M7 was jammed and then wasn't ...

[csxcnj]

Hi all, I purchased a demo M7 w/warranty and used it happily for a couple of years. Then one day it jammed at the end of the roll. I could not move the film advance lever or fire the shutter and the curtains were stuck half open.

Things got busy in my life so the camera sat in that condition for a few years. Occasionally I would pull it out, put fresh batteries in and "wiggle" things to see if it would work. Nope.

Recently I contacted Sherry Krauter to send it in for repair, pulled out the camera, jiggled the lever one more time and everything started working again. I've been using it or a few weeks now and it's working fine.

Has anyone else ever had this happen and what the hell did happen?

Bob

 

[bobbyrab]

When you say you've been using it for a few weeks, does that mean you've put complete rolls thought the camera?
I ask as one possible issue could be the bolt that hold top and bottom together could be loose, this causes the film to jam as you get towards the end of a roll of film, but generally fine at the beginning and middle of the roll. One way to check is to tap the top plate, does it sound hollow or solid. Also check there's no play in the top plate.
If it is this then it's an easy repair.

 

[csxcnj]

Hi Bobby, I have put several rolls through it so far and it is working smoothly. No looseness in the plates.

Bob

 

[Rangefinderfreak]

In car service they call this miracle "car service with light, bonnet open"...

 

[csxcnj]

So this may be the equivalent of the automotive symptoms that disappear when you see your mechanic....😀

 

[Ken Ford]

Floating film chip that became dislodged?

 

[Pioneer]

Floating film chip that became dislodged?

Based on the symptoms it would seem to be the most likely suspect. Kind of like a blood clot. Wonder where it went???

 

[Monochrom]

Hi, jammed m´s happen all the time, now i have 2 m2 and a mda with such a problem.

Perhaps it can happen by chance, but mostly because the cameras are handled harshly, lack of lube helps.

The great thing is that is simple to fix.

If you advance quickly in many steps over and over you´ll jamm your m in seconds.

Always advance it in only one smooth straightforward tap...without pushing hard when it stops.
Never use the lever to hold the weight of the camera.

🙂

 

[Pioneer]

Sarcasm Alert!!

Sarcasm Alert!!

My goodness, yes.

Please don't treat your poor little M too roughly James.

The poor dear might jam up when you want to take a picture.

Remember, reliability certainly is not its strong point.

:bang::bang::bang:

 

[Gary Sandhu]

Happened to me when I got a used M7 delivered a few years back, wiggling unjammed it, and never happened again over the next 3 years of ownership.

 

[35mmdelux]

OP should have removed the bottom plate of the camera accessed the film and removed it. That would have solved the problem immediately.

Cameras that go for prolonged time Unfired increase the possibility of jamming.

I've owned my M7 for about 5 years never a problem.

 

[Richard G]

My M2 jammed up. Took out the roll. All better. Apparently that happens. For me, once in 40 years. I had had more than two drinks at the time, something I no longer do if I have a camera with me.

 

[csxcnj]

OP should have removed the bottom plate of the camera accessed the film and removed it. That would have solved the problem immediately.

Cameras that go for prolonged time Unfired increase the possibility of jamming.

I've owned my M7 for about 5 years never a problem.

I did remove the film immediately, tried wiggling everything off and on with no luck.

I'm thinking an errant film chip as suggested above may have been the problem.

 

[csxcnj]

Happened to me when I got a used M7 delivered a few years back, wiggling unjammed it, and never happened again over the next 3 years of ownership.

Good to know, thanks.

 

[35mmdelux]

I did remove the film immediately, tried wiggling everything off and on with no luck.

I'm thinking an errant film chip as suggested above may have been the problem.

Makes sense....tks -

 

[Boris Stupak]

Storing the camera for YEARS, putting in batteries, "wiggling" it. How long?

 

[csxcnj]

Storing the camera for YEARS, putting in batteries, "wiggling" it. How long?

Five years. Wiggling the take up spindle a little, lightly moving the film advance. Calm yourself Boris.

And for the first year and half I was recovering from a head injury that resulted in a rear cerebral stroke so it just sat there COMPLETELY untouched. But at least batteries weren't left in it.

 

[Ken Ford]

Bob, I just sussed your user name and confirmed your fellow foamerhood. Nice work!

 

[csxcnj]

Bob, I just sussed your user name and confirmed your fellow foamerhood. Nice work!

Thanks Ken. Living in the D.C. area I don't have 1/100th of the opportunities you do for shooting trains (Potomac Yards was gone by the time I started doing this) but there is still a surprising amount of railroading in and around D.C..

And I can always schlepp up to Baltimore for the day.

Cheers, Bob

 

[maddoc]

Exactly this happened to my factory refurbished M7 a couple of month after I had bought it, ruined half of a roll KR64. The camera was still under warranty so I sent it to Leica NJ who could not fix it and sent it to Solms. After three month the camera came back fixed but now having irregular frame-spacing and a faulty ISO dial. The warranty had been extended for one year and the camera had a label from Leica Solms "Adjusted to factory specifications" ...