FED2 shutter curtain sticks

gb hill

gb hill

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First off I wan't to say Happy New Year to everyone. I found out today that the FED2s shutter curtains are not fully closing when the shutter speed is set on 60.(Curtain only closes 3/4 of the way) Every other speed is fine. Even at the slower shutter speed of 30 the curtains close properly. The gears inside looks clean but dry. Can I lube this thing without a complete teardown. What is the best oil to use. I have some 00 furnace oil but it may be too heavy. Can I dilute it in lighter fluid? What should I do next?😕


Thanks Greg
 
Hi Greg, sounds like an odd fault. A CLA of the speed selector mechanism is quite straightforward. Laika's excellent DIY instructions at the top of the threads gives a clear introduction to getting the top off. From there you may see what's happening.
Don't thin the oil with lighter fluid, it will evaporate and leave a thicker than normal oil. I use simple light machine oil, 3-in-1, or even a thinner engine oil. There is no place to lube to clear this unless you've got the top off. You could check that the gears at the bottom of the curtain track are clear of debris etc, but I can't see how a problem here would effect one speed only..

Good luck, let us know how you go on, ask any questions along the way..

Dave..
 
Odd problem to affect just one speed - it's usually "B" that fails if anything, or slowest-first-to-fail. Don't dilute lube with lighter fluid, it will indeed evaporate. If you're intending to lube the restrictor gears below the curtains I'd suggest a silicone grease (not a thick one). It doesn't dry up and won't run everywhere. The problem might just be that 1/60 is marginally tighter and the curtain tensions are borderline, although that could be related to general state of lube. I'd be interested to know if you solve it and how.
 
Whatever you do, don't vary the shutter curtain tensions until after you have cleaned the old lube with naptha and re-oiled everything. I once did that and it took longer to get the shutter timing back to normal once the oil did it's magic than it did to take the top off and clean/oil.

The shutter rollers and fast moving things use a thin oil, watch oil is best if you can get it (ebay), otherwise some thin gun or sewing machine oil, or even 3n1. I watched Youxin Ye do some CLA work and he uses watch oil applied with a small artists paint brush.
Some spray oil like LN1 (home depot?) may be ok if you spray some in a cup and let the solvents boil out then put it on with a stick or something.
Big tranport slow moving gears use grease, that "Lube Gel" from radio shack is good.

If you get any oil on the curtains be sure to get it off with lighter fluid, it's not good to leave oil on the rubberized cloth, makes it crack sooner.

Sometimes debris gets into the shutter channels, it is odd that 1/60 is the culprit.. I wonder if something on the sync is hitting something..
 
Thanks for the input so far. I'm gonna take the top off thing probably Saturday. Tonight I took the back off and the lens and everything looked clean in the grooves where the shutter curtain travels. I wound the shutter again at different speeds and every time the shutter would close nicely. Then when I set to 60 and snap the shutter the right curtain,(I'm looking at rear of camera) when travels left (toward rewind knob to close) almost looks like it's binding when it comes to a stop just short of meeting the other curtain. Then I would rewind and snap again and the darn thing would close. So maybe there is some restriction under the top cover. As far as adjusting screws, I don't even know where the screws are located on the darn thing yet. But I'm up for the challenge. I'll let you know what I find out. Til then please feel free to put in your comments.

thanks Greg
 
gb hill said:
Thanks for the input so far. I'm gonna take the top off thing probably Saturday. Tonight I took the back off and the lens and everything looked clean in the grooves where the shutter curtain travels. I wound the shutter again at different speeds and every time the shutter would close nicely. Then when I set to 60 and snap the shutter the right curtain,(I'm looking at rear of camera) when travels left (toward rewind knob to close) almost looks like it's binding when it comes to a stop just short of meeting the other curtain. Then I would rewind and snap again and the darn thing would close. So maybe there is some restriction under the top cover. As far as adjusting screws, I don't even know where the screws are located on the darn thing yet. But I'm up for the challenge. I'll let you know what I find out. Til then please feel free to put in your comments.

thanks Greg
Click to expand...
I should have made it clearer that I would leave the tensions alone till last. It was a suggestion that they might be low, but I'd certainly investigate other areas first. Once the top is off, have a good look at the curtain release mechanism in the "stuck" position. Might shed some light on the problem. Good luck & let us know...
 
Haven't tore the Fed down yet but I did find some trash in the shutters channels. I took a small tooth pick and some thin cloth doused with oil and cleaned it out. I very lightly oiled a few other parts of the camera, careful not to get any oil on the shutter curtains. Well after letting the camera sit overnight the shutter snaps smooth and the curtain closes fully like it should. Is this a permanent fix? I don't know, I read on one website that most problems with these cameras usually show up at 60 or 50. So I'm 95% sure the main problem is gunk or yak or whatever else you want to call it.😱

Still Love the FED2😀

Greg
 
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