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Studio1476
Tinkerer
Username: Studio1476
Post Number: 1
Registered: 06-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 - 06:30 pm: | 
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I'm working on an FR-1 with a broken film counter and intermittent shutter/mirror issues, but can't seem to pry off the center of the shutter speed dial, as suggested in various old threads, to enable removal of the top cover. Does anyone know the trick to removing this? Also, links to an article on repairing the film counter nylon gear appear dead. Anyone have information on that as well? |
Gez
Tinkerer
Username: Gez
Post Number: 52
Registered: 09-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 - 07:15 pm: |
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A small sewing needle will sometimes work, but the last couple of FR-1's I have worked on required placing the tip of a soldering iron on the decorator disk. The heat will melt the glue BUT also marks the surface finish, and will probably require a bit of painting!
Fixing the nylon gear is pretty easy. The gear will be cracked and is quite easy to pull off the brass shaft just using a pair of tweezers, you shouldn't have to fight it. But make a note of how far on the shaft the gear normally sits, you don't want to push it back too far.
Clean the gear with some lighter fluid and apply a small drop of fresh super-glue to the crack. Hold the crack tightly closed with a bulldog clip or screw clamp and leave undisturbed for about 20 minutes.
When dry you will need to increase the diameter of the hole from 1.5mm to 1.6mm, use a drill bit or a tap for this, and work slowly. When you have expanded the hole to 1.6mm the gear should slide back onto the shaft with the minimum of effort, again no struggling necessary.
Clean the hole with a drop of lighter fluid and using a needle apply a very small drop of super-glue to the inside of the hole. Quickly push the gear onto the brass shaft only as far as the mark you made earlier.
Most important: the gear goes back only one way with the chamfered end facing the dial assembly. |
Studio1476
Tinkerer
Username: Studio1476
Post Number: 2
Registered: 06-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - 01:50 pm: |
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Gez, I 've repaired the gear the way you described, and it now works OK. Thanks for the excellent instructions.
Now it's on to the mirror hang-up issue, which seems to happen an average of about once in 7 or 8 shutter releases, with or without a lens mounted. Pressing the DOF button allows the release cycle to complete. Aren't these intermittent problems the most fun? |
Gez
Tinkerer
Username: Gez
Post Number: 54
Registered: 09-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - 02:38 pm: |
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Studio, my knowledge of the inner workings of the FR series isn't great but I suspect the mirror reset is controlled by a solenoid and the intermittent problem could be due to one of the electolytic capacitors, but it is only a guess. |
Mikel
Tinkerer
Username: Mikel
Post Number: 129
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - 08:21 pm: |
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On the FR's there is an air damper piston for the mirror on the rewind side of the shutter box. It was lubricated when the camera was manufactured, but might now be sticking. If that is the problem (it could be something else) a drop or two of Ronsonol or any other naptha solvent could free it up. |
Studio1476
Tinkerer
Username: Studio1476
Post Number: 3
Registered: 06-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 06:13 pm: |
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I like the possibility that the intermittent morror hang-up is due to a sticky air damper piston, since that seems easier to locate than the capacitor, and unsticking a piston seems like something worth trying before replacing a capacitor. Mikel, do you know if this piston accessed from the top, or does it require prism and/or mirror box removal? |
Mikel
Tinkerer
Username: Mikel
Post Number: 130
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 07:40 pm: |
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As I recall, you will need to remove the lens mount and the front plate beneath it to access the piston. I have repaired scores of FR's but it has been a while and I am just running on memory.
The obvious question that remains: have you checked the mirror bumper? It will be nearly gone by now and very sticky, along with the light seals.
What I do remember about the FR's is that the mirror return spring is not very strong, so a variety of problems can stop it up. |
Studio1476
Tinkerer
Username: Studio1476
Post Number: 4
Registered: 06-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 22, 2009 - 08:09 pm: |
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Good results! I cleaned up the air damper piston, as well as the mirror pivot points, and together that seems to have entirely freed up the sluggish mirror, so all is working OK now. (I had already replaced the mirror bumper, along with the door seals, so it was clear the problem was deeper.) Thanks for your helpful suggestions, Gez and Mikel. :-) |
Mikel
Tinkerer
Username: Mikel
Post Number: 131
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 - 08:53 pm: |
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That's great news.
You now have one of the great 35mm cameras in working order.
Now get out and get some good photos!
When you do I hope that you will post them here:
http://contaximages.com/
And don't be put off by the Contax logo, you will be welcome. It's all in the family. |
Popkorn520
Tinkerer
Username: Popkorn520
Post Number: 2
Registered: 08-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 14, 2009 - 07:40 pm: |
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Thanks for your information in this thread..I was able to repair my FR-1 with the same issue and it works like a dream..thanks again! |
