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Message |
    
Kevinc
Tinkerer
Username: Kevinc
Post Number: 1
Registered: 06-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 03, 2009 - 11:25 am: | 
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I have a few old foggy lenses that need cleaning. They're lenses that you can get dirt cheap on eBay (old K-mount Pentax, Olympus) so I'm thinking of learning to disassemble + clean. I'm probably above average mechanically inclined as I've fixed old VCRs, cars... and broken quite a few stuff in my lifetime as well!! 
Are there places to get information this? Should I just dive in and give it my best shot, knowing that I may very well break a few [cheap] lenses along the way? My eventual hope is to learn enough to clean my beloved Leica Summacron.
Also, where can I get tools? I think I need quite a few non-standard tools to take apart certain lenses. Thanks for any advice!
Kevin |
Californiabob
Tinkerer
Username: Californiabob
Post Number: 5
Registered: 03-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 03, 2009 - 12:24 pm: |
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great adventure.
First, you'll need two basic tools. First is a rubber cup that lets you unscrew the front lens ID ring. The second is a spanner wrench to unlock/unscrew rings that hold lens assemblies in the main lens body. Get the one with the smallest tips - they'll work anywhere.
Most of the time you can get to most parts through the front (pentax, konica, minolta).
Canon FDs are difficult if you go through the rear.
good luck,
Bob |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 901
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 03, 2009 - 05:11 pm: |
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i have a few notes here:
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-81.html
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-102.html
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-161.html |
Kevinc
Tinkerer
Username: Kevinc
Post Number: 2
Registered: 06-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 03, 2009 - 11:19 pm: |
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Thanks guys! For the rubber cup, are you talking about this?
http://www.micro-tools.com/store/item_detail.aspx?LineUID=12440916096141536&Item Code=LRSET
And for the spanner, is the following set overkill?
http://www.micro-tools.com/store/item_detail.aspx?LineUID=12440916786291539&Item Code=T-132-34567 |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 902
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 04, 2009 - 05:14 am: |
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Those are nice tools. The spanner is better than anything I have, but I wouldn't call it overkill, it looks like a good design.
If you're cheap like me, you can use a crutch tip for the rubber tool, or you can stick some double-stick foam tape onto a piece of PVC pipe of the right diameter. Spanners can be made from long-nose pliers if you have a bench grinder (and in extreme cases a propane torch to bend the jaws to different shapes). But if you have the $100, real tools are probably better and more convenient to use. |
Sevo
Tinkerer
Username: Sevo
Post Number: 46
Registered: 09-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 04, 2009 - 09:18 am: |
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The spanner is excellent, but in your place I'd get a long spanner with only the straight and point tip rather than the full, short set. The odd bits are rarely ever needed, but you'll often need the extra depth to remove recessed retaining rings. |
Kevinc
Tinkerer
Username: Kevinc
Post Number: 3
Registered: 06-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 04, 2009 - 01:27 pm: |
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Ok so it looks like I'll just get a long spanner, they're only about $15 anyways. I don't have a bench grinder(and no torch) but $15 isn't too bad for a tool that I'll use all the time.
From looking at Micro Tools web site, there are different types: slotted, wide, pointed spanners. Which one do you think will be used most of the time?
http://www.micro-tools.com/store/SearchByCategory.aspx?CategoryCode=SPN |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 904
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 04, 2009 - 05:22 pm: |
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I got the "wide" one, but I have ground the tips smaller on at least 2 or 3 separate occasions to the point where it is now about like the "slotted" style. That's probably the most versatile choice if you're going to pick just one. |
Norman
Tinkerer
Username: Norman
Post Number: 20
Registered: 03-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 04, 2009 - 06:09 pm: |
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I am just a beginner and have only dismantled one camera, a Ross Ensign Selfix 820. I used an engineers dividers to undo the locking ring on the lens. It did the job perfectly, do other people use them? |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 905
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 04, 2009 - 06:44 pm: |
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They don't have enough rigidity for a tight ring, and there is a real risk of damaging the dividers. Similarly for other handy pointed tools such as vernier calipers and scissors. A long-nose plier has a sufficiently robust hinge joint, and you can easily file or grind the points down to the shape you need - and it's cheaper than a divider or caliper. For small pin-faced screws, I use a sharp pointed tweezer if the screw is not too tight. For a very tight one you can file the center out of a screwdriver blade and then shape the points of the resulting fork to fit the holes.
Here is a picture of my basic tool kit, if you're interested (some repetitive items are left out):
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/basic_tool_kit.jpg |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 906
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 04, 2009 - 06:48 pm: |
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http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/basic_tool_kit.jpg
Don't know why it won't hyperlink in the previous post. |
Monopix
Tinkerer
Username: Monopix
Post Number: 28
Registered: 11-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 05, 2009 - 01:52 am: |
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You should get some latex gloves - not for wearing but for gripping tight parts. To undo rings you can use a cardboard tube with a glove stretched over the end instead of the rubber cups. For some strange reason, I find the inside of the gloves grippier than the outside, just watch out for the powder if they are powdered inside. I turn them inside out and wash them before use to get rid of the powder. |
Norman
Tinkerer
Username: Norman
Post Number: 22
Registered: 03-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 05, 2009 - 05:03 pm: |
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Rick, I've just looked at the pic of your tools. I rather liked your use for the draughtsman's (I'm English) pen. It takes me back to my first job when I left school. Don't they have it easy these days with Autocad? |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 910
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 05, 2009 - 08:46 pm: |
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i use SolidWorks now, and it does great things (we have a machine that makes parts overnight from our computer files, for instance) ... but i really miss the pencil. as in other aspects of technological change, something is gained but something is lost as well. |
Jon_goodman
Tinkerer
Username: Jon_goodman
Post Number: 28
Registered: 05-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 05, 2009 - 09:47 pm: |
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I have written a file for servicing the Minolta 58mm/1.4 lens (they suffer from oily aperture). If you want a copy of it, please let me know.
Jon |
