Kodak Stereo Camera Repairs
From Photo-3d
Kodak Stereo Camera
Contents |
Procedure: Removing the top of the camera
Thanks to: Mike Watters
The two control knobs screw off (normal thread). Just secure the part inside the camera so it won’t turn (i.e. stick a screwdriver in it) and unscrew the screws on top of the knobs. When these are removed, a couple screws will be revealed (one near the edge of each end under where the knobs were). These screws are what hold the top on. Unscrew them and the top comes off. You’ll want to keep an eye on a few little parts which will probably fall out (view- finder lens and cover).
Getting the top back ON:
Pretty much the reverse of the above. The only tricky part is getting the frame counter in position. The problem is pretty obvious when you look at it. It’s also pretty simple to jiggle it into position to get the top on.
Frame counter note: If you decide you want to remove the frame counter for some reason, it has backwards screw threads (i.e. turn clockwise to loosen). Several folks (including myself) snapped off the screw before learning this lesson.
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Modification: Flash adapter
Thanks to: Mike Watters
RE: Kodak flash adapter- I don’t have any actually... The Kodak just has what used to be the standard bayonet flash plug. You could probably find one in a better camera store. OR you could hunt around for cheap old cameras that used the same bayonet that someone left the adapter on. OR... you can look for an old flash unit (tend to be about $1 i thrift stores), they commonly could attach to either PC or bayonet fittings. Just cut the wires and make your own adapter...
Procedure: Kodak slow shutter mechanism
Thanks to: Mike Watters
It’s REALLY common for the Kodak shutters to slow down. Unfortunately, the shutter is a real weak point since the camera is really pretty good besides that.
Try tripping the shutter a LOT. If you are lucky it will loosen up and work fine. (more common than we should ever let the camera dealers know. :)
Note: Mike provided two descriptions of his procedure for using graphite to fix the problem in two separate email messages. I have included both here.
In past I’ve gotten them working again by jetting in some dry graphite lubricant (made for locks mostly) directly onto the shutter mechanism. To do this you have to pull the camera half apart though (top, bottom, front center cover). You can then puff in the graphite from the hole in the center onto the gears and things situated around the right lens (i.e. the shutter itself). For cameras like the one described where they seem OK except for the low speeds being slow, that tends to work quickly and well.
If that doesn’t work, the following will probably take care of things: You should pick up a tube of graphite powder at a hardware store. It will probably be in the auto section as it’s used to lubricate locks. You’ll need to pull the top off the camera. Then you pull the front off. (via four screws, two on top, two on bottom). This should reveal a little window into the shutter mechanism from the front (where the viewfinder was). Trip the shutter a couple times so you can see where the moving parts are. Then tap in a small (gotta be careful here) amount of the graphite. Trip the shutter some more and see how it is now. More graphite as needed. If you use too much graphite you risk having it end up inside the lenses. That’s cleanable, but bothersome. If that doesn’t help the shutter probably would be fixed by soaking it in a solvent (I use acetone) to pull out the old lubricant then re-lubing with graphite.
Note: There was some discussion within the group about the merits of whether or not to lubricate the shutter mechanism before re-assembly. Advantages: reduction of wear and protection against rust. Disadvantages: The lubrication could act as a “trap” for dust, causing the problem to reappear. John Bercovitz contacted several repair experts. Here is a summary of what he found:
I called two places that do SLRs and three that do mechanical cameras. The SLR places can’t believe anyone would clean a camera and not lube it while the mechanical places say don’t lube the shutter. The best explanation came from Charlie Piper who said that the Kodak came with a lube on the leaf pivot points but it migrated onto the leaves and messed up the shutter speeds. So Charlie cleans them in his ultrasonic cleaner and leaves them dry. He does lube certain other points especially in the transport but the shutter stays dry. One of the SLR shops told me that the way you lube a camera is with a pin and an extremely small drop of oil. Sounds just like lubing a watch or a clock if you’re familiar with that.
Procedure: Adjusting lens infinity focus
Thanks to: Mike Watters
How to determine how far to screw in lenses: What you need to refocus the lenses on a reference object (preferably infinity) while the camera is open on Bulb. All you do is remove the lens locking rings (the little rings around the lenses that say (35mm f3.5 etc.). This lets you turn the lenses (independently) and NOT turn the outer rings. You then use a small piece of ground glass back in the film plane (I’ve also used scotch tape), open the shutter on bulb and turn the lens until you focus each lens. Then you turn the outer rings so they read “infinity” (assuming the object you focused was at infinity) and replace the locking rings.
Another way to set the lenses at infinity is to loosen the four small screws on the front rings of the Kodak’s lenses. That lets the lenses turn independent of their collars. Once you get infinity set, you just tighten the screws into the lenses again.
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Procedure: Dismantling the Kodak Stereo
Thanks to: Alex Klein
What you need are some really good screwdrivers. Don’t even try to fool around with your pocket-knife or cheap screwdrivers. This is all what I use to repair cameras:
- Screwdrivers 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.0 mm, 5.0 mm
- Phillips Screwdrivers PH 000, PH 00, PH 0
- two pairs of tweezers (one straight, one slightly bent)
- two good eyes and good hands
- several empty film-containers for small parts
This decription is not necessarily accurate. I wrote this purely from memory. Next time I take apart a Kodak, I should probably make a few notes.
