It hs been sitting in a cupboard a long while...and now...

[Dralowid]

OK, so I sent it to one of the best Leica repair people in the UK around ten years ago and shame on me, I have never used it since. My fault.

Now it has a problem and although I'm sure I could send it back I would rather sort it myself.

Black Leica IIIa pre war conversion s/n 28,something.

Problem displays itself as follows:

On slow speeds, if you hold the shutter release right down the escapement doesn't start until you release the release.

On slow speeds watching the second blind, it seems to slow right down as it closes which it does only just, eventually, but very gently.

Z ie B seems fine.

All other speeds fine and the camera is very, very quiet.

So, is this simply a case of increasing the tension on the second blind?

Advice appreciated.

Michael

 

[rfaspen]

This sounds familiar. I think I recall a discussion of this, or similar, behavior in an old thread. The culprit was a burr that formed on some part at the bottom of the shutter carriage, a rotating part, or something that rides against a rotating part. Anyway, I was surprised about this -- a small burr that caused such behavior.

Sorry for the non-technical description. Been a long time since I've been in a Barnack, but I can almost envision the mechanism. If someone else doesn't chime in with a better idea/description, I'll give another try with better accuracy.

 

[Davidhel]

Hi Michael

Check out the thread 'Leica IIIa repair-time to call in some help' for some possible fixes you could try... I had the same problem with a IIIc I fixed at the same time. This was fixed by soaking the slow speed mechanism and placing one drop of oil with syringe to the top of the second curtain drum. This all involved removing the body cover. Others may disagree but I don't think altering the tension on the second curtain will help (especially if all was good just after the repair)....

 

[nhchen]

Hi Michael

Check out the thread 'Leica IIIa repair-time to call in some help' for some possible fixes you could try... I had the same problem with a IIIc I fixed at the same time. This was fixed by soaking the slow speed mechanism and placing one drop of oil with syringe to the top of the second curtain drum. This all involved removing the body cover. Others may disagree but I don't think altering the tension on the second curtain will help (especially if all was good just after the repair)....

I agree, increasing the tension of the springs is not a good way of fixing the problem. A few of the rollers and other gears are probably just slightly gummed up from sitting unused for so long.
nathan

 

[john neal]

Michael,

I would agree with David too - it could be gummed up lube, but could also be an issue with dry grease / dirt (or just possibly a burr) on the release pawl - especially if you are getting issues with the slow speeds.

 

[Dralowid]

So being lazy I squirted some lighter fluid under the shutter dial in the direction of the pawl (as far as I can remember).

That sorted it and all was 100%.

Six hours later and the lighter fluid has presumably evaporated and whatever lubrication in there has hardened up again...ah well, at least we know what the problem is now!

Thanks for the suggestions

Michael

 

[Highway 61]

Leicas are made to be used on a very regular and frequent basis because there is no ball bearing - everything relies on friction and lube (but for the special "K" wartime IIIc, which is gifted with ball bearings). If you don't use them, they will get gummed up. This is true for the old Barnacks, but for the Ms too.

 

[Erik van Straten]

(but for the special "K" wartime IIIc, which is gifted with ball bearings)

The later IIIc, the IIIf and IIIg also have ball bearing shutters. Why the M's don't nobody knows.

Erik.

 

[iphoenix]

After this thread, I'm going to exercise all of mine more frequently.

 

[Dralowid]

After this thread, I'm going to exercise all of mine more frequently.

...or just don't bother to service/CLA/overhaul it unless you are going to use it!

 

[oltimer]

Micheal, my heart goes out to you on this problem. With the new syn. type grease that they use; the camera should function flawless. I admit that I have 2 screw units I do not put film in but take them out around every 3-4 months and run all speeds. I also store them out of their cases in freezer z-lock bags in the safe. I would take the unit back and have them check as to why your having this problem without you even trying to have loaded film in it as you say.

 

[Sparrow]

... my converted IIIf lives in the car's glovebox all year round ... its had no repairs I can think of this century and it works fine, I took a couple shots yesterday.

I always wonder how much time these technicians take for this CLA malarkey ... to strip a camera and clean it properly must take days of work

 

[David Hughes]

The later IIIc, the IIIf and IIIg also have ball bearing shutters. Why the M's don't nobody knows.

Erik.

Hi,

One of the fascinations with Leicas is looking at them and wondering why they didn't do something, like hinged backs, or notice something, like a better place for the flash's socket and so on...

Regards, David

 

[Emory]

I had this exact problem, and thanks to Dez, I was able to fix it without removing the body sleeve:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148909

Removing all the screws and knurled rings takes patience, but it's worth it. Good luck!