shawn
Veteran
Just in case anyone runs into the same problem.
GL690 had no second image at all. Removing the top is super easy, just unscrew the chrome ring around the top shutter release and then the four black screws distributed on each side of the top cover. Once that is off there are two small screws to remove the RF cover.
The RF mirror came unglued.
Reglued with Gorilla Clear Gel. A little on the back of the mirror and a little on the mounting cam. After you attach the mirror you have a minute or two where you can slide the mirror around, try and get it in best position so that at infinity the second image is already really close to aligned and you can tweak the tilt a little too for vertical alignment. Vertical is easier to correct later if needed.
The horizontal and vertical adjustment screws were glued in place so I used a q-tip soaked in acetone to remove that. The horizontal adjust tool looks like it is philips head but it isn't. It is a dual slot flathead with a long slot but very narrow. None of my flatheads that were the length of the slot fit into the slot due to thickness. My thinner ones weren't as long and felt like I would strip the screw head. Even after soaking in acetone this screw was difficult to turn. I ended up making a tool using a Stanley Fatmax Mini 10" hacksaw and a grinder.
This worked very well as it fit in the screw head and allowed me to turn it without stripping and as the body of the hacksaw was wide it let me make very precise adjustments. Very little movement made large differences in the horizontal alignment. When I got it close I dialed in vertical, retweaked horizontal again and then did a find tweak of vertical. I then compared the RF vs the distance scale at a number of different distances and also checked optically with ground glass.
While I was in there I cleaned the VF and RF optics that were accessible and blanked out the 150mm framelines. A little copper tap on the front and back of the mask worked great and stayed out of the way of the mask moving to adjust parallax and frame sizing.
With the covers off you will see a reflection from the back copper tape in the viewfinder. That is gone once you put the covers on.
Putting the cover back on just make sure the dial on the back is set to R so that it engages with the selector on the body.
GL690 had no second image at all. Removing the top is super easy, just unscrew the chrome ring around the top shutter release and then the four black screws distributed on each side of the top cover. Once that is off there are two small screws to remove the RF cover.
The RF mirror came unglued.
Reglued with Gorilla Clear Gel. A little on the back of the mirror and a little on the mounting cam. After you attach the mirror you have a minute or two where you can slide the mirror around, try and get it in best position so that at infinity the second image is already really close to aligned and you can tweak the tilt a little too for vertical alignment. Vertical is easier to correct later if needed.
The horizontal and vertical adjustment screws were glued in place so I used a q-tip soaked in acetone to remove that. The horizontal adjust tool looks like it is philips head but it isn't. It is a dual slot flathead with a long slot but very narrow. None of my flatheads that were the length of the slot fit into the slot due to thickness. My thinner ones weren't as long and felt like I would strip the screw head. Even after soaking in acetone this screw was difficult to turn. I ended up making a tool using a Stanley Fatmax Mini 10" hacksaw and a grinder.
This worked very well as it fit in the screw head and allowed me to turn it without stripping and as the body of the hacksaw was wide it let me make very precise adjustments. Very little movement made large differences in the horizontal alignment. When I got it close I dialed in vertical, retweaked horizontal again and then did a find tweak of vertical. I then compared the RF vs the distance scale at a number of different distances and also checked optically with ground glass.
While I was in there I cleaned the VF and RF optics that were accessible and blanked out the 150mm framelines. A little copper tap on the front and back of the mask worked great and stayed out of the way of the mask moving to adjust parallax and frame sizing.
With the covers off you will see a reflection from the back copper tape in the viewfinder. That is gone once you put the covers on.
Putting the cover back on just make sure the dial on the back is set to R so that it engages with the selector on the body.
Retro-Grouch
Veteran
Nice work! This was the true Texas Leica, since it had interchangeable lenses. So, Shawn, do you have one of everything? If not, you must be close!
shawn
Veteran
LOL, no I have sold a bunch to cut back and still have more to go.
The GL690 is a nice camera. I previously owned a GW690 II and GSW690III so it is interesting comparing them. Definitely, prefer the feel of the GL690 due to the all metal body that is brassing. The strap options were better on the GW/GSW though. Going from memory the RF patch is bigger on the GL690 and rectangular compared to the small circle on the others. Film loading and shooting is basically the same, even has the same ping sound after the shutter fires. Through a very convoluted process the GL690 can do multiple exposures.
The GL690 is a nice camera. I previously owned a GW690 II and GSW690III so it is interesting comparing them. Definitely, prefer the feel of the GL690 due to the all metal body that is brassing. The strap options were better on the GW/GSW though. Going from memory the RF patch is bigger on the GL690 and rectangular compared to the small circle on the others. Film loading and shooting is basically the same, even has the same ping sound after the shutter fires. Through a very convoluted process the GL690 can do multiple exposures.