[rollei_list] New List Member & Focus "Glide Pieces"

  • From: Brett Rogers <rogersbretta@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2013 17:17:44 +0930

Greetings List Members, I have recently worked out how to join and post to the 
list after perusing the archives over a couple of years in search of Rollei 
repair lore. I am the owner of several Rolleicords and Rolleiflexes based in 
Australia. I've mostly been using my 2.8C Xenotar lately but have loved using 
my Rolleicord V & Va models and have several projects awaiting my time, 
including a 2.8D Xenotar and Rolleicord Va and V.

I'd appreciate some input please, on the topic of what the Rollei Repair Manual 
refers to as "glide pieces". AKA as the fibre cam followers that are located 
between the focus cams and the U bracket supporting the lens carrier. Ie. those 
pads at the front side of the focus cams.

I should add, at this point, that I've been successful in persuading several 
Rolleicords back to life as regular users with great results on film over 
several years. The last one I tackled was a Rolleicord Vb with wear in the 
focus system, that required resetting of the parallelism between the film rails 
and the lens board. I found this to be a fiddly exercise, and had to fabricate 
a number of shims to achieve correct alignment, but got it right in the end (a 
measured 0.03mm across the corners, within the factory spec of 0.05mm). So I am 
not a total newbie when it comes to Rollei repairs, but like all of us, am 
always learning, or trying to.

Back to those pesky glide pieces. Those who have performed their own repairs 
will be aware that these are 
often found in worn condition depending on how much use and care an 
example has had. It seems, from my observations of various Rolleis, that 
procuring good used pairs of these from a donor camera is problematic 
because they're often in less than ideal condition for re-use. Have 
members been able to procure new replacements of these crucial parts used in a 
number of the later Rolleicord and Rolleiflex models?

I have enormous respect for the quality of Franke & Heideckes design and 
manufacturing skills, so I do not wish to second guess or to improve on their 
designs. However, in the absence of good used glide pieces to replace worn 
originals, I find myself wondering if other materials may be substituted 
successfully in place of the original parts, in order to keep these cameras 
working well into the future. I've been considering fabricating replacement 
glide pieces from, for instance, nylon, as a substitute for fibre. Do any of 
you have any experience trying this?

Secondly, I've found the differences and similarities between the Rolleicord 
and Rolleiflex focus mechanisms interesting and have a question about this. 
When I corrected the focus alignment of the Rolleicord Vb, one of the issues 
was some wear in the focus rails. The consequence of this was that the first 
initial movement of the focus knob would not to translate to immediate 
extension of the lens board. A small amount of side thrust (Ie. up and down 
motion as viewed from the side of the camera body) would be induced by the 
sliding motion of the cams across the "glide pieces"), which had to be absorbed 
before the lenses would extend to sub-infinity focus settings. I'm sure many of 
us are familiar with the "rocking" action from the top and bottom of the lens 
carrier, that this wear will encourage.

I found correcting the side play between the lens carrier and the rails of the 
Vb quite straightforward. The Rolleicords (at least the later ones) feature a 
simple wedge adjuster on either side, below the rail. I was able to quite 
satisfactorily correct the clearance to the necessary minimum by using the 
position of the wedges to eliminate excess play. However the Rolleiflex does 
not, as far as I can see, have a similar adjuster. Whilst the two guide posts 
fitted to the Rolleiflex would appear to offer superior axial alignment across 
the full focus range of the lenses compared to the Rolleicord mechanism, 
excessive clearance between the focus rails, the lens carriage and the camera 
body still work against immediate, simultaneous travel of each side of the 
carriage, when the focus knob is actuated. So adjustment is still necessary. 
Presumably replacement of worn focus rails would be one solution; once again, 
the issue of procuring usable replacement parts arises. The play is, as seems 
often to be the case, most evident at and just off the infinity position, and 
is less apparent at closer focus distances. It's likely that the deft use of a 
small hammer and punch to the rearward part of the rails would have the desired 
result of eliminating said excess clearance. However if there is a better, 
factory sanctioned method of adjusting this wear, I would be pleased to know 
what that is.

I should add the current repair patient is a Type one Tele Rolleiflex, and 
that, doubtless, the strain of transporting those two 135mm lenses has 
aggravated the wear typically suffered by 80mm or 75mm Rolleiflex models. 
Replacement of the glide pieces is not optional as the wind side (why is it 
*always* the wind side?) one has collapsed. The focus side of the lens carrier 
would therefore"lead" the wind side by at least a millimetre off of infinity, 
so it simply has to be dealt with.

If no sensible alternative solutions are suggested, I'll likely fabricate some 
new glide pieces out of a substitute material and see how that goes, but all 
input gratefully received. My apologies for such a lengthy first post.
Best,
Brett Rogers                                      ---
Rollei List

- Post to rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

- Subscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'subscribe'
in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org

- Unsubscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with
'unsubscribe' in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org

- Online, searchable archives are available at
//www.freelists.org/archives/rollei_list

Other related posts: