Leica IIIc(f) shutter loses tension?

[Blaidd_Drwgg]

So, my lovely Leica III (postwar) c, converted to f BD, works almost flawlessly. The finder and rangefinder are acceptably bright and clear,film advance is smooth and spacing is even and the shutter times are good.

There is just one problem: If I leave the shutter cocked for some time, the second curtain hangs up and creeps through the film gate, sometimes not even closing fully. The next exposure is fine, except for the excess light that ruined it before. It works if I just wind on before I take a picture, but then I have to remember not to wind on again. And I like to have the camera ready.

I tried a disassembly to where I still feel safe, which was the front part (the one with the slow speeds) and the light baffles. I even found a triagular piece of film (1x1cm) in there and had high hopes that solved the problem, but it sadly did not.
I released the first and second curtain springs and retensioned them, which means the shutter is now (kind of) accurate and makes a delightful sound, but did not fix the problem.

Does anybody have an idea what could be the problem or has even seen it before? I would love to finally use this camera more.

Thanks in advance!

 

[megido]

I had a similar problem. Cause - dry curtains. Just a thought.

 

[Livesteamer]

My M3 once had a similar problem. First exposure of the day the second curtain would hang up a few seconds and then run. After that it would work just fine.

DAG diagnosed an improperly glued curtain, replaced it and the camera has worked well ever since. I hope you can get it fixed. My IIIc is one of my favorite cameras. Joe

 

[Blaidd_Drwgg]

Just found another piece of film...

 

[Blaidd_Drwgg]

Fixed!

Fixed!

So, over the last days a few things happened:

I took her apart almost completely, had a good look at the curtains and decided that they are to blame and even if they were not I found some holes starting to form. And if I overhauled everything, I did not want to start all over again in a year when the holes would be leaky enough. (I also found a lot of film pieces)
So I put everything in a box (making the mistake not to label everything like I normally do) and off to buy some new curtain material.
A week later, I found an envelope in the mail, on it a mix of different alphabets, inside a sheet of curtain material and the ribbons.
I sat in front of the PC, opening every repair manual i could find. Unfortunately, the guide on shutter replacement on Rick Olesons site was down (as was the whole site, I think) which made everything a whole lot more difficult. I found a cached copy, but it had no pictures. THAT was frustrating.
But, I prevailed. I did it, and it just cost me a handful of days, during which I part for part understood how beautifully all of them are working together. And it works! It works! I am beyond proud (and relieved).
After resettling the shutter crate bottom a whole lot of times to find a place for the washer that was left behind (which I left out in the end, as the repair manual listed it as optional.
After adjusting the shutter (by sound, I need a shutter speed tester sometime in the future, but good enough for now), I came to the hardest part.
I put it on 1/30 and let it sit overnight. The next morning, it still sounded like 1/30, which was really great.
Then I just had to understand the workings of the slow speed mechanism, as I assembled that part wrong.

I now have a beautiful IIIc/f. Yay! Thanks everyone! Will put her in the conversions thread sometime.
David

 

[lynnb]

Congratulations David - you're a braver soul than I! My IIIc has started making blank exposures at random intervals.