Searching for information on camera and lens strip down and repairs

[Leo.G (Leo)]

I acquired a box full of old camera gear yesterday from the strangest place. I took my car to a different mechanics for a pink slip (registration inspection for non NSW members) and noticed the owner had a display of old tins, cameras, radios and mining gear in the waiting room. I asked the secretary who collected them and she told me "George". I assumed he was the owner and when I saw an older fellow I asked if he was George. I then suggested I have doubles of a few old cameras in my collection and he was welcome to them if he was interested. I got the shock of my life when he invited me into his workshop (customers are not allowed in the workshop) and told me perhaps I might like something and gave me a big box of old cameras to look through. I left only a few Polaroid land cameras, I already have several of those but took most of the box with him insisting I take the lot. He wouldn't accept anything for them, he said if I collected cameras they were better going to me than going to landfill..


Back to my issue, there are a few cameras like the Beirette with semi stuck iris blades and I'd really like to strip them and repair the stuck blades before they go into my collection.
The Canon Canonet QL25 seems to be functioning as does the Ricoh SLX500.
The Yashica Minister D has stuck blades again so it will be a strip and clean and the Sun 85-210 f3,8 lens has a sloppy lower section (wobbly).
I'm happy to pull all of this stuff apart to get it in working condition or as near as possible but it's so much easier with instructions.
Though every electronic Nikon lens I've pulled down I've done with nothing more than close inspection and a lot of care (fungus on lens elements mainly) and they have become good clean lenses I use regularly. They are cheaper when fungus has taken over the lens elements, down to prices I can afford.


EDIT Sun lens no longer wobbly and the zoom function now working. A little exploratory surgery is something I'm well known for and I mostly find and fix the faults (it's very rare I can't repair anything). I still have to figure out how to disassemble a plastic Prontor lens off a small Zeiss yet. I HATE plastic!




I know https://www.manualslib.com have some information but with cameras I haven't been so lucky in the past.


First thing I did when I got home was remove every battery from every camera with battery operated metering and from the original Polaroid Land flash unit, it took 4AA batteries and it is full of corrosion (battery acid) and will require a full strip down to clean the contacts up. It was near impossible to remove the battery door.
Why don't people think of this?


I'll post a couple of photos of what I acquired later.


Any information pointing me to resources would be much appreciated!

[gb44 (Glenn)]

Thats a fascinating hobby and a real restoration task, Leo.

Have you an opinion on the use of UVC for these optics? Do you think its always just one sort of fungus? I wonder where it comes from.
Does it sort of scoop up onto an alcohol laden cotton bud? Or is in integrating into the coatings?

I would expect if used after a cleaning then the UVC would help eliminate regrowth of the fungus from the spores. Dessicant must be a real help.

GlennB

[Leo.G (Leo)]

Thanks Glenn



I STUPIDLY put a Nikon lens out in the sun after reading all about it's the best way to kill most of the types of fungus in lenses. An 80-300mm and followed the instructions and put foil in the rear cap to reflect the sun back up the lens. I melted part of the lower lenses plastic internal structure after forgetting to check it in a short time period and I had it on my guided mount so I maximised the sun. I know better than to trust the internet!

The good part is I only paid $50 for the lens (genuine Nikon) and it still works like a charm. On a pension I can afford to mess up with a $50 lens.


Mostly I tend to strip the glass elements out and wash them with white vinegar which mostly works unless the fungus is between cemented lens elements. I've researched separating the elements but haven't been game to try it without the skill and technology to align and cement the pieces back together without air bubbles or faults. Plus quite often a lens with not too severe fungus can still produce fine images because the fungus so close to the sensor doesn't show up in the focal range.
First I'll wash the lens elements with soapy dish washing liquid, then white vinegar and most importantly a good soak,wash and rinse with distilled water. I mostly let them drain then wipe and polish as required.


This time I don't have any mouldy lenses but do have a 1960 (year of my birth) Zeiss Icon Colora which has a stuck film advance mechanism and stuck shutter button and self timer. All of this is done within the lens housing, I''ll post a good image later of the lens unit stripped down. I couldn't find relevant information on the particular camera or lens so went in with my trusty scalpel (fine straight blade screwdriver) and stripped the mechanism down. I now have a working shutter, timer and film advance lever once I get it al back together. Probably 15 hours of work but I'd never seen this mechanism before so it was a suck it and see job. It's something I've always excelled at no matter what despite my oft insistence I'm a hapless idiot.
The lens mechanism is back together, everything has been cleaned and lubricated very carefully with diabetes syringes I keep in packs (cheap at the pharmacy - I don't have diabetes and have never injected anything in my person in my life) for doing fine mechanical work and I'm keen to get the whole lot reassembled and have the camera in working condition.
I've started thinking I have another Zeiss Icon Contessa with the same problems and assuming it will be much the same mechanism.
I do have poor sight and I've never seen the level of complexity housed in the little lens itself so I utilised 4 pairs of various strength reading glasses stacked on top of each other to see. my son often offers to have a look for me and I usually playfully scream "I'm not blind you know!

It's a hobby, later model electronic lenses are so much easier I find, not the level of mechanical involved and being older cameras I can't find relevant information on I decided if I strip and rebuild them and get them functional I've gained, if not I still have the same non working old camera for the collection and display and have lost nothing but time. I learnt a lot doing this unit.

Now there's only a vacuous void in the ball that sits on my shoulders but my son is every bit as gifted as I was and every bit as smart (plus some) and he's always ready to lend a hand if needed.

[Leo.G (Leo)]

Here's the simple little lens mechanism made in 1960.

[gb44 (Glenn)]

Bit like watch repairs. So many precision parts, mind boggling. Once I had an iris device, amazing.

FYI, heres a pic of a $15 UVc emitter LED usb powered 180sec device...
Not much power but safe in use. Turn it on and walk away and repeat. I dunno how many times to use it to kill a fungus spot on a lens. Got a spare infected lens I can experiment with?

GlennB

[Leo.G (Leo)]

That looks like an interesting device Glenn.
I have some high output UV lamps I bought for making circuit boards, only played at the moment because the substrate for the board we wanted to make was PET plastic till I got some proper flexible material (polyimide with copper adhered) whereas my son and I were trying to adhere adhesive copper sheet to PET plastic sheeting and it wasn't so successful. It's to replace a manufactured PET flexible circuit board.
I did however think they were too strong to play with lenses but if I pick up another cheap damaged lens one day I may try them.


Warning: I believe I didn't try my stronger UV lights because of a fear it could damage the adhesive used to cement two or more lens elements together. Be careful if you have bonded lenses.


I know it sounds like a bit of a foolish idea but I see some expensive lenses dirt cheap because of the fungus and if I can clean them up and have them producing great images at a cost of $50 instead of a few hundred dollars. I'm prepared to give it a go. As mentioned I've acquired 2 very nice Nikon lenses for that price which are now fully functional and saved myself an absolute fortune. Didn't save me actually, on disability I never would have had the option to play with lenses of the quality. Losing $50 is still a big deal to me but I'm prepared to see if I can recover them, so far 2 for 2. It probably helps I have a background in electronics and have no major issues stripping them down with care and close attention paid to exactly how they come apart.