It is unnecessary to remove the bottom part. Start with the top part. First, open the camera back and stuff some paper (Kleenex etc.) into the take-up spool (right). Make sure to push the paper upwards. This helps to prevent that parts are falling down into the camera. It’s not really necessary as this is nothing “deadly”, but it helps to save some time.
Then remove the wind and rewind-buttons by using a large screwdriver. Make sure not to mess-up the parts of the rewind-button. Then loosen the two phillips-screws at the outer end of the metal top plate. Remove the top plate.
At this stage, you could clean the back element lens of the viewfinder by opening the camera back and lifting off the small bakelite cover, but I suggest you wait with that until you start assembling the camera again.
Next, remove the diaphragm and shutter-speed dial by removing the two screws holding the appropriate part. The small lever with which you set the dia- phragm is held by a tiny screw which has to be removed. Put the lever and the screw in a film container. If you get nervous about the size of the screws: this one is one of the smallest ones.
After that, remove the bakelite front part (the one with the Kodak-logo) by removing the two regular screws on the bottom (left and right of the serial number; the screws have fairly thick heads) and the two phillips-screws at the top (that’s why you had to remove the top)
Then lay the camera on the back and remove the four phillips-screws holding the brown ring round the lenses (the one that says ‘Kodak Anaston Lens’). The screws also go into a film container. Personally, I use just one big container, but you may wish to use several containers and label them. Num- bering the containers is probably no bad idea. Then you know which parts to put where at the right time (working your way back to box #1).
The rings lift off pretty easy, probably you have to take a small screw- driver and lift them off (at one of the two holes, so you don’t scratch anything). Next, srew the front elements of the lenses out. It’s no bad idea to label them left and right (who knows, maybe they’re matched??).
Then remove the two aluminum scales (depth-of-field [right]/arrow [left]).
Now it’s time to remove the whole shutter assembly. Open the camera back and loosen the four rather big black screws (they’re pretty long). The shutter assembly should fall out. There’s NO danger of any hidden springs.
To open the shutter, remove the four bolt-like srews that held the aluminum scales (the screws protrude about 6 mm, so it’s quite obvious which screws I mean. The left and right pairs are different. Have a close look!
Now you should have the shutter right in front of you. Describing the whole shutter mechanism exceeds both my memory and my English language skills, but it’s quite obvious.
By the way: the shutter can be cocked with the protruding lever. If you want to fire it, a small latch (?) near the cocking lever must be pushed in one direction (hold it like that), then press the shutter release “button”.
To clean the shutter, I’m using a special kind of benzine which I buy at the pharmacy. It’s extra-clean, is usually used to clean wounds (in German, it’s called “Wundbenzin” - wound benzine). It evaporates much faster than usual benzine and doesn’t smell as badly. By washing the shutter, you remove all old grease and dirt. Then re-lube very carefully. Don’t even try to lube the shutter blades...
By the way, I’m using the same stuff to clean lenses (with a special cotton- swab).
This description is really just very basic, but it should help you to fix MOST problems of the Kodak, to clean ALL lenses, the viewfinder (also all lenses and mirrors) and to re-focus the camera.
When assembling the camera, simply proceed “in the other direction”. At the various stages, check the functions of the camera (i.e. after putting the shutter assembly back, cock the shutter and fire it. Once you screw in the front elements of the lenses (don’t forget to clean them!), put a ground glass (scotch-tape of thuin glass) onto the film plane, cock the shutter, put it on B and screw-in a cable-release. Then keep the shutter open ( diaphragm at f 3.5) and focus on a distant object (no accurate focusing at this early time). Then remove the cable-release and continue assembling the camera, but leave the two brown rings round the lenses away.
Everything on its place? Congratulations! Now it’s time to focus the camera. Keep the shutter open, the diaphragm also. Turn the lens rings to the in- finity-position. Put one brown ring in place and SLIGHTLY turn in the two phillips screws. With your fine ground-glass and a good magnifyer (min. 25 x) adjust the focus to infinity. Then tighten the two screws. Do the same with the other lens. Cross-check the focus of the lenses at infinity. You may have to play around a bit, but you’ll soon notice how it works. After re-focussing some 10 cameras, you can do it in 10 minutes.
Procedure: Problems with the cable-release
Thanks to: Alex Klein
Several Kodaks have problems with the cable-release which seems to “slip” over some lever when it’s being pushed down. This is due to a small lever behind the cable-release-thread which is off-center.
There are two possiblities to fix it. One is the “traditional solution” which I usually prefer: you have to dismantle the camera and bend a lever inside the shutter mechanism (just a very slight adjustment will do since the “pin” of the cable release itself is only slightly thicker than 1 Milli-meter).
Unless you feel comfortable taking apart things like cameras or watches, I’d rather recommend that you keep your fingers off the shutter mechanism. If I had to repair it, it would take me about 1 to 1.5 hours - including cleaning of the lenses and re-focusing.
However, you MIGHT try the “quick solution” which usually works quite well.
Take the camera and a bright light (flashlight or even better a halogene lamp, the sun will do as well). Peek inside the tiny hole that’s used to screw in the cable release (let the light shine in as well). You should notice a small lever somewhere on the back of the hole. In your case, the lever might very well be off-center (where it is supposed to be). If it’s too far off-center, you might not even see it at this time. In the latter case, set the shutter-speed to B and cock the shutter. Then press the shutter release button and keep pressed. NOW you should see the lever.
All you need is a tiny little screwdriver to put through the hole and to bend the lever until it’s in the center.
