Camera repair is not as difficult as the industry would like to have you believe.  Cameras are made up of a few key systems, which can be diagnosed with a few simple tests.  The better cameras come apart in functional modules and generally do not have parts that fly out upon disassembly.  However some cameras involve a few “tricks”, the knowledge of which can greatly reduce the difficulty of repair.  Repair “tricks’ can be discovered by reading literature that is readily available in various repair texts.  Ed Romney sells repair texts on many classic cameras.  His “Revised Basic Training In Camera Repair” was the first repair book that I bought when I first started this business.   Thomas Tomosy has written a number of excellent repair books.  In addition, camera service manuals can often be purchased at camera shows.

            Tomosy Repair Books

In this document I will provide some of the knowledge that I have gained over the past few years.  My focus has been on the types of basic repairs necessary to maintain and resell classic cameras.  I do not work on modern cameras, rather my main interest has been classic mechanical cameras, with an emphasis on Rolleiflex, Exakta and Graflex.  These are high quality cameras that are easy to repair. 

Index:

Tools

There are only a few basic tools needed to perform 90% of camera repairs.  The following are in order of importance:

• Set of jeweler’s screwdrivers (regular and Phillips).   A similar tool to a Phillips (flatter end with non-tapered blades) is called “Crosspoint”.  Another variation is called “Reed and Prince”.
• Can of Cleaner Degreaser
• Lens spanners (I prefer the “Multispan” sold by Micro-Tools and recommend both the short and long versions, the “Minispan” is not as useful.)
• Long nose (the type with a bent end is best) and regular pliers
• Micro fiber lens cleaning cloth
• Lens cleaning brush
• Tweezers
• Dial or vernier calipers
• 10X Lupe and/or an Optivisor

Other useful tools include:

• Shutter speed tester
• Can of air or air blower
• Tooth picks for scraping off old foam
• A small multi-meter
• PanaVice (I prefer the standard base with the self centering, wide opening head.  The parts tray base mount is also useful.)
• Small/low power soldering iron

Many of the tools that are needed can be fabricated from common materials.  Tomosy covers this subject in his books.

Clean, Lube & Adjust

Clean, Lube & Adjust or CLA is the basic maintenance service on a used camera.  It can be very simple or quite involved depending on how far you want to go.  The National Camera Repair Course estimated it would take 3-6 hours for a “standard CLA” on a non-automatic SLR.  They recommended going as far as taking out the mirror cage and flush cleaning the curtain bearings.  This did not require removing the curtains.  A complete CLA will usually cost $80-120.

The following are typical elements of a CLA:

·         Take apart the top and bottom covers

·         Take apart major assemblies (Often this will not include the mirror cage.)

·         Change light seals and foam dampeners

·         Flush clean all mechanical assemblies

·         Lightly oil/grease all bearings

·         Inspect for damage, repair if necessary

·         Reassemble

·         Test/Adjust Shutter

·         Test/Adjust Focus

·         Clean all surfaces/glass

Initially it is best to take notes and digital photos as you go and organize all parts with their assemblies in order of their disassembly.  Replace all screws into their holes as you go.  Scribe parts if necessary particularly helical lens mounts.  

Solvents

There are a number of solvents that can be used to clean/degrease shutters and other camera parts.  The most important attribute is that they do not leave any residue.  This is particularly true for glass parts such as lenses.   Most of these can be sprayed directly on the shutter mechanisms and other camera parts in order to clean them without any disassembly.   Subsequently you can blow them dry with compressed air.

Traditionally the best solvent was Freon TF .  It is no longer available due to its effect on the ozone layer.  Another favorite was Ether which is also no longer readily available. The following are typically used today:

1.        Lighter Fluid is generally pure naphtha.  This flammable solution is used for removing grease, oil, tar, wax, and even labels.  For camera repair it can be used for cleaning bodies and even flush cleaning shutters.  Ronsonol is one of the best brands, however Zippo is also usable.  One person called this “the most important liquid ever invented for camera repair.”

2.       Electronic Cleaning Solutions – These contact cleaner solutions are non-flammable, raidly evaporating, safe on most plastics, zero residue, low ozone depletion potential, and non-corrosive.  They are however quite a bit more expensive than lighter fluid.  Due to the zero residue they are ideal for areas close to lenses, such as shutters.   It is available from Radio Shack as well as Micro-Tools (Asahiklin AK224).   These are usually dichlorofluoroethane.  In my opinion this is far better than naphtha and doesn’t require as much ventilation.

3.       To free up stuck parts there is a product called “Drop ‘L Do” which is made by “LubeCon Systems” in White Cloud, MI.  It is advertised as a “thin-film/dry-film penetrating lubricant”.

