Mr_Flibble
In Tabulas Argenteas Refero
I bought a Weltini II through Ebay a couple of years ago, and during the initial test roll several flaws became apparent. The biggest problem was that the film frame lock. It wasn't working. And I could hear something ratcheting under the advance knob on the bottom of the camera.
The Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f/2 lens is in pretty rough shape. The front glass is heavily marred with cleaning marks. And the RF was off. So the camera became a shelf queen.
Until a couple of weeks ago I came across the camera again when I was re-arranging the display cabinet and I thought, why not give it another go.
A Weltini II somewhat similar to mine, though mine has another lock for the back door more like that of a Zeiss Ikon Nettar with a small recessed knob. The release button also differs as mine is without the top rim. And the winding lock release button on the bottom is in another location.
Before putting another roll through it I made an attempt to fix all the problems.
I had quite a fight getting into the bottom compartment to check and clean the film frame lock mechanism. Mainly because the knobs are screwed on with a reversed thread. Took a few emails and posts to knowledgable people to figure it out. Getting them off was the second problem.
I finally managed to open up the bottom compartment after stripping the top off the camera, and disassembling the take-up roller, that allowed me to finally find a good grip on the offending parts and unscrew them.
Inside I found carnage! It looked like graphite grease but was in fact oil mixed with metal shavings and dirt.
Immediately the problem with the mechanism became clear. the tooth that captures a ratched wheel on the winding mechanism was partially worn away, (probably because some b*****d didn't know how to use the camera properly)
So I cleaned out the compartment, greased some sliding parts, bent some torque springs to make them more springy, bent the remainder of the tooth so that it would catch the sprockets of the wheel on the take-up stem again.
While I was at it I cleaned and adjusted the RF and replaced some missing screws.
(Now, apparently if you replace a screw in the DOF plate on top of the Weltini II that is too long, it'll catch the frame counter mechanism and lock up the entire camera. D'OH!)
After reassembling I loaded it up with a roll of Lucky 200 Color and took it with me to a small event in Achtmaal. US Army veterans from the 104th Infantry Division ("The Timberwolves") and their families came to visit the area around Achtmaal. A small Dutch town the division liberated in Oktober 1944.
I was there with the "Friends of the Timberwolves Foundation" and a few more re-enactors / living historians.
I scanned the negatives at 2400dpi, as B/W negatives in Vuescan, with the Generic Color film settings.
I went with B/W because if I find Lucky 200 Color to be absolutely horrible in color (unless you like that Agfa color film look from the 1950s, which I do...sometimes)
All exposures were calculated using Sunny f/16 after one initial reading with a VCII meter.
Bas, the bugle-boy who played Taps at the War Memorial in Zundert
Pete, explaining what happened at this particular location back in 1944
Bart, enjoying the sunshine from the back of a GMC
Visiting the Timberwolves Museum in Achtmaal
Signing a few copies of 'War Stories'
Living Proof that "Nothing in Hell can stop the Timberwolves"
Cookie, and his kitchencrew helped prepair a nice lunch for the visitors
Bas, wearing the special pin we all received for making the Veterans' visit memorable.
The fixes worked pretty well, though I could feel the frame stop catch a little too early or too late on some occassions. I had 2 or 3 small frame overlaps, but nothing to serious.
The cleaning marks on the lens seem to be of no concern either, except for the little expected additional flare here and there.
I guess the compact little Weltini II is a shelf queen no more 😉
The Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f/2 lens is in pretty rough shape. The front glass is heavily marred with cleaning marks. And the RF was off. So the camera became a shelf queen.
Until a couple of weeks ago I came across the camera again when I was re-arranging the display cabinet and I thought, why not give it another go.
A Weltini II somewhat similar to mine, though mine has another lock for the back door more like that of a Zeiss Ikon Nettar with a small recessed knob. The release button also differs as mine is without the top rim. And the winding lock release button on the bottom is in another location.
Before putting another roll through it I made an attempt to fix all the problems.
I had quite a fight getting into the bottom compartment to check and clean the film frame lock mechanism. Mainly because the knobs are screwed on with a reversed thread. Took a few emails and posts to knowledgable people to figure it out. Getting them off was the second problem.
I finally managed to open up the bottom compartment after stripping the top off the camera, and disassembling the take-up roller, that allowed me to finally find a good grip on the offending parts and unscrew them.
Inside I found carnage! It looked like graphite grease but was in fact oil mixed with metal shavings and dirt.
Immediately the problem with the mechanism became clear. the tooth that captures a ratched wheel on the winding mechanism was partially worn away, (probably because some b*****d didn't know how to use the camera properly)
So I cleaned out the compartment, greased some sliding parts, bent some torque springs to make them more springy, bent the remainder of the tooth so that it would catch the sprockets of the wheel on the take-up stem again.
While I was at it I cleaned and adjusted the RF and replaced some missing screws.
(Now, apparently if you replace a screw in the DOF plate on top of the Weltini II that is too long, it'll catch the frame counter mechanism and lock up the entire camera. D'OH!)
After reassembling I loaded it up with a roll of Lucky 200 Color and took it with me to a small event in Achtmaal. US Army veterans from the 104th Infantry Division ("The Timberwolves") and their families came to visit the area around Achtmaal. A small Dutch town the division liberated in Oktober 1944.
I was there with the "Friends of the Timberwolves Foundation" and a few more re-enactors / living historians.
I scanned the negatives at 2400dpi, as B/W negatives in Vuescan, with the Generic Color film settings.
I went with B/W because if I find Lucky 200 Color to be absolutely horrible in color (unless you like that Agfa color film look from the 1950s, which I do...sometimes)
All exposures were calculated using Sunny f/16 after one initial reading with a VCII meter.
Bas, the bugle-boy who played Taps at the War Memorial in Zundert
Pete, explaining what happened at this particular location back in 1944
Bart, enjoying the sunshine from the back of a GMC
Visiting the Timberwolves Museum in Achtmaal
Signing a few copies of 'War Stories'
Living Proof that "Nothing in Hell can stop the Timberwolves"
Cookie, and his kitchencrew helped prepair a nice lunch for the visitors
Bas, wearing the special pin we all received for making the Veterans' visit memorable.
The fixes worked pretty well, though I could feel the frame stop catch a little too early or too late on some occassions. I had 2 or 3 small frame overlaps, but nothing to serious.
The cleaning marks on the lens seem to be of no concern either, except for the little expected additional flare here and there.
I guess the compact little Weltini II is a shelf queen no more 😉
