Rail troubles (Not about trains; about a Speed Graphic.)

[thedevilyourneighbor]

I have a problem.

I just got an Anniversary Speed Graphic. It was fine and I may have somehow messed it up.

Right now, the front standard will not go back onto the rear rails. It's basically stuck at the infinity stops. I can't close the camera.

I don't know if I accidentally bent something, or somehow activated a feature that I don't know how to de-activate.

I was just testing the camera, making sure everything did what it was supposed to. I was testing the movements. It may have been something I did when the bed was dropped. but now, the damn thing won't go back onto the rear rails.

Is this me being to stupid to figure out my camera, or me being too stupid and damaging my camera?

Thanks for any help. I really don't want to have to pay to have stuff replaced or repaired when it seemed to be working perfectly fine until now.

[Leigh]

Do you have the instruction manual?

I believe you can find one at www.graflex.org

- Leigh

[thedevilyourneighbor]

I downloaded my manual from butkus (I really need to make a donation there).

I've been doing some research on those newfangled internets that the kids like so much.

I don't have my camera in front of me at the moment (I'm at work) so I can't check it out, but I may have tried to close the camera with the rails still slightly out. I guess it's a more common problem than I thought, but still makes me feel stupid.

Anyways, I've seen that people suggest switching the rails or reversing them.

I'll look into it tomorrow and hopefully I can get this bad-boy up and working again so I can run a few sheets through it.

[Jack Dahlgren]

I have a problem.

I just got an Anniversary Speed Graphic. It was fine and I may have somehow messed it up.

Right now, the front standard will not go back onto the rear rails. It's basically stuck at the infinity stops. I can't close the camera.

I don't know if I accidentally bent something, or somehow activated a feature that I don't know how to de-activate.

I was just testing the camera, making sure everything did what it was supposed to. I was testing the movements. It may have been something I did when the bed was dropped. but now, the damn thing won't go back onto the rear rails.

Is this me being to stupid to figure out my camera, or me being too stupid and damaging my camera?

Thanks for any help. I really don't want to have to pay to have stuff replaced or repaired when it seemed to be working perfectly fine until now.

Here are my suggestions: Make sure the locking lever is positioned in the center not off to one side. Make sure that there is no front shift applied. Make sure that the bed is in the flat position (not dropped). Make sure that the front standard is perpendicular - push it back using your thumbs at the base of the standards (the triangular areas) to ensure it moves smoothly.

[Sirius Glass]

You might want to contact Bert on graflex.org. He is a retired Graflex/Graphic repairman.

Steve

[Kevin Crisp]

Usually if the standard is out a little way when you close it, the closing pushes it in where it needs to be. You have the front standard lever loose and yet the front standard is still solid and won't slide on the rails?

[Leigh]

Right now, the front standard will not go back onto the rear rails. It's basically stuck at the infinity stops.
OK. Presumably the camera was closed when you received it and you opened it, so it was working properly at that point.

With the front standard locking lever straight forward, you should be able to move the front standard forward and back over the free length of the rail. Flip the infinity stop down and you should be able to move the standard forward past it.

If that's not the case, then possibly the standard lock is not releasing. Try rotating it a few times to the side and back to the front.

I definitely would not recommend any heroic last resorts at this point (sending it out for repair or some such), since this appears to be a rather basic problem.

Forgive my lack of specificity, but I haven't used one of these in almost 50 years.

- Leigh

[thedevilyourneighbor]

Thank you all for the help.

The locking lever on the front standard is definitely in the center position. That's something I learned right away.

When I got the camera, it was working perfectly fine. The rails could probably use a little bit of lubrication of some sort, but it isn't essential and the camera was doing what it was supposed to do.

The front standard is in central, centered position. I checked it over and over. No doubt about it.

It'll slide forward with no problem. Obviously it isn't going past the infinity stops, but it's not supposed to.

I don't have folding infinity stops, but I will test the idea of taking off the infinity stops and taking the standard off the rails completely. That should (correct me if I'm wrong) hopefully allow me to be able to put the standard on the back rails and properly close the bed. At least I hope.

I'm not trying to do anything crazy, and I'm not going to send it out for repair until I've exhausted all options.

Thank you all again and I will keep you updated.

-James.

[Kuzano]

I don't have folding infinity stops, but I will test the idea of taking off the infinity stops and taking the standard off the rails completely. That should (correct me if I'm wrong) hopefully allow me to be able to put the standard on the back rails and properly close the bed. At least I hope.
-James.

Exception to your comment here. I don't think there is such a thing as a non folding infinity stop.

Perhaps someone could clarify, since I have not owned every graflex model. All the infinity stops I have ever seen fold outward and down from the rails to allow the front standard to slide past.

Also, the front standard will not go easily onto the rails in the body unless you have run the front rails on the door as far back as possible into the body before trying to slide the front standard across the gap into the camera.

These are the two common obstructions to closing the camera up. Infinity stops down, slide the standard forward, adjust the rails back into the body as near to the rails in the body as possible, then slide the front standard back and onto the rails.

as mentioned before, all movements centered and loose before entry to the body.

