| Author |
Message |
    
Treen
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 03:29 pm: | 
|
The film advance lever, timer lever and shutter button don't work at all. I can depress the shutter button, but not all the way, and I can pull the film advance lever about 30 degrees, but no more. The lever doesn't seem to advance the film at all. The timer lever is stuck completely.
Is there any way to fix this? |
rick oleson
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 10:29 pm: |
|
If i had to guess, i'd say that your self timer is the culprit: the shutter is cocked (explaining why the lever won't advance) and the shutter won't fire until the self timer runs down, which it won't do because it's stuck.
If it's the type of self timer that you press a lever one way to set it and it returns as it runs down, try gently forcing it very slowly back to its original position.... you may be able to get the shutter to fire, after which the system will be cleared.
If you succeed in this, DO NOT TRY THE SELF TIMER AGAIN. EVER.
If you don't succeed, you're going to have to open the shutter up and clean it.
rick : ) = |
Reiner
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 12:01 am: |
|
A drop of lighter fluid or isopropanol into the slot of the self timer often helps to cure the sticky self timer at least for one run sometimes for long. |
Treen
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 04:02 pm: |
|
Thanks. I didn't try the self-timer, though, I just bought it friday at a local junk shop (so it's not my fault). This is the same conclusion I came to after I looked at the old camera FAQ.
I'll see about getting my hands on some lighter fluid, because I can't seem to force it. |
Treen
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 05:14 pm: |
|
looks like it's a shutter problem, I seem to have fixed the timer (insofar as the gear moves and snaps as if it is releasing itself once it's been pushed to a certain point).
Thanks anyway! |
rick oleson
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 03, 2005 - 06:45 am: |
|
The shutter is probably stuck with the same dirt that had hung up the self timer. I haven't worked on a Minister D, so I don't know whether it's just a conventional elaf shutter construction or has something tricky about it. In the most basic form, leaf shutters are opened by unscrewing the front lens cell and removing the front panel from the shutter; however, built-in light meters and other added features can make this a much more complicated operation.
rick : ) = |
P Laskey
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 04, 2005 - 02:49 pm: |
|
The Minister D is a swine to work on, I tried dismantling a balky one and found the shutter and lens diaphragm are all in one "block" which seems impossible to take apart, unlike the Minister III. However the front lens element can be removed by unscrewing using a rubber block, the front dials of the lens are held in by a thin brass ring with scalloped edges which can be eased off by rotating it with a small screwdriver, after rotating the small brass screw so it doesn't engage in one of the cutouts. The shutter mechanism is underneath. Take careful note how the pins fit into the slots on the circular cover plate before taking it off, one of these may have jammed in the wrong place. Sometimes careless use by a previous owner can jam these cameras. A few drops of lighter fuel on the shutter blades and/or shutter pivots might just free the mechanism if it's sticky. Don't quote me on that though.
P Laskey |
