FED2 shutter problem

[sbitter]

Hello everybody!
I'd like to have your advice about my (recently purchased) FED2: it has a problem with the shutter and I don't know if should attempt to repair it myself, or bring it to a repair shop, or return it to the seller.

Here it is the problem: the second curtain at 1/30 and B seems too loosen, "relaxed", so it doesn't follow the first curtain after a fixed space but it goes slowly (also with uneven speed) from right to left.

I made a video with the webcam, so its quality is rather low:
http://youtu.be/_b8gowvAouM
Hope you can understand the behaviour.

Could it be simply the tension of the second curtain?
Or that the second curtain has to be more winded around the drum?
I think it's worth to keep the camera, even if it means to struggle a little to get it working properly, but I'd like to listen to your advices.

I hope that my post is clear enough 🙂
Thank you for your help!

PS: this is my fist post, so maybe I should introduce myself
"Hello everybody! I'm Marco, Italian, now living in Paris." 🙂

 

[nhchen]

Hi Marco,
Other members will probably know more about this, but this could simply be due to old gummed up grease in the shutter rollers. I had a zorki 3 which the second curtain on the slow speeds seemed to be slow in coming back too..I opened up the top housing and it seemed to be fine now after I put a few drops of isopropanol under the mechanism beneath the shutter speed dial. That probably wasn't the best way to fix it but it must have dissolved some of the grease that had built up.
regards,
nathan

 

[wolves3012]

Welcome to RFF, Marco. What you describe could be lack of tension on the curtain roller and there's a sticky thread at the top of this sub-forum on how to adjust it. However, it is a common symptom for a camera that needs a CLA (clean/lubricate/adjust) and that is more likely to be the cause.

If you are comfortable working with small parts and are mechanically minded, a FED 2 is a relatively simple camera to work on. Unless you have some experience though, I would suggest you're probably best to entrust it to a repairman or return it to the seller if was claimed to be in good working order.

Unfortunately, most FSU cameras are not high value and as such, people rarely pay the price for a professional CLA on them. It's quite likely it's never had one and hit-and-miss if it's ever had any attention, of the right or wrong sort!

 

[sbitter]

Thank you for your quick replies,
I think I will try to clean it without deep surgery (scary stuff ;-) and see what happens.

If the behaviour remains the same I'll return it to the seller.

I'll let you know the rest of the story! Thank you again 🙂

 

[Ko.Fe.]

You have to go inside to clean and lubricate. Deep inside...
Return, get working one from reputable seller. FED-2 were made in millions. No problem to find fully working one under $50.

 

[sbitter]

I've tried to clean everything, remove every possible cause of friction, but the problem persists. So I'm returning it to the seller. Sadly. 🙁

It was very... educational, however, to open it and see how the camera works 🙂
Thank you again for your advices.