Zorki 4 hot shoe fix

[mszargar]

Hi!

Does anybody know how to fix a loose hot shoe on a zorki 4? I tried tightening the screw on top, but that one does not seem to fulfill the desired function. My external viewfinder is too shaky on this loose hot shoe.

Thanks
Mah

 

[rjbuzzclick]

I believe that they are riveted in. I had one Zorki 4 that was missing the shoe on top and I just attached a different shoe with contact cement and so far it's holding well.

BTW, the shoe on the Zorki 4's are a called a cold shoe or accessory shoe as they have no electrical contacts to trigger a flash like a hot shoe does.

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Only the first Zorki's 4 made in the fifties had screwed on flash shoes. So can you reveal the year of production of your Zorki, then we know if it had a rivited or a srewed shoe.

 

[mszargar]

Well, I didn't there has been alterations to the design of the shoe as well. This is a 66 export model (everything engraved on the body, in Latin characters - not Cyrillic ). So, I guess the shoe is riveted and nothing specific can be done about it?

 

[rjbuzzclick]

Thanks for the clarification Ron. Both of my Zorki 4 bodies ('63 and '65) are riveted.

mszargar-If you're handy with tools, you could take the top off the camera and try to tap the rivets flat again, making sure to support the opposite side so as to not deform the top. That may hold for a while. Otherwise, drill out the rivets and either try an adhesive like contact cement, or find some small, low profile screws, lockwashers, and nuts.

 

[mszargar]

The contact cement couldn't really bear the weight of the viewfinder for long. I have to find a permanent solution.

 

[fanshaw]

I think that an epoxy adhesive such as Araldite would be strong enough.

 

[wolves3012]

If you remove the top cover and put the shoe over some sort of mandrel, it ought to be possible to tighten the rivets up with a suitable hammer and punch. Otherwise, fanshaw's suggestion will be the best. Spread over the shoe area, an epoxy would hold a quarter of a tonne or so, in tension.

 

[mszargar]

I think I will go with the epoxy. I don't have the tools to fix the rivets. Thanks for the suggestions again.

 

[Dez]

I suspect that grinding out the rivets so you can get the epoxy spread is more complex than taking off the top to get at both ends of the rivets, and more likely to cause damage. If you have a couple of large nails, a hammer and a file, you can easily make a punch and anvil setup to compress the rivets.

If the shoe is very loose, there is a zero work fix you might try. Pry up the rear of the shoe as much as you can, and try to get some Crazy Glue into the crack under it. Spread it around under the shoe with a piece of paper, then press the shoe down hard for at least a minute. This glue has the interesting property that it will stay liquid for a very long time unless it is under pressure, whereupon it hardens in less than a minute.

The story is that this stuff was invented to glue people back together in mortuaries. I have no idea if that is true, but it REALLY likes to stick skin to just about anything, so wipe off all the excess carefully before applying any pressure.

Cheers,
Dez

 

[mszargar]

I didn't take the rivets out at all... Actually the shoe came off completely the other day. The rivets moved freely in their holes. I told myself if I leave them, they will actually strengthen the bond between the shoe and the body as they will bring some glue with them inside the holes and expand the contact surface. And the epoxy worked perfectly. I think the shoe will outlive the rest of the camera now...

And about the Crazy Glue: I don't know if the legend is true, but once I accidentally glued two of my fingers together with it. Needless to say, I could only set them free by cutting through the unified layer of skin between them with a razor. Fun stuff!

 

[wolves3012]

The story is that this stuff was invented to glue people back together in mortuaries. I have no idea if that is true, but it REALLY likes to stick skin to just about anything, so wipe off all the excess carefully before applying any pressure.

Cheers,
Dez

I believe it was designed for the living, especially to glue wounds together in military scenarios. It is used routinely in surgery, there's less scarring than from traditional stitching of incisions. Medical grades are slightly different, chemically, than domestic and industrial types. It cures in the presence of water but it's nowhere near as strong a bond as epoxies and it doesn't fill gaps very well.

 

[mszargar]

Probably we can't get further away from FSU cameras in this forum, but following your suggestions I used the super glue to glue my wife's broken toe nail! Works perfectly...

🙂