Tachihara 4x5 Focusing Rack

[joncapozzi]

I recently purchased a 4x5, it's a Calumet Wood Field, but for all intensive purposes, a Tachihara. The gears which drive the focusing rack in and out have become detached from the metal rod which holds the focusing knob. This makes it very difficult to focus, and is a huge pain in the ass. If anyone knows a way I could fix this, or a place to purchase spare 4x5 parts such as these, let me know. Or if anyone knows of a donor camera which I could salvage for this part I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks!

[erie patsellis]

Should be two small metal pins that have come loose or fallen out holding the gears on the shaft.

[John T]

A quick and ugly fix is to use small nails/brads. Make sure the head is large enough to not fall through the hole and then bend the pointed end of the nail to secure it in place. Check to make sure that the nail doesn't hang up on the gears.

BTW, it is "all intents and purposes" not "intensive purposes" :)

[joncapozzi]

There are no pins, or even holes, anywhere on the gears or shaft. I was thinking that would be a fix, to drill small holes, if possible, but I would rather not drill into anything unless I had a readily available replacement.

[Tracy Storer]

If they weren't pinned, the spur gears may have been silver-soldered or glued (something like Loctite I would think) onto the shaft. (I doubt such small gears would have been "keyed" to a slot in the shaft)
Best thing if you're handy would be to get it apart and try to figure out how it went wrong, then get it back to "original" as best as possible. If you're not that handy...try to find good help.

[joncapozzi]

I have the entire thing apart at the moment, I am quite handy. I am planning on using some type of extremely strong epoxy to keep the pieces together, unless people here have better ideas.

[AJ Edmondson]

I would recommend that you refrain from using epoxy for this particular fix. It will not "wick in" to the area where you need it and the resultant bond isn't very strong. It doesn't take a huge heat source to heat the metal sufficiently to allow soldering and the metal-to-metal bond is much better... just make sure that you have the teeth properly aligned with the other side!

[shmoo]

I recently replaced a part on my Tachihara by writing them and showing them the part. I got the replacement part in 3 weeks. You might get a replacement part from them.

The phone in Japan is 03-3911-1794.
The address is:

Tachihara Professional Camera Works, Ltd.
3-17-89, Toshima, Kita-Ku
Tokyo 114, Japan

I went to their Japanese website (all in Japanese) and had it translated by a nice lady at the local church. The website says that if they have the part in stock, it will take about 3 weeks. Longer if they have to manufacture it.

[Bruce Watson]

I recently purchased a 4x5, it's a Calumet Wood Field, but for all intensive purposes, a Tachihara. The gears which drive the focusing rack in and out have become detached from the metal rod which holds the focusing knob. This makes it very difficult to focus, and is a huge pain in the ass. If anyone knows a way I could fix this, or a place to purchase spare 4x5 parts such as these, let me know. Or if anyone knows of a donor camera which I could salvage for this part I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks!

Calumet has a service department. Also a parts department. Give'm a call.

[joncapozzi]

It's all fixed. I had the shaft "dinged", which is when they tap the shaft to deform it, and then tap the gear into position. It worked very well

[Tracy Storer]

I am currently making replacement focus shafts for a F+S 11x14 portrait camera Patrick Alt is restoring for another friend and remembered this post.
On this particular camera at least, the shaft has been "knurled" for a length of about 3/16" at each gear location (fine-straight-knurl) which actually slightly enlarges the diameter. (knurling is "forming" rather than "cutting") The gears are then pressed onto the knurl and don't spin on the shaft.
This is the same idea as "dinging" or making a center-punch mark on the shaft, it increases the diameter irregularly in a way the digs into the bore of the gear.