Zorki I, revivification attempt

[Mr_Flibble]

I picked up a Zorki I from Ebay in non-working condition (for peanuts). Shutter seems to be working okay, but the curtains are shot (as usually is the case with these cameras when I buy them, but these really were threadbare and were starting to tear).

I want to give it the a DIY shutter-repair and CLA (what better victim... errr...patient to try it out on before I touch my leica cameras). This would be my first serious attempt at this kind of repair.
I've ordered some replacement shutter curtains and downloaded Rick Oleson's curtain repair PDF. Any additional advice is of course welcome.

So far I have taken the shutter crate out of the shell. But now I've hit my first obstacle (2 in fact) while trying to remove the top cover.
the VF eye on the back and the left RF eye on the front are stuck. The other two unscrewed fine. I've tried with some pliers and a friction pad, but no success and I'm afraid that if I try harder I'll damage the bezels.

I have given both a little squirt of WD-40 and are letting them soak overnight. But if anyone has other methods for removing these I'm all ears.

I'll post some pictures of my progress over the weekend.
The other half of my workbench will be in use with attempting something similar with a Perfex Fifty Five.


Regards,

 

[Valkir1987]

Dear Mister Fibble,

I use common wooden pegs for laundry, to unscrew the eyelets. But I suspect they use different pegs in the UK.
Cover the end of the pliers with small rubber tubes, they increase grip and prevent damage on the metal parts.

I mark the end of the curtain and straps on the rollers, like discribed on Zorkikat's website. Measure the length of the curtains, and cut the new ones to the length after the curtains are glued to the laths.

Most important is, even for the experienced tech man to take a rest now and then. Sometimes persistence leads us farther away from the goal we disire.

Good luck!

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Hoi medelander 😉

Wooden "wasknijpers" shouldn't be a problem. Thanks for the tip. Will have a go at it when I get home from work today.

I'll not start removing the old curtains before I'm relatively sure of what I'm doing. 🙂

 

[batterytypehah!]

Never heard of clothespins for this before. I think even a wooden tool is too drastic. Plus, it still gives you only two contact points. You're more likely to distort the ring rather than unscrew it.

Try the Zorkikat wrench (http://www.zorkikat.com/the-zorkikat-wrench/189/) first. Worked like a charm for me.

You may also come to regret the WD-40... That stuff is designed to creep.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Dutch clothspins have a round section cut out of the jaw, but the wood is too soft to grip the bezel.

Did manage to remove the VF eye though...only the left RF eye is still stuck in place

 

[David Hughes]

Have you tried tightening it a fraction just before loosening it? It works with jam and marmalade jars...

Regards, David

PD Did you notice the use of a little of my very low German there?

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Thanks David, I wasn't expecting that to work, but it did.

Now the grub screw in the shutter dial is refusing to cooperate 🙁

 

[wolves3012]

Diesel fuel makes an excellent release oil for stubborn parts, just don't overdo it. As for tips on curtain replacement, the really crucial part is to mark the exact position of the old ones on the drum and also the tapes above and below at the drum end. Make certain the new ones are *exactly* the same size and placed identically to the old ones and all should work well. This is all covered on Jay's excellent site, of course. Clean and re-lube everything while you're in there and you'll have a smooth camera that'll be reliable!

 

[David Hughes]

Thanks David, I wasn't expecting that to work, but it did.

Now the grub screw in the shutter dial is refusing to cooperate 🙁

At the end of the day, it's hard to beat jam-jar and clothes peg technology...

Be careful with that grub screw, experience on other items (I don't touch cameras) says they are easy to snap in half. Luckily I used to have a lot of spares for my toys and so could tackle it without worrying. A friend of mine, many years later, said he uses a a jeweller's laser welder to fix a larger head on the grub screws and then uses that to get them out. I'd just soak it in WD 40 and some other potions overnight.

Regards, David

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Grrr, the head of the grub-screw holding the shutter dial in place is now stripped 🙁
I need to find another way of taking it out. Probably have to get out the dentist drill set.

I also fear I might run into some trouble with measuring the old curtains and ribbons as the curtains have hardened and probably shrunk a bit (they probably won't lie flat when I take them out of the crate).

 

[Valkir1987]

Dear Mister Fibble,

You can hold the curtains flat using a transparant ruler or (Geodriehoek) for measuring. Screws with broken heads, can be removed with either a very (really) sharp screwdriver or a small counterwise drill. In case you need help or parts you can contact me with a PM.

Good luck! 👍

 

[Mr_Flibble]

I've got some plexiglass where I could wedge it under.

Alright got the grub screw out. In the end I got out the dremel and inserted one of my dentist drill/polish/scraper bits. (If you want some go to your local dentist and ask if he can save a few for you. I used these bits back in the day to drill out the gun barrels on miniatures).
Anyway. I used the sharpest bit and drilled a new slot in the grub screw so the screwdriver could grab it. Et voila!

So here's a few pictures:

Taking the shell off

Top cover finally off

After the removal of the light baffles this is what I saw in the shutter crate 😱

(Okay, the square piece is where I had first attempted to patch the curtains before realizing it was hopeless)

Well, I'll see about removing the curtains and ribbons tomorrow if I can find the time.


Cheers,

 

[Mr_Flibble]

In case you need help or parts you can contact me with a PM.

Well, I'll probably need a new grub screw for the shutter dial now, unless I can salvage this one by cutting a new slot in it...if that is even possible... 😉

Thanks