Linhof DIY repair?

[Darin Boville]

I purchased a Linhof Master here a few months back and am just now having a look at it.

I found four issues that I need to fix--I was thinking of sending it in but then again it seems like these are the sorts of things I might be able to do myself in a few minutes--with a little help from the experts here. :)

Here are the issues:

1) Rear movements: Looking from the rear, the left, top rear rod does not lock down. The knob turns and tightens and feels right, but the rod remains loose. This is a "must fix" issue, obviously.

2) Front tilt. The Front standard tilts as it should but jams a bit as it passes through the "Y" of the front standard frame. A slight pressure pushing the legs of the "Y" apart allows not to pass.

3) Front swing and shift. The movement here is "grippy"--needs new lubrication.

4) The little handle that raises/lowers the front standard. If I rotate the arm in 90 degree increments when raising/lowering the front standard (that is, if I move the arm so the tip is alongside the front standard frame) the arm will sometimes (when the standard is about half way up) rub up against the side of the front standard frame. If I move the standard with smaller arcs of the arm all is well.

I know Marflex does a great job--just looking to see if this is DIY stuff or not.

--Darin

[Bob Salomon]

Not really, it can make Marflex more money by having to fix the DIY repair. It is best to just have it done right from the start. If you have the Master the last thing you want to do is reduce the value needlessly.

[Frank Petronio]

Especially with a valuable Master I'd at least get Martin to estimate on it, he is a reasonable guy and you can ask him what will make it usable versus mint.

I've stripped a IV down and it requires some special tools and prior knowledge to repair - rather than trash - like I did (I removed the rangefinder and guts and it wasn't pretty). Even that front standard is a lot more complex that it looks at first glance.

[Ari]

For #1 you will need to loosen a very tiny screw that is on the knob; re-adjust the knob to seat correctly and tighten the screw until you feel a good resistance.
The rest of your items I would leave to an expert, so you may as well send it in to do all the work.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Martin will likely find things you didn't even think to look for, and you will be happier with the camera when it comes back with everything working properly. When was the last time the rangefinder was calibrated? I know I've sent him things that I didn't even ask him to look at, and he's adjusted them so that they worked better than when I sent them, and he hasn't charged me separately for those items, if they didn't involve, say, a part that was actually broken and required replacement.

If you send it in, it's also a good time to think about having any lenses you want cammed. With a Master, he doesn't technically need to have the camera in the shop to cam a lens, but it's best if he can check it in the camera at the same time to be sure the groundglass is in register and the rangefinder is calibrated properly, and he can also set the focusing scale and the infinity stops, and if he has all your lenses at the same time, he can do things like shim lenses so that they can share stops (this often works for combinations like 75/135 or 90/150, where the wider lens uses the same stop as the longer lens with the rail retracted one notch).

[Darin Boville]

O.K., Ok.K, I get the hint. :)

How much have you guys been maying for a CLA from Marflex? Just looking for a ballpark $$ before I get a real quote...(which will help me evaluate the real quote as well...)

I seem to remember the figure of $350 from some other thread but can't find it now.

--Darin

[Frank Petronio]

I think he only charged $150 to CLA my old V, which included changing the bellows which cost $350 for the part.

Replacing the V rise lever was over $100 I think... Adding a Graflock focusing hood that I supplied was $75 and camming a lens was $350. But I am not Martin and these are just educated guesses. It sounds like your camera needs a little more work than just a CLA.

[Bob Salomon]

Just call and ask 252 652-4401. But I would not be surprised if there are problems with the alignment of your front standard from your description.

[Darin Boville]

Just to ask a sort of dumb question--the phone number is a business line, right? (i.e. I can call and leave a voice mail on weekends, late at night, etc without waking somebody up?) I'm in California and usually have more time late in the day...

--Darin

[Bob Salomon]

Just to ask a sort of dumb question--the phone number is a business line, right? (i.e. I can call and leave a voice mail on weekends, late at night, etc without waking somebody up?) I'm in California and usually have more time late in the day...

--Darin

He works from his house.

[Brian Ellis]

O.K., Ok.K, I get the hint. :)

How much have you guys been maying for a CLA from Marflex? Just looking for a ballpark $$ before I get a real quote...(which will help me evaluate the real quote as well...)

I seem to remember the figure of $350 from some other thread but can't find it now.

--Darin

I probably sent my Tech V and Master into Marflex maybe four or five times over the years for various things and never came out with a bill under $500. I had more done than just a CLA (and it sound like you have more than a CLA too). Which is not a complaint, everything they did to my Tech V and Master was done to perfection and I have no problem paying for that kind of great work. Just a warning that quality work like Marflex does usually isn't cheap.