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Zook
Tinkerer
Username: Zook
Post Number: 5
Registered: 12-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - 08:36 am: | 
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Hi! I've found a very nice C44R and need to get the top off. The rapid wind and rewind are different than a C4 or C44, and I want to make sure I do it right.I can't find a diagram for this model, and would appreciate any drawings or tips.Thanks!
Doug T |
Karl
Tinkerer
Username: Karl
Post Number: 10
Registered: 03-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 06:07 pm: |
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Hello Doug T,
I know a little of the C3 but not the C44R. You may have tired this already but I have found the Argus Collectors Group http://arguscg.tripod.com/
is a good source of info, just a thought.
Karl |
D_cluley
Tinkerer
Username: D_cluley
Post Number: 1
Registered: 08-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 - 03:16 am: |
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Rewind knob assembly is held on by two screws from inside the camera one either side of where the rewind shaft enters from the top.
Undo the screw in the center of the film counter dial, and remove the dial (be careful not to lose the spring and the washers underneath.)
Wind lever is the weird part. Carefully pry off the black plastic disk. Best method I’ve found is a really sharp x-acto type knife blade, should be able to get edge of blade under disk somewhere and then carefully pry it up gradually.
Underneath is a clock type spring. Make a note of how many turns it is wound before removing it carefully (note if not removed carefully, it will fly off and never be seen again. Don't ask how I know this!) Then remove the brass screw from the center THIS SCREW IS LEFT HAND THREAD!!!!!!! (again don't ask) ;) It is possible to cobble together a working substitute if the original breaks, but it's a pain.
At this point the lever is almost loose. It fits on top of a shaft, and wrapped around the bottom of the lever, and the top of the shaft there is a tightly wound coil spring. (this spring works like a one way clutch to transmit the winding movement, then let the lever move back.) Also there is a white plastic cam that works the release for rewinding. You will see two small white pegs sticking up through holes in the lever. What you need to do to remove the lever, is lift it straight up untill those pegs are clear of the holes, and then continue lifting but turn it slightly clockwise, to release the spring tension. The spring may come loose of the lever, and stay on the camera, or it may come off with the lever, either is OK.
Finally, there is a ring that screws around the winder mechanism that holds the top on, undo that, and the top plate will lift right off. Be careful not to pull the wires for the hotshoe loose from the camera or the M/X switch.
Now on to re-assmebly: 
One thing to watch on any of the cameras in this family is that the wires to the hotshoe don't either pinch between the camera and the top, or interfere with the rangefinder. No real great techniques for that, just slowly and carefully lower top back and keep looking for snags. Sometimes it takes half a dozen tries to get the top on with the wires right.
Rewind, and film counter are straight forward.
On the winder side:
Screw the ring back around the main part of the mechanism.
If the spring stayed on the camera body, carefully twist it clockwise and pull it off, then put it onto bottom of wind lever.
Carefully turn the plastic rewind cam as far counter clockwise as it will go. This will put the plastic pegs about 180 degrees from where they normally are.
Now holding the camera so that the lens points to 12 o'clock, point the end of the wind lever to about 1 or 2 o'clock. This should place it such that with just a little clockwise turn the holes will line up with the pegs on the rewind cam. At this point slide the end of the spring over the shaft on the camera, and gradually turn the lever clockwise while pushing down. At the point that the holes and pegs line up, push the lever down enough to engage the pegs, and then keep turning clockwise. This will wind the spring onto the shaft and hopefully when the lever is around to its normal rest position it will be seated all the way down on to the camera. If properly seated the top of the dark colored center shaft will be flush with the surface of the wind lever around it. If the spring doesn't seat properly, and the lever doesn't drop completely into place ( and this may well happen the first time) carefully remove the lever and spring and start over.
Once the lever is properly in place, replace the odd brass screw (REMEMBER LEFT HAND THREAD) That screw needs to be snug, but don't overtighten it. Once that is secured, test the winding mechanism to make sure it's working properly, and check that pushing the lever in, will release the sprockets for rewinding (with the back off, try to move them to the left, normally they won't go, but with the lever pressed in, they should move freely in either direction.)
Now, insert the recoil spring into the slot in the brass screw and hold the center down while carefully winding it the proper number of turns. Just to be safe, I use a tiny amount of rubber cement or something to hold one end of the spring in place, and then use another drop or two to put the black plastic disk back on.
Dan Cluley |
Zook
Tinkerer
Username: Zook
Post Number: 6
Registered: 12-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 - 07:22 am: |
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Hi Dan! Thank you so much for the information. It's been next to impossible to find anything on-line, so I'll be very careful and photograph each step as I get there. I'll keep you up to date on my progress (or frustration ).
Doug T. |
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