Leica LTM Weirdness with my IIIF film wind / shutter cocking

[Beemermark]

I have a IIIF that I had the curtains replaced and given a CLA most likely by Ye Youxin. Don't remember when it was done but probably 4~6 years ago. It's probably the best IIIF I've ever owned with great VF and RF patch. Anyway I was getting ready to shoot with it and while I was watching TV I was winding the film advance and tripping the shutter through all the shutter speeds. After doing this maybe 5 or 6 times the shutter wouldn't fire. Then I notice at the end of the knob wind it required a little extra effort to actually cock the shutter. The effort at the end felt really rough but it only took about 10 degrees turning the film advance to fire the shutter. So I opened the camera up and got a can of compressed air to make sure there wasn't any film chunks stuck in the shutter. There wasn't any. After doing that winding the film advance didn't move the shutter curtains at all. The film advance turned with zero effort. So now I think the shutter curtains have come un-glued the spool. So I'm playing with thinking it's back to Ye when the curtains start to move. Know the 10 degrees of roughness is in the middle of the advance (not the end). Another 5 or 6 tries and everything is back to perfection. Advance is smooth, shutter fires at all speeds. Life is good BUT what the heck is going on.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Do you have the rewind lever all the way to the normal position? I man the lever you move to disengage the wind mechanism so the film can be rewound. I've noticed if I have it slightly off on my IIIf bodies that weirdness like you described can happen. If that's not it, I'd send it in for repair.

 

[Beemermark]

Rewind lever was the 1st check.

 

[Franko]

Mine does the same. I contacted Youxin about it and his response was that the value of the body made it not worth fixing.

When my wind slips, I move the shutter speed dial about 1/16th inch (no more to prevent damage) and my wind begins working again. Best guess is that something in the shutter train is not going full travel to release the wind mech. The rewind clutch lever was the first thing I checked when this began.

 

[Coldkennels]

Out of interest, has your shutter ever been "patched"?

I started to notice similar behaviour if my IIIf had sat idle for a while - the first wind would have a noticeable increase in resistance towards the end of the shutter travel, and then after that first wind, it'd be alright.

Then I took it on a trip to France and noticed a pinhole on almost every negative I shot while out there, so I removed the shutter crate to inspect, and sure enough... at some point before I owned it, someone has used something like liquid electrical tape to patch the hole, and it seems like whatever was used is now degrading - I can only presume that's what's causing the "bump" when I wind-on.

 

[p.giannakis]

the first wind would have a noticeable increase in resistance towards the end of the shutter travel, and then after that first wind, it'd be alright.

Mine does exactly the same. Interesting. I wonder how did you solve it - did replacing the curtain solve it?

 

[Coldkennels]

Mine does exactly the same. Interesting. I wonder how did you solve it - did replacing the curtain solve it?

I haven't fixed it yet. I've literally just had a IIIg's shutter replaced, so I'm making sure that works properly before I commit to having the IIIf curtain replaced by the same guy.

For what it's worth, I had another IIIf years back with a severely cracked-up shutter and had a similar response from a couple of British techs as Franko got from Youxin Ye (essentially, "you'll pay more in having it repaired than it's worth"). This IIIf was the replacement, and I got maybe a decade of use out of it before this problem reared its ugly head. I now wish that I'd just coughed up and paid for a replacement shutter on the first one!

 

[JSteed#2]

i find this problem is due to defective loading. Make sure that the film enters the take up spool properly and is not bunching up as you wind. As we say in the US "been there, done that."

 

[Beemermark]

i find this problem is due to defective loading. Make sure that the film enters the take up spool properly and is not bunching up as you wind. As we say in the US "been there, done that."

No film in the camera.

 

[Franko]

Mine does it with or without film loaded. When it slips and I move the shutter speed dial the shutter release pops up about 1/16th inch and all is well for a while. It's been happening for quite a while so moving the dial has become almost automatic.

I'm too happy using it to set it aside.

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Mine does the same. I contacted Youxin about it and his response was that the value of the body made it not worth fixing.

When my wind slips, I move the shutter speed dial about 1/16th inch (no more to prevent damage) and my wind begins working again. Best guess is that something in the shutter train is not going full travel to release the wind mech. The rewind clutch lever was the first thing I checked when this began.

If the flat spring on the bottom of the shutter crate is out of adjustment the advance can slip. It will have the same effect as a rewind release that's not fully off. It's usually a quick and simple adjustment. The Leitz service manual is clear and specific about the adjustment procedure.