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Allanc
Tinkerer
Username: Allanc
Post Number: 1
Registered: 03-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 03, 2007 - 04:29 pm: | 
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I just got myself a Hi-Matic 7s with a perfectly functional meter, aperture blades/leaf shutter that slide smooth as silk, and the nicest (well... only, but don't hold that against it) rangefinder I have ever used.
It is, in fact, in perfect condition... except the back of the front lens element is grimy. Which means that my widely-reknowned-as-being-sharp-as-a-pin Rokkor-PF acts like it has a permanent soft focus filter on it.
SO! I would quite like to clean it. I've searched the archives and have seen a lot of postings that say things along the lines of "Yeah, just take off the front of the lens and blah blah blah", and lots of people saying how easy it is to get the front of the lens off compared to actually getting all the way down to the blades. But nobody seems to be up for actually saying how the hell you get the front of the lens off. I even went so far as to google-translate the Japanese and German pages I found linked, but they both seemed to start their narratives after the bit that would actually be useful to me.
So, anyone willing to enlighten me?
(Oh, and also it smells funny, but I think that's a problem I'll just have to resign myself to living with) |
Wernerjb
Tinkerer
Username: Wernerjb
Post Number: 100
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 04, 2007 - 03:57 am: |
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#1 https://kyp.hauslendale.com/classics/forum/messages/2/8105.html
If that doesn`t help probably nothing will. Enough blah blah.
#2 BTW, Japanese sites can be translated, let your computer do that. Enough enlightenment?
#3 Have you ever considered what smell it is? Maybe the camera suffered sexual abuse. |
Allanc
Tinkerer
Username: Allanc
Post Number: 2
Registered: 03-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 04, 2007 - 07:20 am: |
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Yeah, I found that one. "This includes unscrewing the two-notched ring inside the filter thread, removal of (1)name plate incl. desoldering of wires..."
It's the "unscrewing the two-notched ring inside the filter thread" that I'm getting hung up on. Is there some trick to it?
http://dante.idea-inc.com:4200/~allanc/himatic.jpg
We're talking about the bit with the CLC logo, right? My efforts to get that bit to move have so far been unsuccessful. I *did* translate the Japanese page (as I said in my post), but it starts with that part already removed.
I think the smell is just Old People mixed with cigarette smoke. |
Wernerjb
Tinkerer
Username: Wernerjb
Post Number: 101
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 04, 2007 - 10:18 am: |
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Well...
... sometimes, if there's dent in the filter thread into which this ring (which keeps the "CLC" plate in place etc) is screwed, OR if some jerk has put glue to it to keep it in place it is quite a problem to get it out of the way. Anyway, there is no choice, with the ring in place there is no getting deeper. Usually these rings are unscrewed with adjustable spanner tools or any makeshift tool sturdy enough not to be bent (steel sheet metal and the like). I use a modified watchmaker's tool (for opening up steel backs of larger watches) for that purpose.
Be careful, that ring on an old Hi-Matic is made from aluminium and rather fragile. You could try a very small drop of a mixture of lighter fluid and contact spray along the threrad to free it up, but make sure the liquid does NOT get anywhere else.
... and then ... I know it is sometimes hard to see things on a photo, but IMHO the lens (coating) on your camera does not look too promising; are you sure there is dirt behind the front lens and not on it?
I have heard of people who used anti-smell products for the interior of cars on their cameras, but I cannot personally recommend that.
Whenever I get a dirty, smelly, disgusting camera I thoroughly clean it from the outside with what housewives use for cleaning glass sufaces (containind denaturated alcohol etc.). It does not only clean but also remove any sort of unwanted odour. The best tool for this kind of job is a (soft) toothbrush and a piece of (preferably white) cloth which will end up being quite dark after all work has been done.
Last point to consider: do you really think you can manage to achieve your aims, if you need assistance to get that ring unscrewed; please note that old Hi-Matics are quite demanding for beginners; believe me I know what I am saying, W. |
Allanc
Tinkerer
Username: Allanc
Post Number: 3
Registered: 03-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 04, 2007 - 08:49 pm: |
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I'm pretty sure it's not grime on the front of the lens, based on my unsuccessful attempts to clean it. However, it's possible that it might be something more fundamental than grime on the back of the element. E.g., the lens coating itself having been scraped off, or scratches from someone having tried to clean it with something abrasive.
After checking the prices online for lens spanners, I'm thinking that my best bet might just be to go buy another camera. Thanks for your help! |
Wernerjb
Tinkerer
Username: Wernerjb
Post Number: 103
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 05, 2007 - 08:51 am: |
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Allanc, I do not say or think a repair is not possible. All of us have started ... at the beginning. So please don't get me wrong. What I am saying is that in this case it does not look like opening up the camera, clean the front lens (glass) or the front lens (group) from behind, put things back and that's that.
Dirt inside a lens must have found its way there somehow, so I think there's more to do.
A working old Hi-Matic is certainly worth the effort, and if there is nothing to lose ...
On the other hand, if tinkering is not what's on your mind, you can perhaps go one better with another camera, W. |
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