You haven't really worked on a Graphic until...

[toolbox]

You watch helplessly as the little balls and spacers from the rangefinder tube go rolling off your work bench . I even took the cam out to take any pressure off them (insert eyeroll here). Still not sure what happened...they came spouting out of the thing like water from a drinking fountain.
As a side note, I think Graflex switched from balls and spacers to nothing but balls at some point...anybody know why? I'd guess they decided the spacers weren't necessary...
Also discovered that the best way to put the balls and spacers back into the tube is with a pair of locking forceps. One. At. A. Time.
A very frustrating experience, but I guess next time I'll try and get the plunger out a little more carefully lol. The reason I was digging around in there in the first place was the RF arm was over riding the cam at infinity...it was actually slipping off the end of the cam. I'm not sure how, but it appears there was an extra ball in the tube, so it was pushing the cam over too far. Since I lost one somewhere on the floor, it all worked out fine...with the tube minus one ball, the cam lined up perfectly with the end of the arm. Anybody else ever see this? So strange...

[Bill_1856]

LOL!!! Been there done that. Funny, funny, funny. (Love your so-accurate description: One. At. A. Time.)

[W K Longcor]

From what you say -- it sounds like you found ALL the little parts and put it back together. How did you manage this? Whenever I drop something like this -- even a single tiny screw -- it bounces off the work table and somewhere between table edge and floor it vaporizes and is never found again!

[Bill_1856]

From what you say -- it sounds like you found ALL the little parts and put it back together. How did you manage this? Whenever I drop something like this -- even a single tiny screw -- it bounces off the work table and somewhere between table edge and floor it vaporizes and is never found again!

I discovered (after some 10 years of bouncing screws and springs) that the most important use for a deep 16x20 tray wasn't for washing prints, but for providing a work area for camera repair.

[Jim Jones]

Spreading a thin cloth over the workbench keeps small parts from bouncing and rolling when dropped.

[Drew Bedo]

Ever see what a watch maker or jeweler works over?

[Vick Ko]

hmmm, makes me wonder how the assembly staff did it. Can't imagine them doing it, one ball and one spacer at a time.

[W K Longcor]

Ever see what a watch maker or jeweler works over?

I owned a,watchmakers bench at one time. In spite of the "catch net" I was still able to bounce small parts into the great unknown. I always figured in was inborn "clutz" factor.

[dsphotog]

It seems tiny bits always land into shag carpet.

[photonsoup]

It's to bad you didn't give up in frustration, I need a plunger, cap and retainer.......

My crown came missing all these parts, I got some 2.5mm ball bearings from amazon which seem to work well. I just have not come up with a suitable plunger and retainer. I've loaded mine up with ball bearing many times only to have them escape everywhere when my latest redneck engineering attempt failed. Since I have lots of extras I'm not to concerned if a few are MIA.

I did talk to Fred Lustig about this any he was pretty adamant that you had to use both balls and spacers to make it work properly