Leica M2 CLA questions

[Huss]

If you are willing to own a Leica, spend a few hundred on a CLA by Sherry, DAG or YeYe. It is a part of the cost of ownership and then you won't have to worry for another 20 years.

Not Sherry. She left parts out of my M5 that DAG had to fix.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

If you feel up to the job and have confidence in your abilities with a Barnack, you should be able to do an M. The first time I ripped apart a Leica M4 was in Fallujah, Iraq. There is no Leica service there and I wouldn't have gotten it back if I had sent the camera off for repair (for an overwind/stripping which happened when I fell on the camera during a mortar attack.)
So I opened it up with channel locks, a Swiss army knife and a set of jewelers screwdrivers. No benefit of YouTube to help, no manual, just a few pages of repair notes that I was able to screenshot in my office and print out. I repaired it enough to make it work for 5 more months of service in combat. At the end of that, I was in Spain and on one of my 3 days off in 6 months I fell off a rock on a jetty into the Bay of Cadiz. With the M4 on my shoulder.
Camera was almost flooded with seawater but I saved it from corrosion by opening it up, while soaking wet, on a bench by the beach in Rota. So yeah, have at it. These things are mechanical devices made by mortal men.
Phil Forrest

 

[SlappyPeterson]

If you feel up to the job and have confidence in your abilities with a Barnack, you should be able to do an M. The first time I ripped apart a Leica M4 was in Fallujah, Iraq. There is no Leica service there and I wouldn't have gotten it back if I had sent the camera off for repair (for an overwind/stripping which happened when I fell on the camera during a mortar attack.)
So I opened it up with channel locks, a Swiss army knife and a set of jewelers screwdrivers. No benefit of YouTube to help, no manual, just a few pages of repair notes that I was able to screenshot in my office and print out. I repaired it enough to make it work for 5 more months of service in combat. At the end of that, I was in Spain and on one of my 3 days off in 6 months I fell off a rock on a jetty into the Bay of Cadiz. With the M4 on my shoulder.
Camera was almost flooded with seawater but I saved it from corrosion by opening it up, while soaking wet, on a bench by the beach in Rota. So yeah, have at it. These things are mechanical devices made by mortal men.
Phil Forrest

That's pretty awesome - but a bit of an extreme situation though, eh?

If you do have the means, it makes sense to use ol' Don G. while he's still at it. Though, I must admit, I do have a curiosity of trying to do it myself. I'd like to think I'm mechanically inclined. I fix old record players all the time, but a camera is another thing. I have big hands (hello, ladies), which makes it a bit more difficult to work with cameras.

 

[Peter Jennings]

Hey all!

picked up a nice M2 button rewind and lens for a steal. It's clearly not been used in a while, with a stiff advance lever and hanging slow speeds plus capping fast speeds.

If your'e in the States, you could send it to Youxin and have it back ready for shooting within a week. You already got a great deal on a good camera, why not invest the money you saved to make it a great camera?

Now, if you're more interested in tinkering with the camera than using it right now, go ahead and do your research and dive in. I totally understand that point of view and have done it with several cameras. The M2, however, is a lot more complex than a screw-mount Leica. So be aware of the fact that even after your self-service, it may still need to visit a pro to get it working properly.

Best of luck

 

[CameraQuest]

Hey all!

picked up a nice M2 button rewind and lens for a steal. It's clearly not been used in a while, with a stiff advance lever and hanging slow speeds plus capping fast speeds. My thinking is it requires a basic cla which should hopefully sort the shutter issues without the need to adjust the timings. Luckily the finder is perfect as are the curtains.

Im all tooled up ready to strip it. Having read a few of the online repair guides, a few questions -

Does removing the rangefinder assembly cause the assembly to "uncalibrate"? is it possible to remove it and mark settings in order to reinstate it as it was?

My aim is to strip as much as i need to in order to clean and lubricate necessary parts - however it would be great if I can do this without needing to adjust all the settings from scratch. Can anyone run through which mechanisms need removing that would then require adjustment on assembly?

the brake assembly; if i loosen it in order to flush clean it, does this knock the brake adjustments?

Im following this, walts post - teh first answer to the OP and also using the pentax guide and another repair guide: https://www.photo.net/discuss/threa...rJYIGUOG3jhMT2ddHAUMc8OCgx1P4Gj5MqbXRiOzclHx4

Im particularly keen on his sentiments regarding a thorough cleaning and that it will most likely lead to no necessary adjustments; though now im aware that in order to carry out a sufficient CL, A might be necessary.

I am an amateur, though I do have some experience repairing barnacks. this is a rather more complicated animal but i have a strong desire to learn how to fix it. Any input is greatly appreciated!

the odds are quite high you will end up with a bunch of parts, not a working camera.

do yourself a big favor, give it a professional CLA -- unless you are good with losing the patient.

Stephen

 

[mooge]

I've never marked the brake or the RF eccentrics and stuff - I usually do take pictures, especially of the RF stuff, and use that as a starting point on reassembly. It'll get you in the right ballpark. The RF will (almost always) need fine tuning after but the brake isn't super critical I think.

