Hasselblad 500C CLA - crazy to attempt myself?

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Tijmendal

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Hi,

I bought a very grimy, dirty, not-really-working Hasselblad 500c for only 30€. I managed to clean it up (it still smells like smoke though, anyone got a tip for that), but it's still not really running. I suspect its innards are as dirty as the outside was (a combination of smoke, tar, grime, dirt and other gunk that shouldn't be there). It just feels very sticky.

I'm not really feeling like dropping 200€+ on a CLA for a camera that probably isn't worth more than that and figure it's a nice project. I know these are very complicated camera's (and I don't have a whole lot of experience repairing cams... 😱) but it doesn't hurt to try, right?

Has anyone ever attempted something like this or know where to start? A manual maybe?

Thanks!
 
Tijmendal said:
Hi,

I bought a very grimy, dirty, not-really-working Hasselblad 500c for only 30€. I managed to clean it up (it still smells like smoke though, anyone got a tip for that), but it's still not really running. I suspect its innards are as dirty as the outside was (a combination of smoke, tar, grime, dirt and other gunk that shouldn't be there). It just feels very sticky.

I'm not really feeling like dropping 200€+ on a CLA for a camera that probably isn't worth more than that and figure it's a nice project. I know these are very complicated camera's (and I don't have a whole lot of experience repairing cams... 😱) but it doesn't hurt to try, right?

Has anyone ever attempted something like this or know where to start? A manual maybe?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I'll have a go at most cameras, but would think very hard before delving too deeply into a Hassy. They're more complicated than it seems at face value to work on, and without factory jigs, correct re-assembly could be very time consuming. Most people would probably consider an investment of 200 euros or so, for a good, working Hasselblad body, to be fairly reasonable, given that if it is not subject to hard, professional use, you're likely to get many years, or even decades, of service out of it. So what if this works out to around the cost of a replacement body? You'll have a camera that will give you years of reliable service, more than you can say, with certainty, for one you buy online.

If, by your own admission, you haven't had much experience repairing cameras, I would say: no way. They come apart quite readily which can be deceptive. Putting them back together correctly isn't quite as simple as reversing the disassembly process. No, I have not stripped one myself, but, I have, and have read, the factory manuals, third party repair articles, various blogs, the Tomosy repair books that address the C/M and EL/M, and many other reference sources, and I consider myself a reasonably competent camera repairer. But I still wouldn't take one right down, unless I chose to do it as a learning exercise. And it seems a shame to potentially write off a saveable body because, if you've not had much experience to date, with all due respect I suspect that would probably be the end result. The lenses, I personally find to be less intimidating than the camera bodies to work on, but, I've always enjoyed repairing Compur shutters. YMMV.
Cheers,
Brett
 
'Blads are very complex, with a lot of precision parts. It's probably not a great idea to mess with them yourself. On the other hand, you've got very little money in the camera, so you don't have much to lose if you totally screw it up.
 
If your goal is a good working camera, I would not even think about trying this myself. Send it to Wilco Jansen if you want fast service and a perfect camera or to Will van Manen if you want the same result, a little slower, but probably a lot cheaper.
Frank
 
Are you mechanically inclined and careful? Jump right into the Hasselblad.

And you will be impressed at how simple the mechanism is, and how well it was designed to be "worked on".

It isn't rocket science; I don't recall needing a ton of specialized tools. If the camera is old, make sure to soak / lubricate the screw heads before torquing on them.

Go slow, take notes, and after you get it all back together, you'll feel a stronger attachment to the body and your accomplishment.
 
I never worked on a 500c body, but I changed the nylon stopper in a A12 back. It was ok.

Take pictures with a cell phone from all sides at every step you take. That was often a lifesaver for me.
 
Sarcophilus Harrisii said:
I'll have a go at most cameras, but would think very hard before delving too deeply into a Hassy. They're more complicated than it seems at face value to work on, and without factory jigs, correct re-assembly could be very time consuming. Most people would probably consider an investment of 200 euros or so, for a good, working Hasselblad body, to be fairly reasonable, given that if it is not subject to hard, professional use, you're likely to get many years, or even decades, of service out of it. So what if this works out to around the cost of a replacement body? You'll have a camera that will give you years of reliable service, more than you can say, with certainty, for one you buy online.

