Removing flash sync on IIIa

[jgcraft]

I have a IIIa with a flash sync added to the front of the camera. Probably an expensive addition back in the day. I have tested it and it does not X sync so it was only for bulbs.

Two questions - I want to replace the vulcanite but need to fill the hole in the metal body. Any suggestions on how to do that?

Can I make it X sync? I haven't opened the top yet to see how the sync was installed but was wondering if it was easy to modify for X.

Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks in advance,

George

 

[colyn]

I have a IIIa with a flash sync added to the front of the camera. Probably an expensive addition back in the day. I have tested it and it does not X sync so it was only for bulbs.

Two questions - I want to replace the vulcanite but need to fill the hole in the metal body. Any suggestions on how to do that?

After removing the vulcanite have a machinist mill a very shallow (.010) groove around the hole then buy a sheet of brass from a hobby shop and cut a circle the diameter of the groove and glue it on with contact cement. Once the new covering is installed you'll never know a hole was there..

Can I make it X sync? I haven't opened the top yet to see how the sync was installed but was wondering if it was easy to modify for X.

A waste of time since the sync contact is a thin piece of metal bent to make contact with the curtain cam as it turns during shutter firing..

 

[xayraa33]

After removing the vulcanite and the flash contact, fill the hole with a two part epoxy like Dexter's Epoxi-Patch.
this stuff hardens to a metal like hardness that can be nicely sanded down.

 

[payasam]

A competent repair person can give you X sync. Maybe you can do it yourself if you're handy enough (I'm not).

 

[john neal]

George,

Getting X-sync is possible, it just depends on when the contacts close. The problem is working out the difference between M and X - this is about 20 milliseconds (possibly more - it depends on which bulbs it was timed for). Now, depending on where your contacts are (there are 2 or 3 places that were popular) this might be the difference of .005" on the rotation of a shaft - I would not want to try to time that!

I removed the sync on my II - I would never have used it anyway 🙂