Bought a lens but the aperture seems hard to move

[GabrielSeri]

Apologize for the newbie question.. I bought a Caltar II N 180mm off ebay for $180, the glass is pristine but today I went to try it out and the aperture lever is hard to move. Not super hard I can move it up and down but it's not as smooth as my other lenses. Is this a problem I need to address and is it fixable? I can live with it but I want to know if its a real problem and if it is should I return it to the seller? I was thinking about taking it to get a CLA at PIX in Los Angeles, but wanted to hear input from you guys.

Thanks a lot.

[Gem Singer]

Most folks find that the aperture lever works too loosely and are looking for a way to tighten it.

Check to make certain that the aperture blades are not bent, causing them to bind.

Check to make certain that the index pin has been removed from the back of the shutter, which would cause it to mount crooked and make the aperture lever hard to move. If the pin is still there, remove it.

If the aperture blades are broken, notify the seller. Either return the lens, or ask the seller to pay for the repair.

[GabrielSeri]

Thanks a lot Gem! I'll look into your response when I get home today after work.

[Joseph Dickerson]

You might want to look closely at the aperture blades while the lens is stopped down and check for grease/oil on the blades. That is not uncommon and can cause dragging of the aperture. If left on the blades the lubricant can eventually cause the blades to bend or become dislodged.

JD

[GabrielSeri]

I hope it's not a big deal. I feel like a sucker because I sold my perfect Schneider macro lens and bought 2 lenses with the money. This Caltar being one of those lenses, I don't want to feel jipped. Thanks for the advice. I never heard of this index pin. I looked at the blades earlier today and I didn't see grease or oil.

[Gem Singer]

Remove the rear element. Run your finger around the outside of the opening for the rear element.

If there is no tiny protruding screw there, the index pin has been removed.

Examine closely, and you will see a small threaded hole in the black metal surrounding the rear lens element opening where the pin was formerly located .

[Peter Gomena]

I've mounted a lens a bit crookedly and had the aperture lever bind. Be sure the retaining ring is properly seated into the back side of the lensboard.

Peter Gomena

[GabrielSeri]

I appreciate all the suggestions and answers to my problem. We really have a great community here. Lots of great knowledge here as well as amazing images.

Thanks,

Gabriel

[domaz]

Occasionally when you mount lenses and there isn't a spacer ring of some sort at the bottom of the mounting threads then the aperture will be so close to the lensboard then it can't move, or will be really hard to move. So you might need a spacer ring of some sort.

[Gem Singer]

Copal 3 shutters require a spacer ring and usually come equipped with one.

Copal 0 and Copal 1 shutters do not need spacer rings.

The OP's Caltar II-N 180 is mounted in a Copal 1 shutter.

[Don7x17]

If the lever is sticking due to gummed up lubricants, the best way to free it is to put a drop of lighter fluid (get the kind that is namptha, not butane) at the spot the metal meets the lens body -- not much. Work the lever a bit and blot the crack with q-tips. If this is the issue, the qtip will blot up black-ish fluid. One or more such applications will take care of the problem. The namptha does not affect either metal or the older mica-like irises on older lenses, and evaporates quickly. An old camera repair guy that worked on ILEX shutters showed this to me.
I've used this sucessfully on several (very old) expensive brass lenses with iris (but no shutter).

[domaz]

Copal 3 shutters require a spacer ring and usually come equipped with one.

Copal 0 and Copal 1 shutters do not need spacer rings.

The OP's Caltar II-N 180 is mounted in a Copal 1 shutter.

My Compur 1 Electronic seemed to need one. I ended up using a rubber band in a pinch. Maybe that one is a special case in #1 size shutters though.