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Thread: Linhof Technika III 5x7 restoration

  1. #11

    Re: Linhof Technika III 5x7 restoration

    I would not use any grease on the rails as it will only attract dirt and gunk up again. I used bicycle chain wax (I used Ice Wax), which dries hard and lubes but does not attract dirt, on my Tech III.

  2. #12

    Re: Linhof Technika III 5x7 restoration

    I honestly never heard of a waxed bicycle chain before... now this makes sense. They seem to use graphite and moly bound in paraffin. Great idea, thank you!

  3. #13

    Join Date
    Feb 1999
    Posts
    1,094

    Re: Linhof Technika III 5x7 restoration

    Thanks for posting this. I, too, have 5x7 Tech III. A few years ago, I stripped the old, peeling leatherette off it that a previous owner had put on it, with the intention of recovering it in new leather. Never got around to it. I’m afraid I would make a mess of it, so I just use it with the bare metal exposed. You’ve inspired me, though.

  4. #14

    Re: Linhof Technika III 5x7 restoration

    Ice Wax dries clear and has no moly or graphite.

  5. #15

    Re: Linhof Technika III 5x7 restoration

    OK... thought I read it was graphite based but that might have been a bad german auto translation on amazon

    @Ben Calwell: there’s a site that sells self adhesive leather sets for the technika... I‘ll see if I can find it.

    Anyway, got some more work in and finished the last bits of cleaning. While waiting for the set of new bellows I set up what I had to test my lenses and shutters. Testing the shutter times is quite easy. I record the noises on my phone‘s audio recorder where I can measure between the clicks of opening and closing.




    The Lenses are:

    Schneider-Kreuznach:
    - Angulon 1:6,8/120 - shutter is super-slow, blades oily. I can handle this.


    - Super-Angulon 1:8/165 - had it out for a pro service three years ago, perfect condition. What a chunk of glass ��


    - Symmar 1:5,6/300 - shutter runs nicely, has those white speckles inside. Not sure if they do anything... I‘ll have to research.



    To be continued...

  6. #16

    Re: Linhof Technika III 5x7 restoration

    ...more lenses:


    - Tele-Xenar 1:5,5/360 - shutter runs nicely, cosmetically perfect


    Rodenstock:
    - Sironar 1:5,6/240 - bad lens separation, slow shutter, no lens plate


    The Rodenstock has the biggest problems. While I am sure, I can handle the shutter, the lens separation kind of freaks me out. I already read up on it but still am hesitant to try. We‘ll see where this goes.

    So far there’s been a hair over twenty hours of work in this but I do like the outcome so far. Can‘t wait to set up the back and get some shots taken.

  7. #17

    Re: Linhof Technika III 5x7 restoration

    Started cleaning the shutter of the 120... it‘s the first one I‘ve ever opened so I took it slow. I do have disassembled a couple of watches and made them tick again so as far as this goes I‘m confident.




    Parts trays come in handy, so the screws and springs stay organized.



    The parts are cleaned in the ultrasonic in hot soapy water first, then, to dissolve the water and prevent oxydation, they take a bath in alcohol



    Drilled more holes into my makeshift tool to unscrew the ring holding the shutter in the lens plate.


    This shutter has seen some life... srewheads marred, scratches all over the inside, gunked up in who knows what. A good start for a first shutter to service.

    If there’s any questions, just ask, I‘ve taken plenty of pictures...

  8. #18

    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Collinsville, CT USA
    Posts
    2,330

    Re: Linhof Technika III 5x7 restoration

    Really like this thread. Probably 15 years ago I found a 5x7 Linhof very similar to yours in a multi-dealer antique store in western Massachusetts. It was dusty and dirty and needed to be totally disassembled and cleaned, but under all that dirt and dust looked to be pretty much unused. The bellows was dirty but no pinholes. Price was well under $200.00 so I bought it. Was very busy back then and it stood on a shelf collecting more dust for the better part of three years. With little prospect of having enough free time to restore the camera, found another LF photographer who expressed interest in the camera and had enough time to restore it so passed it on for what I had paid for it (he got a great deal). After following this thread, if I had that camera today, I would have definitely restored and used it.

    Best of luck with your project.

    FYI: Probably 25 years ago saw a 4x5 Sinar Norma FS on eBay. Camera had survived a studio fire. Pics posted of the camera looked absolutely terrible, but the starting bid was something like $49.95 so I took a chance and actually won it. Camera arrived and did look terrible in person but to my surprise was all smoke damage. Over the course of the next few months I took it almost totally apart, cleaned it, and reassembled it (fortunately I found an online manual for doing this). In the end it looked like it was in EXC+++ condition. I still use it today.

  9. #19

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

    Re: Linhof Technika III 5x7 restoration

    Quote Originally Posted by Phaedros View Post
    Started cleaning the shutter of the 120... it‘s the first one I‘ve ever opened so I took it slow. I do have disassembled a couple of watches and made them tick again so as far as this goes I‘m confident.


    An inexpensive Rodenstock/Linos lens wrench would be a much better way to unscrew shutters from boards and there are no sharp points to slip and scratch or mar. Plus the prongs properly fit all 0, 1 and 3 shutters. It is also much easier to properly retighten the rings as it better fits your hand.

    Parts trays come in handy, so the screws and springs stay organized.



    The parts are cleaned in the ultrasonic in hot soapy water first, then, to dissolve the water and prevent oxydation, they take a bath in alcohol



    Drilled more holes into my makeshift tool to unscrew the ring holding the shutter in the lens plate.


    This shutter has seen some life... srewheads marred, scratches all over the inside, gunked up in who knows what. A good start for a first shutter to service.

    If there’s any questions, just ask, I‘ve taken plenty of pictures...

  10. #20

    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    SooooCal/LA USA
    Posts
    2,802

    Re: Linhof Technika III 5x7 restoration

    My early 50's 4X5 Tek III camera came to me with a weird story, as the first owner decided to sell it much later in her life, so sent it to one of those NYC camera shops for a sales estimate, but she passed on the offer and asked for the camera back... There was a long delay for the return, but when it arrived, it looked like it was vandalized by throwing it around the room with broken GG and everything knocked out of adjustment...

    She sold it cheap to a retired rural camera tech who got it working again, and he sold it to me at a low profit... I was able to get it to work for pro photo work, but several years ago I gave it a major strip - down and rebuild... The bed had a slight bind in it, and focusing shaft was slightly bent... Banged out the bend on the shaft with a mallet, aluminum block, and a steel surface plate... Bed rails were removed, cleaned, and assembled with light silicone/teflon grease, and it worked like new!!! I noticed this camera responded well to the service applied to it...

    The other issue to deal with was the inner bed track was working, but a little loose, so stripped enough parts away to remove/clean it, and check for damage... The parts and screws were OK, but noticed the alignment of front, rear tracks and is it square to the GG, but after playing around with the adjustments for about 45 minutes (while using a thick metal straightedge and a machinist's tri-square), they all aligned to perfect no tolerance set!!! I never have seen perfect alignment on any metal or wood camera like this, so l'm proud of Linhof!!!

    Black artist's taped the bellows leaks 35 years ago, and still working, but ready to pull the trigger for new bellows soon (Chinese, Japanese, Custom Bellows/UK, not sure yet)...

    Camera truly feels happier, and loves to shoot!!!

    Good luck on your project!!! ;-)

    Steve K

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