Stiff Summicron 5cm - help

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garysblim

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Hi all:

I got my summicron 5cm from ARAX for CLA but found the focus ring is very stiff. 😱 It turns but sometimes it looser and sometimes it's so stiff that it will dismount. Otherwise the lens looks fantastic. Does anyone know if I can relubricate the screw myself? If yes, what kind and how? Any help is very much appreicated!!

Thanks, 🙂

Gary
 
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You have to be prepared to make two big ring wrenches. That will take some reasonably thick sheet brass or aluminum, drills, a jeweler's saw, and files. You also need a lens spanner. If you don't have these, or aren't prepared to acquire or make them, send it to a pro, who will do the job for about $75. They can also clean the internal surfaces of the glass, which is something no amateur should attempt on a collapsible Summicron. (Loss of coating is the certain result.)

It's also a rather complete teardown of the lens. You need good mechanical aptitude.

First you have to remove the optical block. Extend the lens, remove the lone setscrew on the side of the barrel. Collapse the lens, remove the spanner ring on the rear. Remove the optical block, and set aside.

You probably can leave the sliding barrel in the lens while you work on the focusing mount, but I'm not sure, never done that part. Best to leave it in if you can, since it's easy to lose the ball bearing, and easy to mess up the felt.

The ring wrenches go around the focusing collar. The lower one around the distance scale, the upper one around the knurling at the top of the focusing collar. These will need to be unusual ring wrenches, since they will need a large gap to go around the infinity lock and focusing tab.

From here, you'll need to follow your visual intuition. From when I did the same to my Summitar, it's not hard.
 
Thanks John. I thought I could take off the rear ring where the focusing ring mates with the mount. I guess it's more involved that I thought. 🙁 Do you have any good place for me to send? I really like this lens. Thanks again.
 
garysblim said:
Thanks John. I thought I could take off the rear ring where the focusing ring mates with the mount. I guess it's more involved that I thought. 🙁 Do you have any good place for me to send? I really like this lens. Thanks again.
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Sherry Krauter is also a good one for this type of work. Her turnaround time is often shorter than DAG.
 
Just got words from Don that the lens can be fixed but it needs a complete new CLA. Apparently, ARAX didn't do the job properly. Anyway, I'm going ahead to fix it and kee you guys posted. Btw, Don seems to be a very guy to deal with.
 
Final update - got my lens yesterday back from Don. Boy, it's smooth as butter! He did a fantastic job! Now, I just need to load up some films and start shooting!! lol
 
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