Super Ikonta III quirks

[LeReilly]

Hi all!

I'm very fortunate to have found a very nice looking Super Ikonta III that seems in full working order. However I noticed a couple of early quircks and I was wondering if I could do something.

1. Shutter manual release needs to be pressed HARD

At first I thought that the shutter was stuck, but it turns out the last 2 millimeters on the manual release need a real hard pressure to happen, and cause a 1-2 seconds delay when I press it.

(on the second pic you can see that a "simple" press will not go all the way)

I was told putting a bit of lighter fluid then PTFE grease might help. Is that correct or am I missing something?

2. The focusing ring is not super smooth

I don't think it's that big of an issue as I can focus freely, but some areas of the wheel have a bit more resistance. I don't want to open it but maybe I can do something from the outside.

What do you think?

Thanks a lot for your help as I really want to shoot with it!

 

[Muggins]

Lighter fluid is something of a universal cure-all as it dissolves grease and evaporates without leaving a residue, unlike a well-known brand beginning with WD and ending in 40. If your problem is caused by sticky grease or a build-up of grot, it will probably work - though be careful because if you apply too much it will take the dissolved grease into places it shouldn't be, and the grease will be left behind when the fluid evaporates.

I would work through the shutter release mechanism - I'd expect there to be a plunger below the button pressing on something that turns a bar inside the front door of the camera that has a prong that engages on release on the shutter body (check this - I only have a Moskva to compare with, which is a copy of a much earlier Super Ikonta) and make sure that nothing is bent or misaligned before you start sloshing lighter fluid around. And if you do use it, try to set up so that you are adding in one spot, and removing from that spot - eg with a cotton bud behond the p[art you are applying it to - to collect any grease you move, and work slowly through the moving parts.

I'll leave the focus ring to others - well outside my line!

 

[Dan Daniel]

I'd suggest working backwards on the shutter release. At the front lower left of the shutter is a silver lever sticking out of the shutter block. this is the actual release. Cock shutter, see how this lever feels. next to it is a black tabbed plate. Cock shutter, press this plate (this is also a secondary release for general use- sometimes you can lock the double exposure prevention without having fired the shutter, so this tab can be used to fire the camera). Now trace this plate and its rotating axle along the bottom of the lens base, back to the camera body. It will turn towards the left and into the main body.

If everything feels smooth up until it goes into the body, as least you know where the problem is. So yes, you can drip a little naphtha down the shutter release body and work it around, see if it helps. As long as you do small amounts, there is nothing along the shaft that will be hurt by the naphtha.

Focus stiffness- a gain, small drops of naphtha could be helpful around the front lens element mount. But also dangerous if it gets inside the lens group and fogs it up. SMALL drops. All in all, see if exercising it will loosen it up.


Great camera- enjoy.

 

[LeReilly]

Thank you both for you comments and help.

I think the overall mechanism work. Like the black element is moving toward the shutter and starts pushing it fine. It's just the very last push, that final millimeter, that needs a stronger push.

Here's what it looks like from the front right before I give it that extra push to trip it.

I'll get the lighter fluid tomorrow.
Maybe I'll also get a drop on the focus wheel with a q-tip or something.

 

[Muggins]

The other possibility (which I have only thought of looking at your pic - sorry!) is that the shutter assembly is not quite positioned correctly, possibly if someone has worked on it and reassembled it, or maybe if someone has applied a little too much force to a stiff focus ring. Is there any movement in the shutter body itself? If so, it may be that the release cannot quite push it far enough to trip the shutter.

 

[LeReilly]

Alright so I applied a bit of lighter fluid around the focus ring and it's waaay smoother now, with a tiny bit of stickyness at infinity. But I think I can live with it.

I cleaned and lubricated all parts of the shutter button but it doesn't make a big difference. I read on another forum that the super ikonta buttons are pretty stiff and needs strong force to be applied. So maybe that's "normal", but as it's my first one it's hard to say. Maybe I'm obsessing over something that I cannot improve.

Most speeds seem fine except 1/2 and 1 which are a bit too long but I'm not expecting to really use them.

Test roll this weekend. 🙂

 

[LeReilly]

Alright I think I found and "solved" the issue: the black moving part is, for some reason, a bit too far from the shutter. The course it needs to travel by top plate button press is too long and will only trip the shutter at maximum force/travel.

So I stuck a couple of milimeters of light seal foam there to close the gap. And now the camera is consistently firing with no efforts!

Maybe this will help someone down the line, so I figured I'd post it.
(there may be a way to re-align the black lever closer to the shutter but didn't found it)

 

[Johngwill]

Looking at your picture and checking my camera which has recently been serviced, it looks like the shutter release is in the wrong position. This could have been caused by the front lens assembly being removed at some time and not being replaced in the right position.

While your solution works you should consider having the camera serviced as the release is not in the correct position.

 

[LeReilly]

I'm really sorry I'm not sure I can see/understand the difference between your picture and mine. Are you suggesting that the whole front element is slightly misaligned?
(where did you get yours serviced?)

I'm doing my test roll right now, hopeing for the best.

 

[Johngwill]

I was wondering if the lens/shutter assembly may have been removed at some time and the shutter ring was slightly out of alignment when replaced. It seems that if it was rotated slightly more to the left it would touch the black actuator arm (with my camera the silver shutter arm touches the black actuator). Of course the actuator arm might also be slightly bent.

My camera was serviced by Jurgen Kreckel (Certo 6) https://certo6.com/ he did a great job.

Hope your test roll comes out fine.