Zorki 1 - oily inside...

[Beryllium]

Hi,

RFF newbie here, though I've been lurking for a while. Hi all! And curse you for forcing me to look out for more RFs... I hear a GSN calling my name now 😎

I picked up a Zorki 1 in Moscow a while ago, and all seems to be in working order - shutter speeds sound and look right, no light leaks visible with a bright torch in a dark room. So it's all good...

Except I haven't run a whole film through it yet because the inside has been "enthusiastically" oiled, and is leaving oily streaks on films I put in there. So my question really is: how much oil do they need in the film transport mechanism? Any? Should I leave some behind or just remove as much as I can from the rollers, cogs, etc?

It's currently had the body and lens mount removed and so is reasonably accesible for cleaning. Any suggestions on the best way to proceed?

Thanks in advance!

 

[DaveP]

With the body off like that I think I would swab up as much as possible then fire it at the highest speed dozens of times to sling out he rest. Then i would swab with some lighter fluid until the beast is dry. If the curtains are soaked, it would probably be a good idea to go ahead and send to Oleg. That oil will eventually soften the glue on the ribbons attaching them to the rollers............

 

[pshinkaw]

Assuming that you are just wiping up excess oil, you probably can't remove too much of it. Cameras are typically lubed with tiny, tiny amounts of oil. If it is noticeable, there is too much of it.

I suggest getting as much out as possible and inspecting the shutter curtains closely to see if any oil has soaked in. Store the camera upright to keep oil from draining into the rangefinder /viewfinder glass.

Good luck.

-Paul

 

[Beryllium]

Thanks - good advice with the shutter firing. I wouldn't have thought of that.

Thankfully, the shutter curtain is clean and dry. It's the bits outside the shutter box that are causing trouble.

I suspect it had been greased up to sell quickly to some idiot like me. Bought it at Ismailova, and the fact that this one was nice and smooth while all the others had seized up in the -20C temps should have been a hint... The lens (I-22) focusing thread is leaking plenty too.

It should be pretty clean soon enough, though, so then we'll see whether it really works 😀

 

[wyk_penguin]

Don't worry. If it works, it works. If it doesn't work, it will work after it comes back from Oleg. 🙂 Lighter fluid will do the trick. Whatever problems you encounter, "Use force~~"

 

[DaveP]

Be very carefull with the lighter fluid, that will deffinitely undo the glue on the ribbons, and i can prove it! Put it on small scraps of rags and swab it around............

 

[pshinkaw]

You can also use a spray-on electronic component cleaner. They are commonly found in electronic parts shops like Altex electronics (maybe Radio Shack too). They will dissolve grease and oil, but because they dry so fast the oil won't get very far before the solvent evaporates. You scan spray and absorb repeatedly until you move the ol onto an absorbent cloth.

-Paul

 

[Beryllium]

Thanks for the hints. I didn't have lighter fluid, so I used some "lens cleaner" (isopropyl alcohol) to get the fine surface covering of oil off the rollers. Seemed to work fine. The gears are still lubricated (a bit), but now nothing that comes into direct contact with a film is.

All went back together, and then I realised the film pressure plate was upside down :bang: So, apart it comes again... And then I'll see if it works 😀 Optimism reigns.