the shutter needs a CLA. I will enjoy reading about your exploits with it, and seeing some pictures from it once you get it done. 🙂 Send me a PM if you're interested.

--Warren

 

[Martytoof]

Thanks Warren; I'm just south of Toronto but would gladly pay some shipping! I'll get in touch with you shortly, thank you 🙂

 

[wolves3012]

Thanks for the info everyone. One final question regarding the grub screw in the film advance knob: Can you actually see it clearly on a good copy FED-2? I rather suspect that the last person to own my camera just epoxied the film advance knob onto its shaft, at which point i am up the proverbial creek anyway as far as taking the top off.

I haven't done anything with the RF adjustments yet, but I'm not quite sure that any screwdriver I have will fit into the absurdly tiny hole that is under the "E" screw. If I had to guess I would say that the hole is maybe 1mm across so it's hard to imagine that there would be an accessible screw underneath, especially when in all the photos I see of people performing this adjustment they just seem to stick a big screwdriver in there.

Since I paid $17 for this camera I'm not too worried about just leaving it and calling it a display item (especially given the fact that the advance knob doesn't seem to want to come off). I'm not really leaning towards sending it off to be serviced when I can get one with a clean bill of health from Fedka for a hundred dollars, probably what I'd pay with shipping to have mine serviced. I might just consider this a lesson learned in buying old cameras in unknown condition off eBay 😉

The RF adjustment screw is very small, the screwdriver I use has a 1.2mm blade, no matter what pictures you might find of larger ones being used.

As for the rewind knob grub-screw, yes it should be fairly easily visible. Obviously, it's a headless screw and the two sides of the head are easily chewed off. If you're determined, it's possible to drill out the remains, with some care, if it's damaged. Its function is to stop the knob being undone accidentally, so you can get away without replacing it if you did drill it out.

 

[Martytoof]

Thanks. I'm going to try to drill out the screw first before I do anything further with the rangefinder. I'm pretty worried that the previous owner might have just epoxied the knob on or something, at which point I will effectively be out of luck as far as disassembly goes.

Going to source a ridiculously thin screwdriver before I go any further as well. Thanks for the help everyone 🙂