Tower 45 film advance issue

[mteresko]

I purchased a very clean Tower 45 that seems to have a film advance issue. I ran a roll through it and about half the images are overlapping. I wound the film back in a cassette and inspected as I ran it through again with the back door open. The film is properly engaged with the sprockets, however the film advance mechanism slips if a little bit of tension is applied to the film. The shutter cocks normally with a full lever stroke. What might be the cause of this?

 

[David Murphy]

I've had 35mm rangefinders of that era where the spindle holding the takeup spool slips when the film mechanism is advanced. This is a common problem.

Any time a camera like this is opened up, one might as well have a basic CLA performed since the repair cost is not that much more. Any competent local camera tech can do this. I would avoid using the expensive national repair shops for all except the most specialized work (they tend to be overpriced).

A fair price for this is about $100 if the shutter curtains do not require replacing. The camera will then be good for years.

The Tower 45 is a wonderful camera and worth keeping in good repair.