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Denny
Tinkerer
Username: Denny
Post Number: 5
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 31, 2009 - 04:41 pm: | 
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My recently obtained Kodak Vigilant 620 has a Flash Kodamatic Shutter. The 1/10th and 1/25th speeds are slow and sometime even completely hangup (especially the 1/10th). I suspect a little Ronsonol in the right place will make this as good as new. All other speeds, including T & B seem to work fine.
I have seen Dan Mitchell's great photos and online tutorial. My questions are really basic and prove I'm a NOOB on this. I remove the outer lens, retainer and the Speed dial. At that point, can I use the Rosonol or is more disassembly going to be required? I have this fear of something going "sproing" and pieces flying.
Also, how does one protect the leaves from the fluid? When applying the lighter fluid, do you tip the shutter to make sure the fluid runs away from the center? Or is something placed over the leaves such as a piece of paper towel or plastic wrap? I suspect just trying a few drops through the cocking lever slot, with no disassembly would not be smart, due to no control of where the fluid might end up.
I do have a Kodak Monitor I could practice on first, as it needs a lot more work that the Vigilant, but the Vigilant is so close to working it is tempting to try first. The bellows on the Vigilant are light tight and on the Monitor, the bellow are pretty porous.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions/advice. |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 1004
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 31, 2009 - 05:08 pm: |
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There are probably a number of acceptable ways to go about this. I generally lift off the front panel of the shutter and only apply a couple of drops of lighter fluid to the escapement. Don't just squirt it out of the can. I use a draftsman's ruling pen to apply a drop at a time, with steady hands you can do the same with tweezers... you can also wet the end of a cotton swab and then press the swab onto the place where you want the fluid to go. The star wheel and pallet of the escapement are your targets. If you do it this way, there is not enough fluid there to worry about it getting onto the blades.
If for some reason it is impossible to open the shutter (I have had this happen once or twice), you may try dripping some fluid into a lever slot. As you look at the front of a shutter, in most cases the escapement is located on your right at about the 4:00 position. You will want to apply fluid to this area and keep this side down so that it doesn't run toward the blades and lens. The fluid of choice in this case (IMO) would be CRC "QD" Electronics Cleaner rather than lighter fluid, for two reasons: it dries much faster, and it comes in a pressure can that permits you to inject it from below while holding the shutter escapement-side-down. There are risks in this, of course: you don't know exactly where you're aiming, you will be injecting more fluid than is ideal, and by the time you have fixed your problem you may have gotten some onto the lens... which of course is particularly unfortunate if your reason for doing it is that you can't remove the lens from the shutter. So use extra caution if you resort to this kind of an approach, and do it only if your other options are limited. |
Denny
Tinkerer
Username: Denny
Post Number: 6
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 31, 2009 - 05:58 pm: |
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Thanks Rick - In looking at Dan's photos, the "front panel" is the "shutter cover" which requires removing the self timer cocking ring, correct? This shutter would be very similar to the Kodak Reflex II shutter you illustrated on your site, would it not?
I like the idea of the drafting pen as a dropper. I wondered what I would do with those old pens I had to buy years ago.
I tried the Electronics cleaner method on a Contaflex. Shutter works great, but I now have filthy lenses to clean. I don't want to go there again. I'm getting pretty good at learning what not to do.
I really appreciate the way you share your experience and wisdom. I followed your Pax saga. What a beautiful outcome. Fortunately, my AGFA Viking lens has had the grease replaced and the lens turns just fine. There is a LOT of grease in that thing, but that is a future project. |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 1005
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 31, 2009 - 07:49 pm: |
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I don't think you should have to remove the cocking ring before taking the front cover off, but I don't have a Flash Kodamatic handy. Generally all you have to remove is the front lens element ... but Kodak was in the habit of making things more difficult than they needed to be. I would expect your shutter to be pretty similar to the one on my Reflex once you get inside it. |
Nickon51
Tinkerer
Username: Nickon51
Post Number: 107
Registered: 05-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 01, 2009 - 06:05 am: |
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After you have removed the infinity stop, front lens cell, and the middle element, the name plate should lift off. The speed setting ring is next. Now you are down to the main shutter cover. You have to remove a cocking ring which is the flash delay timer. There are 3 screws that hold the cover on. Remove those and the cover, and the timers are exposed. The shutter speed retard train is the one just clockwise of the pin that sits up through the plates.
I have photos and info if you get into trouble. |
Denny
Tinkerer
Username: Denny
Post Number: 7
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 01, 2009 - 10:02 am: |
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Thanks. I took the shutter out of the old Monitor to practice with. Based on Rick's suggestions and Dan Mitchell's photos, I got there. I had two long and one short screws. Dripping some Ronsonol as Rick described got that old shutter working perfectly. It was a garage sale find and we had about $0.50 in the camera so I figured I had nothing to lose. For the first time, even the shutter delay works. It has been just a shelf camera. The shutter and lenses look so good, I am now trying to seal the bellows to see if I can actually put film in it. The bellows have no tears, but are very porous at the corners and the valleys of the folds.
Getting the middle element out was the hardest part. I used a jar opening pad under a plastic 35mm film can. It took a while, but freed up and came out nicely. I hope I am as fortunate on the Vigilant. |
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