Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 20

Thread: Need Help Stripping Down Apo Nikkor Lens

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Posts
    4

    Need Help Stripping Down Apo Nikkor Lens

    Hi, can anyone point me in the right direction to find servicing/repair information for Apo Nikkor lenses. I need to strip it down to clean the optical elements and the iris mechanism.

    Jeff

  2. #2

    Join Date
    May 2016
    Posts
    744

    Re: Need Help Stripping Down Apo Nikkor Lens

    Lenses are not done so that you can strip them down and clean their optical elements in your DIY workshop - hence the lack of servicing info in amateur hands. The problem is not as much to strip them down as rather to assemble them back to their original specifications, you realise that.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Chicago
    Posts
    1,856

    Re: Need Help Stripping Down Apo Nikkor Lens

    I don't think that's really true. The lenses I have dealt with only go back together one way (correctly--you are going to take notes, right?) and there are no adjustments to do in assembling them. Sometimes you don't even need special tools. But someone who has to ask for a manual is probably not the one to be doing it.

    The reason there's no manual is because they all come apart in just a couple of typical ways. What's exotic about it is that you may need tools that you don't have and wouldn't know exist. If you are really interested in this, buy a cheap Wollensak enlarging lens or something like that for 20 bucks and make your mistakes there. You'll find out fast if you really want to take a diaphragm down to bits when it comes time to put it back together!

    People who repair things, which I have done for a living for the last 40 years, are always a bit queasy suggesting someone do his own repairs. On the one hand, no matter what it is, it often seems pretty straightforward to us. On the other hand, most of the population appears to have hands built entirely from thumbs. . . especially these days when everything can't be repaired and gets thrown out. In spite of all obviousness and logic, some people just can't do things right.
    Last edited by mdarnton; 22-Apr-2018 at 07:42.
    Thanks, but I'd rather just watch:
    Large format: http://flickr.com/michaeldarnton
    Mostly 35mm: http://flickr.com/mdarnton
    You want digital, color, etc?: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stradofear

  4. #4
    Tin Can's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    22,384

    Re: Need Help Stripping Down Apo Nikkor Lens

    I have a large set of booklets that a mail-based camera repair school sold in the 70's.

    I am also a handy guy with tools, a lifelong tinkerer, and professional mechanic.

    The books are not much help, especially with a simple assembly such as a lens.

    MDarton is correct, get a cheap lens and learn on it.

    You will need tools. Some make their own and some pay the piper.

    Look here. http://www.skgrimes.com/products/spanner-wrench

  5. #5
    Tin Can's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    22,384

    Re: Need Help Stripping Down Apo Nikkor Lens

    WARNING!

    The spanner tools have sharp tips, beginners often fumble.

    A slip could make a nasty wound.

    When was your last Tetanus shot?

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Sep 1998
    Location
    Loganville , GA
    Posts
    14,409

    Re: Need Help Stripping Down Apo Nikkor Lens

    This is a great way to make a simple service for a camera repair shop into an expensive repair for the same shop! If you don’t know what you are doing don’t do it with things that have some value!

  7. #7
    ic-racer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Posts
    6,736

    Re: Need Help Stripping Down Apo Nikkor Lens

    You are ahead of the game. Frequently the first post is "Need help re-assembling xxx lens"

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Nov 1999
    Location
    San Clemente, California
    Posts
    3,804

    Re: Need Help Stripping Down Apo Nikkor Lens

    Many moons ago I obtained a 305mm Apo Nikkor. It had a bit of dust inside, probably infiltrated through the filter slip slot. I contacted the then-still-alive Steve Grimes to ask what he'd charge for disassembly and cleaning. Steve replied that he wouldn't take the job. Apparently, Apo Nikkors' stellar performance is just as much a result of assembly alignment as it is design, materials and construction, so Steve couldn't guarantee that it would be as good after he reassembled it.

    My suggestion is that you try it the way it is before doing anything. Unless you're the person who purchased that 180mm Apo Nikkor that sold in eBay a few days ago, there are probably lots of others like yours readily available at very reasonable prices. If performance isn't up to your standards, just buy another one that's not in need of cleaning.

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Posts
    3,901

    Re: Need Help Stripping Down Apo Nikkor Lens

    Not just APO Nikkor, there are MANY vintage optics-lenses that are hand assembled-hand tweaked to achieve the performance they have. Some of the vintage lens cells I've seen have pencil marks and notes on the edge of each lens element or lens cell assembly as part of how they were aligned and assembled.

    The idea-belief anyone can take-apart a complex and individually tweaked lens then put it back together properly is no different than the same individual taking a swiss watch completely apart then trying to put it all back together with the same time keeping accuracy and functionality as before.

    -Seriously, not recommended to correct a perceived problem.

    This is precisely how once fine optical and uncommon lenses are destroyed by owners who wanna tinker. The effort and hidden tricks that make these lenses special is not always apparent or obvious.


    Bernice





    Quote Originally Posted by Sal Santamaura View Post
    Many moons ago I obtained a 305mm Apo Nikkor. It had a bit of dust inside, probably infiltrated through the filter slip slot. I contacted the then-still-alive Steve Grimes to ask what he'd charge for disassembly and cleaning. Steve replied that he wouldn't take the job. Apparently, Apo Nikkors' stellar performance is just as much a result of assembly alignment as it is design, materials and construction, so Steve couldn't guarantee that it would be as good after he reassembled it.

    My suggestion is that you try it the way it is before doing anything. Unless you're the person who purchased that 180mm Apo Nikkor that sold in eBay a few days ago, there are probably lots of others like yours readily available at very reasonable prices. If performance isn't up to your standards, just buy another one that's not in need of cleaning.

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Posts
    4

    Re: Need Help Stripping Down Apo Nikkor Lens

    Well I was hoping for some advice. What I got was a lot of "Naysayers"

    My thanks go to mdarton and Randy Moe for injecting some positive comments at least.

    These types of lenses are fairly basic items, from a mechanical point of view that is. I have opened it and I have come to a point where it would be nice to know if there are any hidden fixing points, or not, so I do not exert unnecessary force.

    It appears I am asking in the wrong forum, apologies to all.

Similar Threads

  1. Stripping Pacemaker and Crown lens boards
    By Jim C. in forum LF DIY (Do It Yourself)
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 7-Apr-2016, 22:45
  2. Clue to Linhof gear stripping problem?
    By Darin Boville in forum Cameras & Camera Accessories
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 8-Mar-2012, 20:23
  3. Epson R2400 sounds of gears stripping?
    By Donald Miller in forum Digital Hardware
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 31-Oct-2009, 00:14

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •