Rolleiflex Door Repair?

[Unknxwn]

Hi everyone,

I have a Rolleiflex 2.8F camera. The tripod mount on the backdoor seems to be pulled out a few mm (specifically in the front of the mount, it seems to be seated well in the back), and as a result all 4 "legs" of the camera do not sit on the surface when I place it down


Functionally, I am able to open and close the camera without a problem. Upon further inspection I notice that it does not close as flush against the body on the crank arm side of the compared to the side with the focusing knob. Here are some photos: https://imgur.com/a/q9D4LzI

I was wondering whether such a repair is feasible, or am I better off searching for a replacement door?

 

[Dan Daniel]

Please add a couple of photos showing the interior of the door bottom. This is where the real concerns lie. Not sitting on all four feet is a minor annoyance but nothing critical by itself.

There is some bending that can be done to reform the back door. And the flushness issue can be gently bent out. A big part of this depends on your comfort doing such bending and forming.

Is the camera working as the door is now? Will the Automat film system engage properly? Any light leaks?

 

[Unknxwn]

Thanks for the response Dan!

Here are the photos of the interior of the camera: https://imgur.com/a/Wj0a6Rb
While hard to make out from the photo, the bottom left area and back right area both have slight bumps, but the exterior of the camera has no dents so I assume this is from the damaged tripod mount/open mechanism.

The camera operates fine. I have only ran 1 roll through it but have yet to develop it so I'm not sure if there are any light leaks.

 

[Dan Daniel]

On the silver disk on the interior you can see two small holes. These would be used to unscrew the part and separate the interior part from the exterior part. If you are into exploring, you could take this apart and see what has caused the front bottom of the assembly to bend outwards so far.

I'm surprised the interior doesn't show much damage. The way that part has separated at the front on the outside is pretty extreme.

Two simpler things you can do. One is to press the bottom part back to the inside. Find a block of something semi-soft that will press against the exterior disk but be clear of the feet. Put the door on the block with the block on the outside. Now press on the interior black front area and see if the silver part will seat back into the door. Oh, have the latch in the 'closed' position for this.

You might also check the small silver disk on the interior and its outside area. This is probably snapped off, allowing the latch mechanism to sit away from the body like that.

For the mating of the sides of the door to the body, install the door on the camera. Now you want to grab the bottom section and slightly bend it in the direction needed to get a better match. This is a subtle thing. Obviously too much force and you can ruin the door. But not enough and nothing will move. Well, anyway, let's say the wind side section needs to be made more perpendicular to the back section and maybe slightly twisted. You just hold that section and apply force to a large area. Hard to describe.... Well, doing it with your hand is the way to go, and having the back attached to the camera keeps the hinge pin at the top as a secure pivot point for leveraging. Subtle.