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Alex
Tinkerer
Username: Alex
Post Number: 22
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 23, 2007 - 10:47 am: | 
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I've a Yashica FX-1 which is in otherwise sound usable condition, all foam and seals replaced, but the view through the viewfinder is messy, dust, little bits of hair, that sort of thing. There's nothing on the Fresnel screen itself, so whatever it it must be between the viewfinder eyepiece and the inside surface of the focussing screen. It's annoying enough for me to want to clean it out, but it's a job I've never tackled before. If anyone is familiar with this sort of thing, I'd welcome a few notes on how to proceed, or warnings that it's likely to be more bother than it's worth! |
Hovaness
Tinkerer
Username: Hovaness
Post Number: 36
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 23, 2007 - 07:58 pm: |
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If the foreign matter is in focus, it is either on the top or the bottom of the focus screen. If it is on the top, you can usually get it off by careful application of Windex on a cotton swab. Small strips of adhesive tape can also be used to pull up bits of debris without leaving a residue.
The most complete solution is to remove the entire screen and clean it ultrasonically. Unfortunately, many older SLRs have two-piece screens, and separating the halves will often introduce more contaminants in the re-assembly process.
My advice is to try to clean the FX1 screen in place by proceeding slowly and patiently. |
Alex
Tinkerer
Username: Alex
Post Number: 23
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 25, 2007 - 03:48 pm: |
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Thanks for the tip. I made a small L-shaped tool with a piece of lightly adhesive tape on the end and cleaned the exposed side of the screen, quite easily, and it worked well. There's still a lot of debris through the viewfinder, in sharp focus, so I guess it's inside, and would need the top of the FX-1 taken off to get to it, as I can't see any way to get the screen out 'in situ'. |
Zygi
Tinkerer
Username: Zygi
Post Number: 15
Registered: 08-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - 08:01 am: |
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Alex .Hope you got enough courage to take top off..it is v,primityve,simple camera.Not much mess when stripped off.I done it myself.Just remember which screws to put in place later...Before you take off screen, blow away any dust ,gently scrap out any sealling foam around the prism,again blow it out and once you remove prism ,blow away bloody dust from screen surface. Before you reassemble prism -clean all frame with spiryt to avoid any particules dropping into chamber...Clean prism sides with cloth gently mistured with lense cleaning liquid. ps. I never try to clean screen with anything ,just take it off ,wet it in warm water with detergent of high ph agent, and holding by edges with two finger take it under stream of tap water both sides ...All crap goes away under preassure....When,shake a bit off water and with lense blower get rid of any remaining drops....Dry with hair dryer from some distant ..and ready to place in place. |
Alex
Tinkerer
Username: Alex
Post Number: 27
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 02:44 am: |
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Zygi, that sounds encouraging. I've not tackled an SLR before, so far it's just been old folder shutters. There are two screws to the rear and one on the front. The wind-on lever has two holes, so I'm guessing there's some unscrewing here to do too? There is also a small screw I can see under the battery in the holder under the rewind crank. Does this need to come out? I'm grateful for any guidance, just till I get a little confidence, as I don't want, obviously, to ruin anything through ignorance!
Alex |
Alex
Tinkerer
Username: Alex
Post Number: 28
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 08:44 am: |
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Halfway there. I took an old TL-Electro-X (also badly afflicted by viewfinder debris) and practised on that, taking off the lever wind, the rewind crank, the top cover screws, the cover on the shutter speed dial, and got to the pentaprism. This is just held in place by two hooks on springs, and once disconnected, the pentaprism lifts straight out. I could see plenty of dust and particles on the top of the focussing screen, and more importantly, I could see where it was coming from. On the TL-Electro-X there is a battery check lamp, and around this there was a collar of soft foam, presumably to keep stray light away from the meter. It had perished, and the perished bits were working their way into the space between the screen and the pentaprism. I cleaned everything up, cleaned the screen and pentaprism surfaces by dabbing them with lightly adhesive tape, then made a new collar around the battery lamp using bits of neoprene mirror damper foam from the light seals kit I got from Jon Goodman. A quick squint through the viewfinder shows the viewfinder clean as new. I expect the FX-1 to be very similar, so I have enough confidence now to have a go at cleaning that.
Many thanks for the advice.
Alex |
Alex
Tinkerer
Username: Alex
Post Number: 29
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 - 08:11 am: |
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Zygi, I may need to call on your good nature again.
Having practised on a battered old TL-Electro-X, I've gone back to the FX-1. I've got the top off the battery chamber and the ASA ring, the lever wind is off, and there's just the shutter dial to come off, in order to prise the whole top off. There are three tiny grub screws around the collar of the shutter speed dial, but even with these out, the dial won't come off. I'm guessing there's a screw under the disc with the shutter speeds painted on, as there was with the TL-Electro-X. But it's a very snug fit indeed with no room to get any leverage, and I'm not keen on proceeding with any force in case I do harm. How do I get the shutter dial off safely? Advice appreciated.
Alex |
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