| Author | Message | ||
     Stuart Wllis Rating: N/A |
Hanimex rebadged several of the Praktica models. A good start would be to know its Praktica model. I suspect it is probably a Practica Super TL. You won't achieve anything by stripping off the front panel leatherettes. You can access just about anything when the top-plate and baseplate are removed. The wiring from battery compartment will be what is known as "black wire corroded". The copper cores will be like black ash and non conductive. It is not a difficult job to replace the wire. This is par for the course with 40 or 50 year old cameras which use Mercury-cell chemistry. Prakticas are a good camera for the learning of the SLR principles but they are not really worth overhauling. For the most part these East German models have VERY mild steel gears which wear and strip easily. The wind-lock is in the mechanism and not at the shutter release button. However - expolorations on a Praktica will help you understand the spinning stacked gear principle by which the shutter speeds are determined. The mirror is locking in the up position because the release pawl ( just accessible with the top-plate removed) is gunked up with dried out lube. |