One reknowned man who bought all the parts when Graflex closed down and is still repairing and CLAing these cameras is Fred Lustig. He lives in Reno. He's in the phone directory for Reno Nevada. He's done work for me in the last couple of years, and many others on this forum from what I gather in past posts.

[BrianShaw]

Exception to your comment here. I don't think there is such a thing as a non folding infinity stop.

The infinity stops on Anniversary (and I think the earlier models too) definitely do NOT fold. They are fixed and have a "spring-like" side appendage that the front standard slides under when it is properly pulled to the infinity stop.

I have an anniversary that exhibits similar symptoms of difficulty pulling the standard on and off of the rails. In my case it is simply a matter of dirty rails. I think the tolerance between the rails and front standard are tighter than in later Graphic models, IDK for sure though.

Sometimes I need to hold the front standard between my fingers with fingers at the bottom of the standard and "wiggle" it into position along the rails.

It doesn't seem like you should have to remove the standard from the rails to re-engage with the rail section in theody. They are linked so you can't really do that anyway. But removing the front standard will definitely allow you to cleant he rail and the underbody of the standard. I don't think any lubricant was in the original spec on those parts but using a wax-based lubricant has crossed my mind. I keep thinking I heard people refer to something called "Pedro's Sex Wax" that is used in bicycles and is often recommended for this kind of application. Maybe I just want to get some becuase the name intriques me????

[BrianShaw]

I'm not trying to do anything crazy, and I'm not going to send it out for repair until I've exhausted all options.

James, what part of the world are you located in? Fred is an option but if you are in LA (meaning Los Angeles, not Lower Alabama) there are local people (including repair professionals who specialized in Graphics) who will likely give you some walk-in advise.

[thedevilyourneighbor]

The infinity stops on Anniversary (and I think the earlier models too) definitely do NOT fold. They are fixed and have a "spring-like" side appendage that the front standard slides under when it is properly pulled to the infinity stop.

This.



I have an anniversary that exhibits similar symptoms of difficulty pulling the standard on and off of the rails. In my case it is simply a matter of dirty rails. I think the tolerance between the rails and front standard are tighter than in later Graphic models, IDK for sure though.

Sometimes I need to hold the front standard between my fingers with fingers at the bottom of the standard and "wiggle" it into position along the rails.

It doesn't seem like you should have to remove the standard from the rails to re-engage with the rail section in theody. They are linked so you can't really do that anyway. But removing the front standard will definitely allow you to cleant he rail and the underbody of the standard. I don't think any lubricant was in the original spec on those parts but using a wax-based lubricant has crossed my mind. I keep thinking I heard people refer to something called "Pedro's Sex Wax" that is used in bicycles and is often recommended for this kind of application. Maybe I just want to get some becuase the name intriques me????

I'm pretty sure it's not dirty rails. I'm not saying my rails can't do with a cleaning, but it had no trouble moving between them before. I'm pretty sure I had to have closed it when it wasn't in completely. I've tried wiggling it like crazy and still can't get it onto the inner rails.

And this is embarrasing, but I don't have a screwdriver that's both small enough to fit into the screws on the infinity stops AND big enough for me to get a good grip on to unscrew screws that have probably not been touched in 60 years.

Sigh. Now I need to buy a new screwdriver too.

[thedevilyourneighbor]

James, what part of the world are you located in? Fred is an option but if you are in LA (meaning Los Angeles, not Lower Alabama) there are local people (including repair professionals who specialized in Graphics) who will likely give you some walk-in advise.

Oh. And I'm in Bakersfield. It isn't far from LA, but I don't own a car and can't afford to go back and forth since I'm trying to save for a move to Sacramento.

[thedevilyourneighbor]

Okay. Now I'm sure my inner rails are bent. Trying to figure out what's up, I stumbled upon what's wrong (kinda)

The left side (when facing the front of the camera) of the inner rails were not in the track for them. Instead, it was sitting on top. That's why the front standard would not go back onto the inner rails. Because one side was sitting too high.

Now...

Using the drop bed feature, I managed to get the inner rails back into the track, but it'll only move so far backwards when I use the focus knob.

Because it must be bent, right? It's stuck good. If I turn it harder, the focus knob is going to break (perhaps that what happened to the other focus knob which was broken when I received the camera.

I can't blame the previous owner though because it really did work fine before. It's obviously something I did. I don't even know what since I was so tired that my brain was mush.

Let that be a lesson: Never experiment with cameras you don't understand yet when you're not fully aware.

I don't know if I'm going to need new rails or not, but I think I'm onto something.

[thedevilyourneighbor]

Hot Diggity Damn!

I managed to get it back in. It's a little awkward and I have to lift the one side of the inner rails when I extend the rails, but I can close the camera and resume normal operation!

Time to run some film through this bad-boy!

Everything is going to be alright...

For Now.

The End?

-James.
Is happy now.