Jupiter 37a CLA (135mm)

[john_van_v]

I have been successfully pointing Jupiters at the sky and dark clouds for two years now, and I am about to exhibit "bird over hudson" shot w/ an m39 J-37.

I bought a pristine 37a and have had some success with it, that is if I have time to focus, because the focus ring is very hard to turn. Usually I wind up unwinding the lens from the camera.

Is there any experience in the community re-greasing one of these, and I might also ask "what kind of lube works at very low temperatures?"

Thanks in advance for any clues.


Jupiter 37a on Canon dSLR

 

[Ed S.]

The Jupiter 37 lens looks suspiciously like an SLR variety.

This link on mflenses.com has a brief / cryptic discussion on opening such a lens. Actually, it’s more like a phrase or two, as they seem to feel the J-37 is easy to disassemble.

Caveat Disassemblor.

Eddie Smolov (my latest info: 123camerarepair@gmail.com , NYC area) might be a good choice for repair, if needed. FWIW, my local repair service charges more if I tried to fix it and failed.

On the off chance that the J-37 is similar to the J-11 (unlikely, but the Soviets seem to have reused optical designs, and possibly even much of the mechanical design), the obligatory Kiev Survival Site has an in-depth discussion of a J-11 disassembly and rebuild, with pictures. Their pictures, instructions, and your lens might be sufficient to fix your issue / create a real problem.

The usual lubricant recommendation (KSS and many others) is white lithium grease (Home Depot, any hardware or automotive store, even Walmart). There are heavier greases, also synthetic, but they might be too heavy for a J-37.

 

[payasam]

You might also ask Yuri B. at mail AT fedka DOT com, who has an experienced repair person for Soviet equipment.

 

[john_van_v]

Ugh, brain farts!

135mm m42 SLR -> J-37a

135mm m39 RF -> J-11 <- (1 gal cylin water bottle cap fits)

I just put four J-11 pictures up for exhibit in New Paltz, NY @ the unframed artists gallery on Huguenot Street, opening this Saturday (bring weed, its legal in NP, NY)

http://thinman.com/galleries/bird_over_the_hudson/