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Andhiscamera
Tinkerer
Username: Andhiscamera
Post Number: 1
Registered: 12-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 21, 2009 - 10:03 pm: | 
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Hi, just picked up a Yashica electro 35 G and the focusing ring is rock hard, will not budge. Has anyong ever encountered this problem? If so any advise would be greatly appriciated.
Thank you |
Harryrag
Tinkerer
Username: Harryrag
Post Number: 156
Registered: 05-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 22, 2009 - 03:01 am: |
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Although Y electros are usually more prone to develop some slackness over time, this very much sounds like dried out grease in the threads of the helical. Is focusing easier when the camera is warmed up a bit? |
Andhiscamera
Tinkerer
Username: Andhiscamera
Post Number: 2
Registered: 12-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 22, 2009 - 03:15 pm: |
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A bit yeah, still doesn't move freely though. Any idea how to regrease? Thanks for the info! |
David_nebenzahl
Tinkerer
Username: David_nebenzahl
Post Number: 15
Registered: 12-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 23, 2009 - 12:27 am: |
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I can give you an idea, yes:
1. Disassemble
2. Clean
3. Grease
4. Reassemble
Unfortunately, I can't give you any more specifics than that for your camera (though I'm sure there are others here who can). I only have experience doing this with Pax cameras, which are notorious for having frozen focuses due to dried-out gunked-up grease. |
Elwrongo
Tinkerer
Username: Elwrongo
Post Number: 53
Registered: 05-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 23, 2009 - 07:51 am: |
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Find a way to get a tiny amount of lighter fluid in to the focusing ring. This often works to dissolve the grease and achieve some movement. I had success this way with a totally stuck Reflekta TLR recently. Dismantling is the best way though as when the lighter fluid dries out chances are the focus ring will seize up again. |
Monopix
Tinkerer
Username: Monopix
Post Number: 74
Registered: 11-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 24, 2009 - 09:25 am: |
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It's not possible to split the helical on an Electro for cleaning. OK, anything's possible but the amount of work to do it is probably prohibitive. The shutter coupling behind the lens and also the rangefinder coupling lever both prevent the helical being wound fully out. To do so, would mean removing both of these and that means pulling the lens assembly completely out of the camera. You can see them in this picture.
The rangefinder coupling lever is easy to remove but the shutter lever is riveted onto the end of it's shaft so it means pulling the shaft. I've never done that and don't know how to do it but the other end of the shaft is shown in the next picture.
One possibility is to wind out the helical as far as possible at which point, it's possible to just see the helical between the focussing ring and the lens mount. To wind out the helical this far, turn the focussing ring to the closest distance, loosen the three grub screws around the focussing ring, turn the ring back to infinity and retighten the screws then turn the ring back to the closest distance again. This winds out the helical further than normal. You may need to do this a couple of times before you get to the point where it will turn no further. When it does stop, with the focussing ring screws loose, pull the focussing ring as far forward as it will go and you will then be able to see the helical.
Although you don't need to dismantle the camera to do this, you will need to reset the focus afterwards.
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Monopix
Tinkerer
Username: Monopix
Post Number: 75
Registered: 11-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 24, 2009 - 10:01 am: |
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Just a small correction. The second picture doesn't show the end of the shutter cocking shaft as indicated. There is a coupling between the shaft and the shutter which is behind the shutter. This makes little difference in this instance I think but you never know. |
Monopix
Tinkerer
Username: Monopix
Post Number: 76
Registered: 11-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 24, 2009 - 10:55 am: |
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Well, like I said, nothing's impossible.
I just happen to have an Electro on the bench at the moment and decided to see if I could split the helical. Essentially, if you remove the shutter from the lens assembly by removing the rear lens elements then unscrewing the shutter retaining ring, you can then split the helical but it's a pig of a job.
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David_nebenzahl
Tinkerer
Username: David_nebenzahl
Post Number: 17
Registered: 12-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 24, 2009 - 12:44 pm: |
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Damn! They don't call it the "Electro" for nothing, do they? I've never seen so many dang wires inside a camera. (But then I'm pretty much in the Neolithic age and never go rooting around inside modren cameras like SLRs.)
So now you've got the helical nice and out, to where you can disassemble it, soak it in some solvent, get rid of all the old gunk, and regrease it, making it nice and silky smooooooth. |
Monopix
Tinkerer
Username: Monopix
Post Number: 77
Registered: 11-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 24, 2009 - 02:27 pm: |
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Yeah, but mine was smooth to start with. I did this just for the hell of it and to give a bit of help to the OP.
Did you see what I did there Harry? Despite the fact the OP probably won't do this, I still tried to answer their question. (Private joke between me and Harry). |
