[pure-silver] Re: Help?! Minolta Autocord
- From: Leigh Solland <solland@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 21:41:17 -0600
Thanks to all who have responded to my plea. I will try to answer your
questions in this single post.
Richard Knoppow wrote:
> I am not very familiar with the Autocord. Does it have
> automatic shutter cocking or must you cock it manually?
Manually. It has a crank, like a Rolleiflex, so you turn the crank forward to
advance the film and back it up a quarter turn to cock the shutter.
> If
> its automatic the cocking mechanism may not be completely
> cocking the shutter. The shutter will click but not actually
> fire. I've had this happen in Rolleiflex's when the cocking
> lever stroke was too short.
I will play with that some more, and see if I can get it to behave
consistently. I am puzzled, because I have shot quite a few films with it,
with no problems at all, and no harm
(such as mule kicks) has befallen it.
============================================
Dan C wrote:
> I guess the moral is, try using it a bit, the lubricants might soften up
> and flow around a bit.
I have been using it, for over a year and a half. It is my main shooting
camera, so I don't think it suddenly dried up. I think it is more likely that
a chunk of goo has come loose
and is floating around in the shutter, or that possibly a rod or a gear or a
cam in the firing mechanism has become worn to the point that it fails to do
its job intermittently.
============================================
Ryuji Suzuki wrote:
> My best guess is grease contamination of the shutter blades.
>
> A few questions for additional clue:
>
> - can you charge the shutter immediately after the false firing?
Yes.
> - does the true firing probability change in cold/warm place?
No. One film was shot at about 40 F, the other at about 60 F, and today I was
playing with it at about 70 F, and in all cases, the shutter blades opened
something over half the
time. When they don't open, they don't even twitch.
> - can you control the shutter speed over the entire range
> whenever the blades open?
Not sure. I haven't tried the whole range yet, but will test that.
> Shutters in TLR and rangefinder cameras like Minolta Hi-Matic 7S,
> Konica Auto S2, Canonet QL series, etc. are among the easiest to work
> on, but I wouldn't expect to do anything without damage on your first
> camera to repair.
I agree. It isn't my first camera to repair, but it is my favorite, and is in
pristine condition, so I am reluctant to start tearing the leatherette off
without being quite convinced
that the problem isn't accessible from the outside.
> If the problem is indeed grease contamination, the only sure fire
> method is to take the shutter off, take the blades off, immerse the
> blades in cleaning solution (most common is lighter fluid. I used to
> use a mixture of xylene and acetone, and dry methanol in alternating
> way, cleaning at least once in each solution), wipe off the grease,
> and dry. Of course you'll have to put them back on, which also takes
> skill.
Yeah, the first one I tore into was a Kodak 1A that had belonged to my
grandfather, and I was trying to be really careful not to wreck it. I did
great until I had it halfway back
together, and then I couldn't figure out how a particular spring went on. I
bought another similar camera, and took better notes as I disassembled it, so
that I could get them both
back together correctly.
> Another common symptom of grease contamination is variable shutter lag
> when shutter fires. In cold weather, the lag tends to become long, and
> eventually the shutter ceases to open. But if you fire repeatedly, the
> lag may shorten temporarily.
That has not been a problem, even when I was shooting in -30 F temperatures
last winter.
Thanks again for all your ideas, guys. I'm going to ponder for a while longer
before I start surgery.
Leigh
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