QL19 overhauling - help appreciated

[Dodgeygeezer]

Evening all

I brought a QL19 from a car boot sale for 3 quid last week, it looks in a shocking state - I've given myself the challenge of getting it up and running again:

FAULTS:
1) Broken rangefinder glass to the front
2) Won't fire at 1/4 s but fires at all other faster speeds
3) Aperture sticking shut
4) Battery Dead (if thats a fault)
6) Light seals gone

So far I've nailed 2) and 3) by opening the front element and pouring in liberal doses of butane, followed by mopping up and leaving to dry. I have 1) in hand as by buying an earlier dead canonet from ebay soley for a bit of glass, for £2.39 - I get a case too for it - my new expensive hobby has cost me £6.39 so far including a quid for a tube of lighter gas.

I'm will fit new light seals too, but I'll run a film through it with gaffa tape seals if needs be, until I'm convinced that all is working as it should be!

I could do with help on calibrating the canonet meter so it can run on a 1.5v battery, the sort that are easily avalable nowdays rather than ancient 1.35V ones - can anyone give me any pointers with this?

 

[Kim Coxon]

First off, Welcome to the forum.
Secondly, which version of the Canonet is it?
Jon Goodman is good for seal kits or if you just need a small amount drop me a line and I may be able to help, similarly with spares.

Kimd regards
Kim

 

[Dodgeygeezer]

Thanks for accepting me into the fold - I've not done much dismantling of cameras before, and I'm finding it satisfying when things start to work 😎

This is the first RF that I've owned, my other cameras are a spotmatic SLR and a Canon 350D, so I'm really looking forward to using it! - I'm off to a festival on the weekend, and it would be the ideal time to put a roll through and try it out!

I think what I have is refered to as the "new" canonet QL19, with the QL logo on the leatherette.

I really appreciate your offer of seals, I think I will need to replace ALL the seal on the back door as it is really sticky and yeuchy. I don't know how much that would need, or if I need to order a kit for this camera - what do you think?

Cheers
Dan

 

[Kim Coxon]

Hi Dan,
Jon Goodman sels as interslice on eBay and is a member of this forum. His basic kit is about $7 and the full one $10. These are enough to do about 6 to 10 cameras and come with full instructions. You can buy specific kits but these are very expensive and I suspect are just made up of the right sizes from one of Jon's kits. You won't get a kit from Jon in that time but send me an address by PM and I will try to post down enough to to it.

As to the meter, you can adjust this for 1.5v cells yourself. You need to take the top of and the trim pot is behind the film moving flag. Do not use the screws on the front of the meter coil. This are for something completly different and the last person that tried broke the meter! Use a bright day and turn this so the meter matches an accurate handheld one. You need a good bright day to do it as the difference is greater the brighter the light.

Kim

 

[Dodgeygeezer]

Kim,

You are truely a star, you've answered my question and more- you have saved me trying to trim up using the screw on the back of the meter 🙂 I assume now it's the pivot for the moving coil meter

I've PM'd my address to you - much appreciated

Regards
Dan

 

[Kim Coxon]

Definitely not a good idea. More details here 🙁

Kim

Kim,

You are truely a star, you've answered my question and more- you have saved me trying to trim up using the screw on the back of the meter 🙂 I assume now it's the pivot for the moving coil meter

Regards
Dan

 

[Dodgeygeezer]

I got my other "broken" canonet from ebay today (I intended to break this up and use it the glass out of it to fix mine) - I didn't realise that the old ones were bigger, so it's useless to me.

In the interests of science I had to take the front element out and squirt butane in the "broken" shutter to see if it magically cured the fault. Yep, that works.

Anyone in the UK want a free working Canonet MK1 ? I don't need this one!

 

[Richard C]

Is it possibe to replace a cracked glass in the viewfinder with an offcut from a picture framer?

 

[Kim Coxon]

If it were plain glass, you might be able to cut one from a microscope slide but it is much thinner tham picture glass. It is also frosted to cover some of the window. Like the idea though.

Kim

Is it possibe to replace a cracked glass in the viewfinder with an offcut from a picture framer?

 

[Kim Coxon]

In the words of Monty Python " I told them I already got one". Can't give mine away either! Someone might want the hood though!

Kim

I got my other "broken" canonet from ebay today (I intended to break this up and use it the glass out of it to fix mine) - I didn't realise that the old ones were bigger, so it's useless to me.

In the interests of science I had to take the front element out and squirt butane in the "broken" shutter to see if it magically cured the fault. Yep, that works.

Anyone in the UK want a free working Canonet MK1 ? I don't need this one!

 

[Dodgeygeezer]

Back on ebay goes the big ol' canonet - I might get my £2.39 back, who knows 😀

I've stuck the broken glass back in for now, its a bit naff having a crack across the viewfinder, but I'll think up something to fix it... maybe keep an eye out for a later parts camera for the glass, if I can get one "small" canonet for three quid I'm sure I can get a second one.

Do the 28's have the same glass? they go cheap on fleabay?