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

  • From: Thor Legvold <tlegvold@xxxxxx>
  • To: rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2013 12:25:47 +0200

I never saw your orignal post. Maybe I missed it, or maybe it never came 
through.

Anyway, while I've repaired a lot of things in my life, a Rolleiflex isn't one 
of them.

Hopefully someone else can help you out.

Cheers,
Thor

On 17. okt. 2013, at 10:12, Brett Rogers wrote:

> "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"
> -----------------------------------------
> 
> 
> The silence has been deafening. Was it something I said? Or some other faux 
> pa?
> 
> I had thought the members of this list included members willing and able to 
> conduct some repairs themeselves. Richard Knoppow and Todd Belcher are a 
> couple who come to mind. I would have regarded my original post as "on topic" 
> so the absence of replies puzzles me. Or does nobody have any words of wisdom 
> to proffer?                                    ---
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