jacob_coda
17-Feb-2010, 23:41
Hello everyone! I am new here to the forum.
I am in the middle of restoring my second Graflex RB Super D and I have run into an issue that has me stumped. I thought I would try to pick everyone’s brains about a possible solution.
I have the camera back to about 90% of it’s full working potential, when I received it it was in several pieces after someone else had given up on trying to fix it. I think the solution to the problem may be fairly simple, but I feel like I am over thinking it, lol.
The problem is with the speed of the mirror returning to it’s up-right position after tripping the mirror release lever. On release the mirror does not return with enough force to trip the curtain release lever and complete the exposure. Instead it hangs up in-between the two releases and the exposure has to be completed by hand by pushing the curtain release lever. This problem occurs at all tension settings (H & L) and at all curtain aperture speeds (A,B,C,D). I have the sliding bar on the mirror setting lever locked down in the “I” position, and on release the mirror release lever does trip the automatic diaphragm mechanism. However it is immediately after that that the problem with the tension of the mirror returning occurs.
I had to repair the rear focal plane shutter curtain when I was putting the camera back together because it’s position on the top and bottom roller was not correct. When I would make an exposure with the camera the “slits” in the curtain would end up in the middle of the film back instead of the bottom, thus only giving 1/2 of an exposure. I hand rolled the curtain back to it’s correct position and adjusted the spring tension until I felt it was giving a correct exposure on release of the curtain release lever. Before I made these repairs I did not notice the problem with the mirror release tension, however the shutter curtain was only returning 1/2 of a full exposure as I noted before.
So my question is “Is there a way to easily adjust the tension of the (mirror return/curtain release lever) so that it has enough force to trip the curtain release lever by fully rotating it and completing the exposure?” I know that there is a round black access panel on the top left rear of the camera that is attached by 3 screws, it seems to be at the right height to be an access for the mirror spring mechanism, however I don’t want to take anything under tension apart until I have an idea of what I should be trying to adjust.
If anyone has any ideas that might help me come up with a solution I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance for your time!
I am in the middle of restoring my second Graflex RB Super D and I have run into an issue that has me stumped. I thought I would try to pick everyone’s brains about a possible solution.
I have the camera back to about 90% of it’s full working potential, when I received it it was in several pieces after someone else had given up on trying to fix it. I think the solution to the problem may be fairly simple, but I feel like I am over thinking it, lol.
The problem is with the speed of the mirror returning to it’s up-right position after tripping the mirror release lever. On release the mirror does not return with enough force to trip the curtain release lever and complete the exposure. Instead it hangs up in-between the two releases and the exposure has to be completed by hand by pushing the curtain release lever. This problem occurs at all tension settings (H & L) and at all curtain aperture speeds (A,B,C,D). I have the sliding bar on the mirror setting lever locked down in the “I” position, and on release the mirror release lever does trip the automatic diaphragm mechanism. However it is immediately after that that the problem with the tension of the mirror returning occurs.
I had to repair the rear focal plane shutter curtain when I was putting the camera back together because it’s position on the top and bottom roller was not correct. When I would make an exposure with the camera the “slits” in the curtain would end up in the middle of the film back instead of the bottom, thus only giving 1/2 of an exposure. I hand rolled the curtain back to it’s correct position and adjusted the spring tension until I felt it was giving a correct exposure on release of the curtain release lever. Before I made these repairs I did not notice the problem with the mirror release tension, however the shutter curtain was only returning 1/2 of a full exposure as I noted before.
So my question is “Is there a way to easily adjust the tension of the (mirror return/curtain release lever) so that it has enough force to trip the curtain release lever by fully rotating it and completing the exposure?” I know that there is a round black access panel on the top left rear of the camera that is attached by 3 screws, it seems to be at the right height to be an access for the mirror spring mechanism, however I don’t want to take anything under tension apart until I have an idea of what I should be trying to adjust.
If anyone has any ideas that might help me come up with a solution I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance for your time!