Kiev 4a - lock key broken

[Philipp]

I finally got my first kiev! Lovely camera. After firing the shutter a hundred times it purrs like a kitten again. But a little detail is troubling me: one of the two key locks on the buttom is kind of loose. It still holds the back of the camera in place. I don't know the word for the little thing which doesn't stay where it is used to, so I attached a picture of it. Does anybody have an idea how to fix it? Using that never-ready-case I got with the Kiev isn't the solution I am looking for 🙂

Hold on, the weekend is coming!
Philipp

 

[ruben]

Between the locker and the lower casting, both you are sowing there is a flat spring. Sometimes this spring is sligthly misplaced, preventing the locker lever to snap into position.

To correct it, provided this is the case, just unscrew the locker compound a bit, not fully ! from the internal side, as to produce some spacing enabling you to rotate the mentioned spring. Once achieved, retighten.

Just one among many possibilities.

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[Philipp]

Hello Ruben,
thank you for your fast reply! I just did what you suggested - and now the lock lever stays perfectly in place! Thank you so much, it wasn't difficult at all, but I think I wouldn't have opened the lock without your advice. Funny thing is, there are many flat rings in the lock (I found 5). So I opened the other lock, which did work from the beginning, and I found only 4 of them. Without the 5th ring and the spring in a new position the lock works great. Perhaps this was the problem for 30 years? BTW: I once read that a Kiev 4a is made out of 800 pieces. Could never believe that high number, but on the other hand, one simple lock is made at least out of 12 pieces...

Have a nice day,
Philipp