M3 shutter stuck.

[sheepdog]

After having sat idle in my 'manpurse' since Newyear's Eve, my M3 (bought from shphoto.de in september, no word on previous CLAs) refused to respond to shutter releases. The button could be pressed freely against the spring, but the wind-lever was stuck as if the shutter was tensioned/film wound. This morning I rewound and removed the film, and after a few iterations of setting and tripping the self-timer, it suddenly fired once before getting completely stuck when I had wound 4/5 of the way to the next frame. Now the shutter button can't be pressed down at all, and the wind-lever won't go more than the said four fifths.

Where do I turn for repairs? I think it could use a CLA as well, for brighter finder/smoother winding..

Any tips and experiences with prices/turn-around times?

Thanks!

Kjetil

 

[kinoglass]

Well, M3 vintage Leica have the unpleasant problem of jamming their shutter with the unglued (old aged glue) lower or upper light felts installed right behind the film gate housing, along the film track. First advise, don't force the shutter by trying to wind the camera any further, the intermediate gear will break and the repair will just be a little more expensive.

Again, futher advice by private email.

 

[sheepdog]

Thanks, I really appreciate the advise, and I'll take a closer look at the camera when I get back from work in 4 hours or so!

 

[Ororaro]

Hey, please make it public so anyone owning an M3 can be informed 🙂