Scott --
Member
Hi, all -
My last camera purchase was a beater Speedex Special R. I was looking for a camera to work on, have had Special R's in the past, and found one on eBay. I thought I'd overpaid for it at the time; now I'm happy enough that I don't care.
The camera arrived looking thusly:
The focus and rangefinder were, as expected, glued in place with the congealed Agfa lube. The bellows were mostly shot, and the brightwork had a ton of corrosion on it.
As I usually do, I removed all the offending lube from the lens threads and rangefinder mechanism, and replaced it with some Teflon grease. The shutter got a good cleaning, and it (including the self timer) is running great now. The metal cleaned up better than expected with a soak in new formula CLR - apparently the "corrosion" was 50+ years of sweat and scum. And I have a friend making bellows for Isolettes; he supplied me with a new one for the Speedex.
After all was said and done:
The camera works wonderfully now, and the Apotar shines:
I have it loaded with 400H right now. Can't wait to see how the Apotar handles color!
Thanks for looking.
Scott
My last camera purchase was a beater Speedex Special R. I was looking for a camera to work on, have had Special R's in the past, and found one on eBay. I thought I'd overpaid for it at the time; now I'm happy enough that I don't care.
The camera arrived looking thusly:
The focus and rangefinder were, as expected, glued in place with the congealed Agfa lube. The bellows were mostly shot, and the brightwork had a ton of corrosion on it.
As I usually do, I removed all the offending lube from the lens threads and rangefinder mechanism, and replaced it with some Teflon grease. The shutter got a good cleaning, and it (including the self timer) is running great now. The metal cleaned up better than expected with a soak in new formula CLR - apparently the "corrosion" was 50+ years of sweat and scum. And I have a friend making bellows for Isolettes; he supplied me with a new one for the Speedex.
After all was said and done:
The camera works wonderfully now, and the Apotar shines:
I have it loaded with 400H right now. Can't wait to see how the Apotar handles color!
Thanks for looking.
Scott
fbf
Well-known
wow, that almost looks like a new camera... great job. The pictures look great too.
xayraa33
rangefinder user and fancier
Nice work Scott, it was worth all the trouble to revive that beauty.
JeffGreene
(@)^(@)
Hi, all -
My last camera purchase was a beater Speedex Special R. I was looking for a camera to work on, have had Special R's in the past, and found one on eBay. I thought I'd overpaid for it at the time; now I'm happy enough that I don't care.
The camera arrived looking thusly:
The focus and rangefinder were, as expected, glued in place with the congealed Agfa lube. The bellows were mostly shot, and the brightwork had a ton of corrosion on it.
As I usually do, I removed all the offending lube from the lens threads and rangefinder mechanism, and replaced it with some Teflon grease. The shutter got a good cleaning, and it (including the self timer) is running great now. The metal cleaned up better than expected with a soak in new formula CLR - apparently the "corrosion" was 50+ years of sweat and scum. And I have a friend making bellows for Isolettes; he supplied me with a new one for the Speedex.
After all was said and done:
The camera works wonderfully now, and the Apotar shines:
I have it loaded with 400H right now. Can't wait to see how the Apotar handles color!
Thanks for looking.
Scott
Lovely tonality! Thank you! Please post the color photos when you get the chance
oftheherd
Veteran
All I can say is wow. Actually wow twice. One for the camera restore, the other for the photos.
bmattock
Veteran
Impressive! Well done and congratulations.
Vince Lupo
Whatever
Very nice results - both the camera and the photos!
hanskerensky
Well-known
Very good job and sparkling results ! Congratulations !
Solinar
Analog Preferred
You did well with the Speedex Special R.
The old wood and stone looks wonderful in your images, as does the sky behind the barn.
The old wood and stone looks wonderful in your images, as does the sky behind the barn.
Scott --
Member
Thanks, everyone! I'll admit that I'd really like a coupled rangefinder, but at 1/10 the cost of a Super Speedex, I figure I can make do... 
Scott
Scott
xayraa33
rangefinder user and fancier
It is odd that this model of camera was on my mind yesterday for some unknown reason.
mrwestphal
Member
Congrats Scott! great job on the camera and it looks like it's working like new!
