Super Fujica 6- top removal? rangefinder cleaning?

[Dan Daniel]

Playing around with a Super Fujica 6 (6x6cm folder with integrated rangefinder). The rangefinder is dirty and has some loose glass elements rattling around. So I am hoping to get the top off and clean/reglue it. Horizontal and vertical are both off a bit, too, but still usable.

Anyone know how to get the top off? I see the 4 obvious screws around the part. But the little frame advance button and the wind knob top part seem to be the hangups, and neither has any obvious screws or slots.

Thanks.

 

[Dan Daniel]

I have everything loose except for the wind knob. It is a large silver disk with no set screws or such visible. I assume that there is a threaded attachment to the wind tab axle inside. I've tried a fair amount of pressure to unscrew the axle fro the wind knob. But I do not want to snap it off, of course.

Any clues from other Fujica 6 models, maybe?

 

[Wouter2]

Might be clockwise to unscrew?

I have everything loose except for the wind knob. It is a large silver disk with no set screws or such visible. I assume that there is a threaded attachment to the wind tab axle inside. I've tried a fair amount of pressure to unscrew the axle fro the wind knob. But I do not want to snap it off, of course.

Any clues from other Fujica 6 models, maybe?

 

[Dan Daniel]

Might be clockwise to unscrew?

Thanks. I've tried, and again scared to snap.

Based on its use, clockwise threading would always be going in the direction to unthread with pressure from the film spool. If it is anti-clockwise to unthread, winding the film will be always applying tightening pressure. Sorry for no photo, such a pain to put them up here. Think of a 35mm camera and the rewind film path. Looking down on camera, film on right side going to left. Knob on left, winding in a clockwise direction looking down.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Does it release from below the knob? That is, is the screw in the film compartment? I had one of these kinds of conundrums once and found the whole assembly was fastened from inside the camera.
Phil Forrest

 

[Dan Daniel]

Does it release from below the knob? That is, is the screw in the film compartment? I had one of these kinds of conundrums once and found the whole assembly was fastened from inside the camera.
Phil Forrest

Yep, looked inside. The closest I could find is what might be a very small set screw at the center of the spool tab. The size you'll find on old Zeiss folders, maybe 1.2mm in diameter. Trying to unscrew it, one side of its slot broke off. Not even sure if it a set screw, could just be a dent in the center of the metal.

Maybe that's the answer. Just seems so darn small to hold a large axle under pressure. If nothing else works out, I'll drill in and see. Can always drill it out and for a set screw if it is the answer.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Does that winder knob pull up at all? I looked at photos of the camera, and if it is the correct one, the winder knob sits atop a formed lip in the top plate. I see it has pins on the bottom of the camera, presumably spring-loaded to hold the spools in, but I'm wondering if there is any wiggle room up above. That appears to be a frame counter visible in a cut in the top plate lip under the knob. Is there a space or gap in that counter where you could stick a screwdriver to loosen a grub screw? I wish I had one of these in front of me.
Perhaps heat up the winder shaft with a soldering iron and allow the differential cooling assist in separating the pieces, just in case the top knob simply screws into the shaft. Baffling. Keep us posted!

Phil Forrest

 

[Dan Daniel]

Someone found me this page:
https://tokyo-camera-repair.com/fujifilm-super-fujica-6-20200706/
Looking at the stub of the wind axle in the middle of the counter area, looks like there are no threads on it. Is the silver knob a press fit?? Seems like a weird way to handle a critical connection. Why not just put a screw in the middle like almost every other folder maker of the era? Well, still wondering....

 

[Dan Daniel]

Someone found me this page:
https://tokyo-camera-repair.com/fujifilm-super-fujica-6-20200706/
Looking at the stub of the wind axle in the middle of the counter area, looks like there are no threads on it. Is the silver knob a press fit?? Seems like a weird way to handle a critical connection. Why not just put a screw in the middle like almost every other folder maker of the era? Well, still wondering....

OK, solved. The top silver knob simply screws onto a large threaded axle, as one would suspect. It simply would not budge for me. A small blowtorch was the answer.



I had heated the axle from the inside, applying the blowtorch to the spool winding tab on the interior of the camera. Maybe this was what was needed to get the threads to break apart. I had applied heat to the top silver disk much earlier without a change.



Much of the metal parts inside the camera have an interesting corrosion. Sort of a light green-tan coating over parts. As if an anodizing or some other coating had corroded over time. A few other interior screws needed to be 'broken apart' to do some cleaning and lubing, so maybe this is what was holding the wind knob in place so securely.


By the way, the red rangefinder patch window is a piece of tinted glass that pops out easily. Some day I might insert a piece of light yellow lighting gel over this window. But for now it is simply a piece of acetate glued in place. Beyond the dust seal and tinting, the exterior glass has no optical function. Same for the main viewfinder front cover glass- flat glass, that is all. I prefer brighter image and no tint to faint image with color contrast.