| Author |
Message |
    
Late
Tinkerer
Username: Late
Post Number: 7
Registered: 10-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 22, 2009 - 11:14 pm: | 
|
Hello,
I need to replace the rangefinder mirror for my leica IIIa. I guess the original spares are very difficult to find, so I'm wondering about my choices: Does someone make and sell mirrors that would fit? Should I try to cut one myself? Would a mirror from zorki/fed I be OK? |
Frank
Tinkerer
Username: Frank
Post Number: 14
Registered: 06-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 23, 2009 - 07:54 am: |
|
Try this e-bay seller. He is in Japan but, ships fast and reasonable. He may not have what you need listed but, if you ask he may be able to help. Good luck.....
http://myworld.ebay.com/nobbysparrow&ssPageName=STRK:MEFSX:SELLERID |
Dgillette4
Tinkerer
Username: Dgillette4
Post Number: 273
Registered: 04-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 23, 2009 - 08:44 am: |
|
Is the rangefinder showing at all? There is a contrast orange filter available that slips over rf window. Just in case you can't find mirror. It works in marginal cases . Or temporarially you could make one to fit in the ring made out of filter gel. I have a Zorki rf unit you can have if all else fails...Don |
Reborn7
Tinkerer
Username: Reborn7
Post Number: 27
Registered: 11-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 23, 2009 - 01:19 pm: |
|
schematics of the rangefinder (should you need it) :
 |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 775
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 23, 2009 - 09:31 pm: |
|
That schematic is from the IIIb/c/f, but I think the optics in the IIIa are basicaly the same. As you can see, there is a prism (6) at the RH end, so the only mirror is the beamsplitter (3). This may be harder to find than regular first-surface mirror stock.
Edmund Scientific sells 50mm square pieces of 1mm thick beamsplitter, which is right for most rangefinders. I have a link to them on my "Hard-to-find stuff" page at http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-149.html |
Late
Tinkerer
Username: Late
Post Number: 8
Registered: 10-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 24, 2009 - 12:22 am: |
|
Thanks for the answers.
The contrast filter probably won't help. I think someone has cleaned the mirror a bit too well (from the wrong side). Only very bright souces of light are showing.
There are very detailed step by step instructions for cleaning the IIIf rangefinder here:
http://www.mediajoy.com/en/lrc/
And if I should decide to cut a mirror myself, there's material for sale here:
http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp?pn=3043359&bhcd2=1232780859
I'm still wondering if the mirror from Zorki/Fed I rangefinder would be proper size? |
Late
Tinkerer
Username: Late
Post Number: 9
Registered: 10-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 24, 2009 - 12:42 am: |
|
Well, it seems I won't be buying the beamsplitter from Edmund Scientific since they won't ship outside the 50 US states.
Which brings me back to Fed/Zorki I... Luckily there seems to be a good supply of those in Finland. Something to do with the +1000mile land border with Russia most likely. I'll just have to find a non working one to cannibalize. That shouldn't be too hard either. |
Late
Tinkerer
Username: Late
Post Number: 10
Registered: 10-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 24, 2009 - 07:43 am: |
|
Problem solved. The Japanese seller Frank referred to promised to send me a mirror for 10$ including airmail! |
John_shriver
Tinkerer
Username: John_shriver
Post Number: 40
Registered: 12-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 06:52 pm: |
|
On the IIIa, remove the cap at the left end of the rangefinder. There is a small bit of spring steel, rotate it so it's not caught in the slots. Don't let it "get away"! Now pull the metal wedge, and then the mirror. New mirror goes with the silvered side facing in. Replace wedge, spring, and cap.
If you can't re-adjust vertical RF alignment to match, you need to shim the top or bottom of where the mirror sits.
A fresh mirror makes a huge difference.
Cannibalizing old Japanese rangefinder cameras for a mirror is another approach. I have a gold plated one that I used a little while, one image is blue, the other gold. Different. |
