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Lars_o
Tinkerer
Username: Lars_o
Post Number: 1
Registered: 02-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 04, 2009 - 08:11 am: | 
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Hello Everyone,
I'm trying to resurrect an old Ikoflex II/III...
So far everything looks quite good. However, while the aperture adjustment lever works, the little wheel that is supposed to indicate the f-stop does not always work. Sometimes it moves a bit when the lever is operated, sometimes it just stays where it is. The actual aperture blades open and close correctly though.
I would like to open up the metal housing that encloses the lens-assembly but I'm nut sure how to go about that. If anyone knows how that is done I'd be thankful for some advice.
I've attached an image of the camera so you know which model I'm talking about...
Cheers from Hamburg/Germany,
Lars |
Markus
Tinkerer
Username: Markus
Post Number: 93
Registered: 08-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 04, 2009 - 08:31 am: |
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I have a different model Ikoflex, where in order to take the cover off the front, you have to rack the lens board all the way out and take the leatherette off the rim of the lens board cover to expose two holes, one on each side of the lens board cover. With a small screw driver you can loosen two screws that are accessible through these holes. Once these screws are loosened enough, the cover will just come off. Be careful not to completely unscrew these screws, since getting them back in can be frustrating.
This Japanese site http://furucame.sakura.ne.jp/MO3/GEM/IKOFLEX/ikoflex.html has some instructive photos. In particular, this image http://furucame.sakura.ne.jp/MO3/GEM/IKOFLEX/imgd5101686lresxc.jpeg shows one of these holes. |
Lars_o
Tinkerer
Username: Lars_o
Post Number: 2
Registered: 02-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 03:57 pm: |
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Thanks Markus, removing the leatherette revealed the right screws. Turns out the band with f-numbers is torn. Seems fixable with a bit of fiddling around. |
Lars_o
Tinkerer
Username: Lars_o
Post Number: 3
Registered: 02-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 04:10 pm: |
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There is one other I have with this camera... The view-finder mirror is in a very bad condition and my attempt to polish it made it worse.
I have the possibility of having a new coating be applied to the glass plate at reasonable cost (25 Euro). However, if any of you have a suggestion where I might just pick up a replacement mirror that would be nice - preferably somewhere in Europe, ideally Germany... I guess I'm hoping for too much here but it doesn't hurt to ask I hope  |
Markus
Tinkerer
Username: Markus
Post Number: 94
Registered: 08-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 05:08 pm: |
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Look for an old pop-up style Polaroid camera in a thrift shop (here in the US you can often get them for a few US$). They have a mirror inside that is silvered on the mirror surface (not in the back, like your regular mirror that hangs on the wall) The mirrors inside these are usually in very good condition and you can cut them to size with a glass cutter. Getting to that mirror can be a bit of a pain; I had to really bust up the Polaroid to get it to come apart. I guess, 25 Euro sounds like a pretty reasonable price for getting the mirror re-coated... are you sure that they will put a coating on it that reflects off the coating/air surface and not off the glass/coating surface viewed through the glass of the mirror?
Herzliche Gruesse, und viel Spass mit der Ikoflex! |
Lars_o
Tinkerer
Username: Lars_o
Post Number: 4
Registered: 02-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 06, 2009 - 03:47 am: |
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Yes, I'm pretty sure that the coating will be fine. The facility where they do it is normally used for coating telescope mirrors at the Hamburg observatory: http://www.hs.uni-hamburg.de/EN/Oef/Stw/Alu-anlage/index.html |
Lars_o
Tinkerer
Username: Lars_o
Post Number: 5
Registered: 02-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 - 03:18 pm: |
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I dropped of the old mirror at the observatory workshop today and chatted a bit with the guys there. Seems like this is not the first old camera they're going to help save. Very nice folks over there.
I hope to get the mirror in a week or two.
Meanwhile I was able to fix the aperture and shutter indicators. Everything else seems to work well. I'm just nor sure how accurate the shutter speeds are - the longer times feel a bit inconsistent... Can't wait to shoot the first test-roll... |
Lars_o
Tinkerer
Username: Lars_o
Post Number: 6
Registered: 02-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 04, 2009 - 12:51 pm: |
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Update: just got the re-coated mirror - I feel like this is the most hi-tech mirror to have ever been placed in a vintage camera. I've never seen anything that reflective =)
They told me this was done with the same equipment that was used to coat the main mirror of one of Europe's most powerful optical telescopes. |