 

[olliewtf]

And it's done!

As I thought, after cleaning and relubing all the speeds came back without any need for changing tensions. Now all is working smooth as a button.

Full disclosure, I did slightly butcher the central screw that holds the rangefinder and also has the eccentric collar. In the future, should it need another rebuild, I will replace it or ask it to be replaced. For now, I have a working camera and have learnt a lot about how the M2 works. I'm giddy at the thought of taking pictures with it!

Also I didn't mention Youtube videos; don't know where that came from. The Pentax manual was superb. I just need to test the rangefinder calibration and shoot a test roll. Also a little wary of how tight the rewind button is but if I pass a repair shop with the right tool I can get it tightened; it feels right but I hear they have a habit of falling out.

Thanks for everyone's encouragement!

 

[SlappyPeterson]

Kudos for doing it yourself!

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Awesome to hear!
Phil Forrest

 

[olliewtf]

Awesome to hear!
Phil Forrest

Phil your story was fantastic. Do you have any of the photos you took over there? Thanks again for your responses.

 

[David Hughes]

...Also a little weary of how tight the rewind button is but if I pass a repair shop with the right tool I can get it tightened; it feels right but I hear they have a habit of falling out.

Thanks for everyone's encouragement!

If you are worried about the screw loosening etc then have a look at Loctite thread locker. A lot of people think it's a glue but it isn't. There's a data sheet here:-

https://dm.henkel-dam.com/is/conten...Blue-242-Carded-Tube-0.20-fl-oz-2018-04-09pdf

Usual disclaimer, I used it to hold trigger adjustment screws when pistol shooting. Not that I'm allowed to these days...

Regards, David

 

[olliewtf]

Thanks, I've used loctite before but never on a camera. I did consider it for this application, though I first need a better way of securing the button to tighten the screw fully. Its guess work at the moment trying to work out if its tight enough!

 

[kaffefant]

And it's done!

As I thought, after cleaning and relubing all the speeds came back without any need for changing tensions. Now all is working smooth as a button.

Full disclosure, I did slightly butcher the central screw that holds the rangefinder and also has the eccentric collar. In the future, should it need another rebuild, I will replace it or ask it to be replaced. For now, I have a working camera and have learnt a lot about how the M2 works. I'm giddy at the thought of taking pictures with it!

Also I didn't mention Youtube videos; don't know where that came from. The Pentax manual was superb. I just need to test the rangefinder calibration and shoot a test roll. Also a little wary of how tight the rewind button is but if I pass a repair shop with the right tool I can get it tightened; it feels right but I hear they have a habit of falling out.

Thanks for everyone's encouragement!

Congratulations on your success. Nothing beats the feeling of shooting a camera brought back to life by yourself. 😎

 

[olliewtf]

As an aside - one thing i did notice is that the curtain attached to the main drum is glued on like a barnack, as opposed to clamped on. I was under the assumption all Ms had clamps on the main drum; this M2 is 1959 button rewind, so not the earliest one going.

Didnt all the M3s have the clamp? was it a cost saving excercise? or is it a weird anomoly? cant find any info online...

 

[jorgef2002]

Leicaphilla ?

Leicaphilla ?

Just my 2 quick worthless cents on the matter.

This is worth the few minutes to read before you decide to do anything:

http://leicaphilia.com/the-myth-of-the-necessary-leica-cla/

Hello Mr Slappy P, can you advice me as to how to open Leicaphilla, tried several times and says this "Warning and a bunch of numbers and letters, and bellow that another that says Fatal error also a bunch of letters and numbers that I do no understand, what gives ?.

Thanks jorgef2002

 

[DanskDynamit]

I love happy endings.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Pictures taken with it are the only proof. Clicking sound isn't. I have dump load of FSU LTM, clicks great, moves freely, all with uneven exposures.

 

[SlappyPeterson]

Hello Mr Slappy P, can you advice me as to how to open Leicaphilla, tried several times and says this "Warning and a bunch of numbers and letters, and bellow that another that says Fatal error also a bunch of letters and numbers that I do no understand, what gives ?.

Thanks jorgef2002

Yeah, I'm not sure why but it appears the site is down. Just for the record, it's not my site.

 

[olliewtf]

Pictures taken with it are the only proof. Clicking sound isn't. I have dump load of FSU LTM, clicks great, moves freely, all with uneven exposures.

I mean, yes obviously. But for argument's sake, if the tensions and adjustments worked in the past, a good cla should only revert the shutter mechanism back to those settings. Moreover, my point was that initially the shutter was getting stuck, wasnt even opening at fast speeds, and all this has been resolved - further adjustments from this point are naturally a reality, but not necessarily a given. At least now the camera is in the right base area for making adjustments as opposed to tightening things to push through old grease or dirt.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

No arguing about what 🙂.
I'm just curios if it is going to work. I have serviced dozen of FSU RF, half worked, half didn't.