bmattock
Veteran
I bought a Welmy 6 folding camera recently off eBay. It arrived in good condition, but the front lens element was frozen, as was the speed setting ring.
The Welmy was a 6x6 120 rollfilm scale-focus folding camera made in Japan post-WWII. This one was marked 'E-P' on the cold shoe, indicating it was sold on a military base or post to US military personnel.
It is very common for the front element to be frozen on cameras like these. Fixing them is a bit of a crap shoot, but I've had good luck with them, and I was once again in luck today.
I was originally planning to remove the entire lens and shutter assembly from the front standard, and I have a proper spanner for removing the nut that holds it on from inside the back of the camera, but the nut had been painted over during assembly, and when I tried to turn it, it turned the entire shutter assembly. It then wanted to dig into the bellows sides, which I did not want to do. The bellows, by the way, look pretty good. I'm hoping for no light leaks.
I build and repair vacuum tube amplifiers as a hobby, so I happen to have a heat gun used for shrink-wrap tubing. You can get them about anywhere, they don't cost much. Basically a hair dryer in a smaller form with a concentrated nozzle.
So I applied heat carefully to the front of the lens. It only took about 30 seconds for the lens to become too hot to touch by hand, and the lens helicoid started to turn.
I removed the heat and then used a small screwdriver to remove the stake that limits the lens travel when focusing. I marked the distance of the lens to the shutter for re-assembly later. Then I unscrewed the lens and it popped off the camera.
I used loads of q-tips and rubbing alcohol to remove the ancient cement-like alleged lubricant from the helicoid threads. I was just patient and kept at it until the q-tips were clean.
Then I cleaned the inside of both the lens front and the inside over the shutter using fresh q-tips and rubbing alcohol. I was gentle; I have heard that frequently the inside elements were not coated like the outside elements were. I didn't want to scratch them up.
I then applied a very tiny amount of white lithium grease to the helicoid threads with a q-tip, being careful to avoid getting any on any lens surfaces.
I screwed the lens back on. I noticed that it didn't really matter that I was careful about the distance of the lens to the shutter; there is only one way to put it back on correctly. Too close and the lens can't focus in all the way; too far out and the lens falls off when focusing. So there's only one 'Goldilocks' distance anyway. Can't mess it up, not even a guy like me.
I discovered that the stake that limits the lens travel is a bit hard to restart in the hole, so I held it with a set of needlenose pliers and then started it gently with a tiny blade screwdriver and it went right in.
I should mention that in all of this, I use my grandfather's old magnifying draftsman hood; my eyes are way too old for me to see this tiny stuff otherwise.
I glued down some random bits of leatherette that were starting to lift up, and Bob's your uncle.
The lens is clean and turns freely. The speed ring moves smoothly (I think the heat plus my rubbing alcohol q-tip cleaning frenzy loosened it up) and everything appears to be functional. Nothing to do now but take it out and shoot some photos.
I'll report back when I've done so, but at the moment, I am fresh out of 120 film. So give me some time on that.
The Welmy was a 6x6 120 rollfilm scale-focus folding camera made in Japan post-WWII. This one was marked 'E-P' on the cold shoe, indicating it was sold on a military base or post to US military personnel.
It is very common for the front element to be frozen on cameras like these. Fixing them is a bit of a crap shoot, but I've had good luck with them, and I was once again in luck today.
I was originally planning to remove the entire lens and shutter assembly from the front standard, and I have a proper spanner for removing the nut that holds it on from inside the back of the camera, but the nut had been painted over during assembly, and when I tried to turn it, it turned the entire shutter assembly. It then wanted to dig into the bellows sides, which I did not want to do. The bellows, by the way, look pretty good. I'm hoping for no light leaks.
I build and repair vacuum tube amplifiers as a hobby, so I happen to have a heat gun used for shrink-wrap tubing. You can get them about anywhere, they don't cost much. Basically a hair dryer in a smaller form with a concentrated nozzle.
So I applied heat carefully to the front of the lens. It only took about 30 seconds for the lens to become too hot to touch by hand, and the lens helicoid started to turn.
I removed the heat and then used a small screwdriver to remove the stake that limits the lens travel when focusing. I marked the distance of the lens to the shutter for re-assembly later. Then I unscrewed the lens and it popped off the camera.
I used loads of q-tips and rubbing alcohol to remove the ancient cement-like alleged lubricant from the helicoid threads. I was just patient and kept at it until the q-tips were clean.
Then I cleaned the inside of both the lens front and the inside over the shutter using fresh q-tips and rubbing alcohol. I was gentle; I have heard that frequently the inside elements were not coated like the outside elements were. I didn't want to scratch them up.
I then applied a very tiny amount of white lithium grease to the helicoid threads with a q-tip, being careful to avoid getting any on any lens surfaces.
I screwed the lens back on. I noticed that it didn't really matter that I was careful about the distance of the lens to the shutter; there is only one way to put it back on correctly. Too close and the lens can't focus in all the way; too far out and the lens falls off when focusing. So there's only one 'Goldilocks' distance anyway. Can't mess it up, not even a guy like me.
I discovered that the stake that limits the lens travel is a bit hard to restart in the hole, so I held it with a set of needlenose pliers and then started it gently with a tiny blade screwdriver and it went right in.
I should mention that in all of this, I use my grandfather's old magnifying draftsman hood; my eyes are way too old for me to see this tiny stuff otherwise.
I glued down some random bits of leatherette that were starting to lift up, and Bob's your uncle.
The lens is clean and turns freely. The speed ring moves smoothly (I think the heat plus my rubbing alcohol q-tip cleaning frenzy loosened it up) and everything appears to be functional. Nothing to do now but take it out and shoot some photos.
I'll report back when I've done so, but at the moment, I am fresh out of 120 film. So give me some time on that.
