Kiev 2 / Kiev 4 - quality and shutter assembly differences ?

[dee]

I would love to know from someone who repairs Kiev , if the Kiev 4 shutter diiffers from the original Kiev 2 , and if there were substantial differences in engineering to make the revised camera more modern and cheaper / easier to manufacture .
I cannot imagine that the Arsenal techs , despite the pressures placed upon them , would set out to compromise the construction of the new camera.
My guess would be that just increasing demand for quality created the decline in tolerances , assembly and finish .
Can anyone help with this ?
dee

 

[catintheflat]

I swapped orginal shutter in my 1950 Kiev II(broken ribbons) on shutter from Kiev IV in local service. After this surgery everyting works correctly. I think there are not huge differences between those shutters maybe something with tolerances and quality of materials or finishing. Shutter in both has the same elements and looks exactly the same.

 

[Dez]

Check carefully the slots in the lower curtain through which the tapes run. I am told that they have more relief in the Kievs to handle the thicker tapes that were used, but I do not know that for an observed fact. It would make sense for the very early Kievs to have the thinner slots identical with those of the Contaxes. The Contax shutter tape is ~0.22 mm thick, and extremely tightly woven, and therefore smooth. I have seen two different versions from Russia, one 0.33 and the other narrower, but 0.36 mm thick. These are coarsely woven and rather rough surfaced. Using these tapes on a Contax shutter without doing a bit of filing and smoothing of the slots is a guarantee that the second curtain will not close properly, unless the shutter tension is cranked way up, which can destroy the springs.

Cheers,
Dez