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Doublecappuccino
Tinkerer
Username: Doublecappuccino
Post Number: 1
Registered: 01-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 12, 2007 - 05:33 am: | 
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Hello! First time poster here. I've been reading and lurking for a few weeks, but now I'm finally ready with some questions...
I'm working on 1 Canonet QL17 and 1 Canonet QL17 GIII.
QL17 LIGHT SEALS
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I used Jon Goodman's light seal kit/instructions to reseal the QL17. Worked great. Ran some film through the camera and had a reeaaally hard time opening the door when I was done. I think the foam that runs up the latch side of the film door might causing an overly snug fit there, but I'm not certain. Before I start experimenting, anyone have any ideas for how I might isolate the problem and improve the fit?
GIII SHUTTER AND APERTURE CLEANING
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I made myself a Canonet rear element tool per the instructions here and removed the rear element of the GIII. I've been using denatured alcohol to clean the shutter and (with shutter set to B) aperture blades because both are sticking.
First, is denatured alcohol ok to use?
Second, um, just how bad is it if a drop or two of denatured alcohol splatters on to the front element when the shutter is clicked? Even if I dab the shutter blades to dry the denatured alcohol before winding and clicking the shutter, and keep the aperture small, some inevitably seems to get through. Any suggestions for me there?
Finally, about how many cleanings should this take? I've been cleaning the camera on and off for a few hours now and its still not reliably opening and closing the aperture when the ring is turned (it does a bit better when moved toward smaller apertures, and usually doesn't open as wide as it needs to when opened up).
QIII aperture ring
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I haven't done anything with this yet, but the GIII's aperture ring seems a bit sticky or hard to move. Is there a way to fix this without disassembling/removing the front element?
Sorry for the length of the post there. Thanks!
Cheers,
Seth |
Greyhoundman
Tinkerer
Username: Greyhoundman
Post Number: 6
Registered: 09-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 12, 2007 - 08:49 am: |
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Light seals> If you ran the seals all the way up the latch end of the door, it will cause a very tight fit. The seals are only to go asfar as the edge of the riveted latch plate.
Cleaning> Alcohol is OK. It can take a very long time to get it totally clean, when doing it from the back. If the liquid gets on the lens, just swab it off. It won't hurt for a minute or two.
Ap ring> you have to dismantle the front of the lens to get to the aperture ring area. It will need to be cleaned and lightly! greased. |
Wernerjb
Tinkerer
Username: Wernerjb
Post Number: 82
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 12, 2007 - 10:08 am: |
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- As a cleaning agent I find lighter fluid more appropriate, but maybe it is a matter of taste (not in the literal sense of the word, of course).
- Cleaning is finished when everything is clean, hence the name; in my early tinkering days I had to open cameras several times because for repeating what I had considered a finished job, I just did not clean them thoroughly enough.
- Dismantling a GIII's front lens gropup is not so easy, as its notched ring is hidden deep down. Try this forum's article section for help, W. |
Doublecappuccino
Tinkerer
Username: Doublecappuccino
Post Number: 2
Registered: 01-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 12, 2007 - 02:32 pm: |
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Greyhoundman and Wernerjb, thank you, very much appreciated.
Regarding the seals, I did not run them all the way up, but rather just as far as you said. But I still think they're the culprit. Going to cut them back a little at a time and see what happens.
I will try to take a zen approach to the cleaning and maybe a multiple-sitting approach to be sure I have truly gotten the shutter back to a fully operational state. Just taking a bit longer than I'd anticipated, but if 10+ swabbings is what it takes, then that's what it takes. Cheers. |
Donnie_strickland
Tinkerer
Username: Donnie_strickland
Post Number: 10
Registered: 09-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 12, 2007 - 04:18 pm: |
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A shutter/aperture cleaning on a Canonet can take a while. Don't rush it. Sometimes they can be quite stubborn! You have received good advice above.
I also prefer lighter fluid. |
Doublecappuccino
Tinkerer
Username: Doublecappuccino
Post Number: 3
Registered: 01-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 13, 2007 - 05:07 pm: |
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I picked up some ronsonol today and plan on continuing the cleaning this eve. Thanks Donnie! |
Doublecappuccino
Tinkerer
Username: Doublecappuccino
Post Number: 4
Registered: 01-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 05:16 am: |
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I haven't been too scientific about it, but experience so far suggests that cleaning shutter and aperture blades with ronsonol is far more effective and efficient than cleaning with denatured alcohol. |
Turnergande
Tinkerer
Username: Turnergande
Post Number: 4
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 08:01 pm: |
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Denatured alcohol comes in different grades. The best has less water but costs more. 91% grade is still quite inexpensive via Wal-Mart. I too find Ronsonol (Naphtha in USA) best on blade cleaning. Alcohol works well on the lens surfaces but I will usually use 50-50% mixture of hydrogen peroxide & household ammonia to 1st clean crud off the glass surfaces (haze, fungus). |
Turnergande
Tinkerer
Username: Turnergande
Post Number: 5
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 11:01 pm: |
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I suppose there's a difference between denatured alcohol and isopropyl but I have used the higher grades of isopropyl with some success. The Wal-Mart pharmacy sold me a 16 oz. bottle of completely denatured & mostly ethyl alcohol (formula 19-190 proof) but it was pricey. Maybe others will have thoughts on the best alcohol options for cleaning lenses, etc. |
