Weird issue wit a Leica M7 - winding film gets progressively harder

mfogiel

mfogiel

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I have an M7 that has developed a strange issue recently. I got to about 30th frame, and then winding started acting as if I was at the end of the film, it was impossible to advance more. I thought at first that I was done with this roll and that the counter was at fault. I have developed the film and saw though, that in fact it WAS the 30th frame and there was a clear strip at the end. On the next roll the resistance started showing through around the 20th frame, so I have tried to use the rewind crank to " free up" the film. This has worked to some degree, so I managed to finish the roll, although it was a real PITA. Next, I took out the roll and started simply rotating the rewind crank, as if I was advancing a roll inside the camera. To my astonishment, the crank started soon acting as if it was tied up with something. The overall impression was, as if I there was some nylon thread inside the camera, that would eventually get wound up to the point of blocking the crank completely. Has anybody got a clue as to what it might be??? Thanks, Marek.
 
I have seen this problem on other Ms, mostly M2 and M3 with the rewind knob but not the M4 and later rewind crank. In those cases it was a little fork-type piece inside the rewind knob that was broken, but that part doesn’t exist in an M7. I’d recommend asking DAG, if anyone has seen this it would be him.
 
The most common cause of this is the slotted washer under the rewind crank coming loose, or the rewind knob coming loose. As you wind the washer rises and jams the rewind knob against the camera body, or the knob tightens and untightens. When you rewind the film these problems abate, usually only temporarily. Reading your description it sounds more like the slotted washer than the crank.

http://web.archive.org/web/20070808...penn.edu/usr/cassidy/leicaslacker/rewind.html

If just re-tightening it doesn’t work, try some blue (releasable) Loctite. DO NOT use red (permanent Loctite) - the washer needs to be removable for a lot of service and repair operations.

Marty
 
Thanks a lot guys, I haven't managed to unscrew the crank, but by twisting and lubing, I've managed to make it work for now.
 
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