Flexaret shutter

[ujkozavlanje]

I suppose i'm getting annoying with my numerous new threads, but i need some help. Again.🙄
It's a Flexaret IVa with a sticky shutter. The shutter sticks at all speeds, after the camera hasn't been used for some time. The lenses and the focusing mirror are clean, and the body is also very well preserved, it'd be a shame for this camera to serve as a paperweight.
It's got a Prontor SVS shutter. Can i use the ol' Zippo fluid trick and Q tips to try and work the shutter, and can it be done without taking the shutter assembly off the camera? And also, can 99% isopropyl alcohol be used instead? I've used it with essential oils, so i believe it can dissolve any oily residue on the shutter blades.

 

[02Pilot]

Removing the shutter from the body is a good idea, simply because it prevents whatever you use to clean it from leaking into the body and making a mess; removing the shutter is simple. Obviously, the same goes for removing all the glass from the shutter, not just the front element.

Ronsonol is much better than alcohol IMO. Use a small brush rather than cotton swabs on the mechanicals - much less likely to end up with loose fibers getting into the shutter that way. Q-tips are fine for the blades - wet the end with Ronsonol, and use it to gently rub powdered graphite onto the blades (assuming you don't want to fully disassemble it). Blow everything out thoroughly before reassembling.

 

[ujkozavlanje]

Thank you! I was kinda hoping to avoid the removal since it's a bit tricky because i'd have to unsolder the pc socket, but i'll manage. Are the diaphragm blades below the shutter blades? As far as i know i should avoid getting lighter fluid on them. I'll wipe the lenses with alcohol while i'm at it, i hope that doesn't remove the coating.

 

[tunalegs]

Never use alcohol to clean the shutter blades, it contains water and has no lubricating qualities. All it will do is make the shutter stick solid until everything has evaporated. Beyond that it can really mess up shutter blades made of plastic or hard rubber (as on Wollensak shutters).

I don't know that I would use graphite either, unless you're disassembling the shutter you don't really have much control over what it's going to get onto. The shutter blades themselves shouldn't need any sort of lubrication, they just need to be clean. If they're sticking it's usually because oil has migrated from the diaphragm to the shutter blades and gummed them up.

 

[02Pilot]

You should just be able to undo the other end of the flash sync wire from the socket on the body and fish it through - no need to solder.

I know the graphite step is not universally favored, but I've had very good results with sparing applications.

 

[ujkozavlanje]

I'll remove the complete assembly, if i need to do a more detailed teardown, just in case. Do i need to worry about the shutter speed being inaccurate after seizing and cleaning like this?

 

[02Pilot]

Speeds will likely not be affected, but time out 1 second and see where it is; if it's OK, the rest of the slow speeds should be close enough for government work. Fast speeds are likely fine, or at least as close to fine as they're going to be.

 

[ujkozavlanje]

Ok, thank you so much! One last thing, as far as i know, the Flexaret won't work without film, but will work with the back door open, am i right? Or there is a lever of some sort to hold while tripping the shutter with no film to make the camera "think" that it is loaded.

 

[02Pilot]

The only Flexaret I have here is a IIIa, which operates with or without film, so I'm not of much help on the last question. If you pull the shutter assembly out of the camera, however, you should have no problem tripping it, as the interlock (if there is one) is in the body, not the shutter.

 

[ujkozavlanje]

My Flexaret arrived today, and i tried tripping the shutter by holding the lever inside the camera to simulate the doors being closed, and i brought the film counter to 1. I cock the shutter and when i depress the shutter knob, nothing happens, and the cocking lever stays down. I'm gonna remove the shutter today, i can see that the blades are dirty. I might have to clean the aperture blades too, since the lever is hard to move.

 

[ujkozavlanje]

So far i managed to fire the shutter on all speeds, the slow speeds are sticky, but i'll go around that too. The only problem is, is that i don't have a lens spanner and the rear lens holding screw is too tight, i'm afraid i'll scratch something... Can i drip some zippo flui around the threads to loosen it up?
Also, the zippo fluid seems to leave some kid of an oily residue on the shutter leaves, is it the fluid or the oil from the blades?

 

[02Pilot]

It's likely that the residue is a combination of slight oiliness from the Ronsonol plus some of the oil lubricants mixed in. Rubbing the blades with powdered graphite after making sure they are as clean as possible will give you a dry low-friction surface.

The simple answer is buy a lens spanner. You can probably improvise something, but spanners aren't that expensive and are easily available.

 

[ujkozavlanje]

I'll do that. I'm wondering if i should even bother because of this:
https://m.imgur.com/1tmtI3V
http://imgur.com/a/Pn6qo

Is the rear lens element busted?

 

[ujkozavlanje]

I'll do that. I'm wondering if i should even bother because of this:
https://m.imgur.com/1tmtI3V
http://imgur.com/a/Pn6qo

Is the rear lens element busted?