Need replacement take up spool, IIIa

[BokehBurgher]

The little tab that holds the film is missing. I can still roll the film on but its a serious pain in the neck. I checked eBay and found no results. I've hear that you can make DIY takeup spools from the core of a roll of film. Any ideas where I could find a replacement?

 

[Highway 61]

Best thing is to make your own first, tutorial here :

http://elekm.net/zeiss-ikon/repair/spool.html

Then to persistantly look for a cheap KIEV metal spool which will last forever and is compatible 100% with the Contax IIIa.

I guess you can also go on using the original one despite the broken tab if you fold the end of the film leader before getting it inside the spool cutout.

 

[BokehBurgher]

thanks, this is perfect. And actually I may not need to create a new one. I hadn't thought of folding the film *back*. What was frustrating me was that I could get the film into the notch, but without the little tab, the film kept slipping out. I think that if I just try folding the film back, I will have no problems at all with my current spool.

 

[Livesteamer]

A spool from a Zorki 1 should fit and they are much cheaper than the Leica spools. The Canon rangefinder spool is nice also as it has a pop up knob that makes it easier to get out of the camera. Good Luck, Joe

 

[batterytypehah!]

^ Contax IIIa, not Leica.

The tooth on mine (which I think is what you mean) also broke off long ago. It's not really needed.

 

[sevo]

Exa spools are cheap - they wind the wrong way, but the clip can be inverted and then they work perfectly well.

 

[Livesteamer]

Oops, Sorry. What about a Kiev spool from Fedka dot com? Joe

 

[David Murphy]

The Russian vintage photo sellers on eBay will sell you metal Kiev spools which are 100% compatible and cheap.

 

[batterytypehah!]

Exa spools are cheap - they wind the wrong way, but the clip can be inverted and then they work perfectly well.

Good tip, I hadn't realized that. I just tried and in fact, the spool from my Exa 1b fits the Contax IIa without any modification. The flange diameter is smaller, though, making it even more fiddly to reattach the camera back, and I'd put something in the bottom end of the Exa spool to make it a closer fit on the guide pin.

 

[Frontman]

I bought a Kiev recently for $40, and found that it had a Contax spool in it. Looking more closely, I found that the film back shell and neck strap were also Contax parts. Only here in Japan would someone part-out a Contax to fix a Kiev...

 

[S.H.]

(...)Only here in Japan would someone part-out a Contax to fix a Kiev...

Very strange indeed. Was is a Kiev II (almost same value as a Contax for earlier examples from 50 to 55) or a more common variant?

 

[Vics]

Well, I went to fedka.com and ebay and I couldn't find the metal ones everyone is talking about here. Sure would like to buy a couple!

 

[MISH]

search kiev spool on ebay

 

[Vics]

Found it. Thanks!

 

[David Hughes]

I bought a Kiev recently for $40, and found that it had a Contax spool in it. Looking more closely, I found that the film back shell and neck strap were also Contax parts. Only here in Japan would someone part-out a Contax to fix a Kiev...

Hi,

Could you possibly put up a photograph and details (length, width etc) of the neck strap, please?

These minor but important items are seldom shown in old catalogues and I've no idea what they look like.

Regards, David