FED 2 winder?

[ChrisCummins]

Hi,
I was looking enviously today at my FED3's winder lever today. I've found that a winder really suits my style of shooting and am very frustrated by the 2's wind knob which in my opinion is far inferior.

So curiosity got the better of me and I started to wonder whether I could transplant the winder from the FED 3 onto the 2? Sure the layout of the top panel would guarantee it fits, but after a minor bit of disassembly it appears that the FED 3 winding column is much fatter and so wouldn't fit through the 2's top plate, and even if that were bored out there is still a screw post in the way in the FED2 construction. Any thoughts, or has anyone else tried this? Here's a pic of (from left to right): FED-2 top plate, FED-2 body, FED-3 body.

 

[Valkir1987]

Dear Chris,

The top plate should be taller in order to make a winding lever mechanism. So the simple answer to your question is no.
But a Fed 2, properly Cleaned, Lubed and Adjusted. Will wind very smooth, in a way that it becomes less bothering.

With kind regards,

Valkir

 

[ChrisCummins]

Hi Valkir, yeah I was starting to suspect it wouldn't be possible, thanks for the info. I think my winding mechanism just needs a good CLA to be honest, the thing squeks and resists all movement.

Regards
Chris

 

[rxmd]

You could try and put an Accu-Rapid winder on the FED-2. Basically it's an add-on advance lever that slips over the wind knobs of knob wind cameras.

 

[ZorkiKat]

The FED-3 winder also incorporates a shutter/wind interlock which will likely foul up the simple winding arrangement of the FED-2.

The lever winds of most FED or Zorki aren't really much more convenient the knob winds. The angle of the stroke throw is rather wide, and in many cases can result in incomplete winding or shutter cocking. Up to the current Zenit SLRs, the winding technique suggested is to make two shorter strokes, rather than a single full one, to ensure that winding or cocking is thorough.

 

[stevebrot]

I agree with ZorkiKat. Using the knob wind works much better than one would think and has the advantage of being backed by a much less complicated mechanism. My Zorki 4K has a wind lever, but I am always afraid it is going to break. Then there is the partial wind issue mentioned above. The ratchet mechanism is a little weak and sometimes does not catch properly.


Steve

 

[ChrisCummins]

Thanks for the heads up, the accu-wind does seem like a pretty suitable product, but all I could find from a google search was one reference to a pentax-mount model and one website with totally-unrelated trigger advances which don't appeal to me at all.

I think I should first work on getting the winding mechanism as silky smooth as possible as I figure it is too rough at the moment.

http://www.rapidwinder.com/
http://www.collectiblecameras.com/home.php?cat=900