how to clean camera seals on Canonet

[john neal]

Hi John,
I should have guessed. I don't have a lot of time for it now but used to be into C/L. I have just got rid of my PAW diesels and Fox glows!

C/L is my first love, mainly Team Racing. I'm fairly short of motors at the moment, which is why I can even consider using these precious fluids on cameras! I have a couple of PAW's and a lovely Eta29 from 1949, but all my team race motors have gone to new homes - for 2 main reasons, I don't live anywhere near a good flying site at the moment, plus they were getting to be uncompetitive and hard to repair due to lack of spares. This means all the Rossi's and Olivers are gone (should have kept the latter), but I do have a CS15 somewhere - a real beast of a thing, almost 0.75bhp out of 1.5cc!!

Anyway, to keep this on topic 😉 I should be posting you the PX1a prototype in a couple of days - have you recovered sufficiently to collect the last package?

 

[Kim Coxon]

Hi John,
I am back at work as I write this. I am still grounded because I am still bunged up. So instead of flying, I have to sit and monitor everyone else! The adapters were on my desk when I got in this morning. Many thanks.

Kim

Anyway, to keep this on topic 😉 I should be posting you the PX1a prototype in a couple of days - have you recovered sufficiently to collect the last package?

 

[john neal]

Kim,

I'm glad you are recovering, if not yet ready to fly, and that the adapters arrived OK. As to the PX1a, how are the camera contacts arranged -ve top & +ve bottom, or -ve top & +ve side? It might make a difference to the final design if the +ve is in the side of the chamber, but I'm not going to worry about that for the prototype.

 

[Kim Coxon]

Hi John,
It's top and bottom. Rather like a deeper verion of the later MkI Canonets. In fact I think one of mine seems to have a modified deep socket to take the 625. It might have been in the changeover period. I am still trying to research it!

Kim

Kim,

I'm glad you are recovering, if not yet ready to fly, and that the adapters arrived OK. As to the PX1a, how are the camera contacts arranged -ve top & +ve bottom, or -ve top & +ve side? It might make a difference to the final design if the +ve is in the side of the chamber, but I'm not going to worry about that for the prototype.

 

[LCL]

I posted this recently but not sure how to point you to it. It's relevant to all old light metering devices.

"...
Lunar Sixes were designed for Mercury batteries, as indeed were almost all lightmeters and built-in lightmeters of their era. Mercury batteries are unique in that they give a constant voltage right though their life. All other batteries steadily lose voltage as they discharge. This special feature of Mercury batteries meant that the circuitry in light meters could be very simple.

Such batteries are illegal and are no longer manufactured because Mercury is highly toxic, especially in the form that batteries come in. Once those metal cases corrode, they leak the nasties inside. Do a Google on "Mercury poisoning" and "minamata" or "mad hatter" for more info.

The batteries have a very long shelf life, and you may be able to source some old ones. If you do, please, please, please don't throw away used ones. Keep the old ones in an airtight jar labelled "Mercury - poisonous fumes" and wait for a legitimate way to dispose of them.

LCL