If, by your own admission, you haven't had much experience repairing cameras, I would say: no way. They come apart quite readily which can be deceptive. Putting them back together correctly isn't quite as simple as reversing the disassembly process. No, I have not stripped one myself, but, I have, and have read, the factory manuals, third party repair articles, various blogs, the Tomosy repair books that address the C/M and EL/M, and many other reference sources, and I consider myself a reasonably competent camera repairer. But I still wouldn't take one right down, unless I chose to do it as a learning exercise. And it seems a shame to potentially write off a saveable body because, if you've not had much experience to date, with all due respect I suspect that would probably be the end result. The lenses, I personally find to be less intimidating than the camera bodies to work on, but, I've always enjoyed repairing Compur shutters. YMMV.
Cheers,
Brett
Click to expand...

+1 (I'm "most people")

It's not that a Hassy has too many parts, or those parts are too precision built... but more that precision jigs are required to ensure that the re-assembled body performs correctly.

But if you (OP) is willing to write it off if/when... then it should be a very interesting dissection.
 
p.s. There is a guy on another forum that attempted a Hassy overhaul. He seems to have worked on it (griping and complaining frequently, also) for about a year. He claims to have had success but he was a miserable cuss to deal with throughout the repair process.
 
These are projects close to my heart. Not familiar in the least with the Hassy, but a
Bronica ETR failed on me a few years ago (and since I had another) I thought why not.
Gave me a whole new appreciation for what goes on inside. Many hand drawings later and
some patience testing, it's been together and working fine since. Cleaning everything that
moved and a TRACE of lube was icing on the cake so to speak. Go For It.
Peter
 
I'm finding the question too imprecise to answer.

A 500c has three principal sections -- the back, the middle body section, the lens/shutter. Were you going to attempt all three? Just the back and middle? Just the middle? These are tasks of decreasing complexity and increasing "oh why not". I wouldn't feel competent to try all three myself and wouldn't trust any camera of mine to someone who hadn't had actual training. Just the middle...as others have said, that's a pretty simple object and not an expensive one in the end and even if you make a horlix of it it you might not actually make it a more expensive repair job than you'd face if you just sent it as is.
 
JHutchins said:
I'm finding the question too imprecise to answer.

A 500c has three principal sections -- the back, the middle body section, the lens/shutter. Were you going to attempt all three? Just the back and middle? Just the middle? These are tasks of decreasing complexity and increasing "oh why not". I wouldn't feel competent to try all three myself and wouldn't trust any camera of mine to someone who hadn't had actual training. Just the middle...as others have said, that's a pretty simple object and not an expensive one in the end and even if you make a horlix of it it you might not actually make it a more expensive repair job than you'd face if you just sent it as is.
Click to expand...

Well, this is the kind of stuff I'm wondering. I don't know the first thing about them. By the feel of it, it needs a major overhaul though.

I like how everybody has a different opinion. More often than not people seem to agree with eachother.

The 'it took some guy a whole year to do it' is not very motivating as I simply don't have the patience or time to do that.
 
If you do not have the patience or the time do not even start.
Your time is better spent elsewhere doing something you enjoy and not being constantly frustrated. You would find that the cost to have it fixed was "cheap" compared to all of that and you now it will work.
 
Unless you have the specialized knowledge and special Hasselblad tools (jigs, thingees, etc) I think you are kidding yourself,

So your paperweight would remain a paperweight after attempted repair.

I've torn cameras apart just for fun.... Go for it!

If it's really trashed it's not worth repairing
 
If you want to learn how to repair a Hasselblad, having a 30-Euro body to practice on is a godsend .... I'd buy the manual and consider these expenses as tuition on a hands-on training course. I would not put a high number on your chances of success, but the cost of failure is very small and a box of good 500C parts is not completely worthless. If you do succeed, you'll not only have a terrific camera but also a skill and experience that is not easy to obtain. At only 24 years old now, you might develop this into something valuable, or at least interesting. If I were you, I'd make the attempt.

OH...... I just read your "I don't have the time or patience" comment above. On this basis, forget it, someone with no experience, no time and no patience has no hope of success with this. If you want a clean, working Hasselblad without time or patience, go out and buy another one and let someone else have this one unmolested.
 
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