Lubrication 

Never use WD40 on any part of a camera.  It is a solvent, not a lubricant, and will migrate to places that it will do more harm than good.

For helical lens mounts (Helicoids) use one of the damping greases available from Micro-Tools (Fargo Enterprises).  There are however a number of alternatives that have been used successfully.  Ideally you want the grease to not evaporate/outgas, and have low viscocity.  “Teflon Lobe Gel” or “Superlube” have been found to be too stiff for large helicoils, but OK if mixed with a light oil.  Vaseline is not recommended because it has little lubricating properties and easily turns into a liquid when warm. Lithium wheel bearing grease does outgas and may separate in time.  It may also not be compatible with plastic.

Watch Oil

Watch oil is a light oil available from Micro-Tools and most jeweler’s supply stores.  It is the opposite of penetrating oil.  Penetrating oil is designed to creep and penetrate, not to stay where you put it. Watch oil is designed to stay put.  A long time ago it was made from whale oil, today it is either a synthetic or made from jojoba bean oil.

According to Jon Goodman:  

Yes, I really do use WD40 for watch and camera oil...dead serious, but most people think I'm joking.  Here's how to do it:  take a small jar...the sort pimientos come in is perfect.  Then spray from a fresh (or not old) can of WD40 about an inch of liquid in the jar.  Let it set a few days and you'll see a milky layer settle on the bottom.  This is the junk...paraffin, who knows what.  The top clear layer will be about the consistency of water, but amber in color.  It is a very fine and light oil that works very well if not overused.  Costs almost nothing in comparison to other products.  You can siphon it off, but I just make sure not to shake or disturb the jar.

Lens Cleaning:

If a lens is not cleaned properly it can easily be damaged.  The following steps should be followed:

1. Use a blower bulb to remove loose dirt particles. This will avoid allowing then to scratch the surface.  In the past, many photographers would clean lenses by wiping them with their sleeves which would leave  “cleaning marks”.  Be careful if you use “canned air” and do not get the liquid on the lens (or any glass/mirror) surface.

 2. Apply some lens cleaning fluid to a “micro-fiber” lens cleaning cloth, and carefully wipe the surface of the lens being sure that no excess fluid penetrates thru the edges of the lens.  One way to avoid this is to always hold the lens with the front facing down.  Excess fluid could loosen the lens element.

3. Next wipe the lens with cleaning cloth to remove any remaining fluid.  I also use a “LensPen” (which can be purchased through MicroTools or even WalMart).  It is good for getting to the edges of the lens, but must be kept clean so that dirt does not scratch the lens. 

4. If there is an oil film or other substance remaining on the lens surface, acetone will quickly remove it.  This will also eliminate the need for excessive  wiping. However take care if you use acetone or ether since these are very strong solvents.  Some of the Freon replacements called Cleaner/Degreaser can be used safely.  With any solvent, always use as little as possible and in a well ventilated room.

5.  Someone suggested: To get the dust off a lens, hold it close to a TV screen for a few seconds, breath on it, and wipe with a lens cloth.

Lens Cleaners:

The best fluid is either a commercial lens cleaner or a glass cleaner that does not contain a lot of ammonia or anything that will leave a residual film.  Ammonia can hurt painted parts. 

Many people use Windex.  The number 1 ingredient in Windex is isopropyl alcohol.  However a small amount of ammonia is also included.  I am also told that there are various types of Windex, later ones may contain unwanted ingredients.

The number 1 ingredient in Kodak Lens Cleaner is Ammonium Carbonate.  There is also a small amount of nonionic surfactant (soap).

Eyeglass cleaning solution may include a silicon based oil that is bad for cleaning camera lenses.

The following are other lens cleaning solutions that have been suggested.  They should be used with lint-free cotton handkerchiefs or PEC wipes or the new micro-fiber” cloths:

1.        2 parts water, 2 parts alcohol, 1 part ammonia

2.       Formula “40” by “Sprayware” (art stores)

3.       From an astronomy newsgroup:  99.9% isopropanol (not the 70% that the drugstores sell) , distilled water (not spring water or mineral water, but distilled water), and one small drop of Palmolive dishwashing liquid to act as a surfactant.

4.       Similar to the previous one - 50/50 mixture of distilled water and the purest isopropyl alcohol you can obtain, plus one tiny drop of liquid dishwashing detergent per quart of mix.

5.       Rexton Optyl 7 for everyday cleaning.

6.       ROR (“Residual Oil Remover”) for really dirty lenses.  This is probably just commercial lens cleaner.

7.       Use Acetone for stains on optical glass.

Fungus removal:

To remove fungus on lens cells, use a 50% hydrogen peroxide and 50% regular ammonia solution.  Mix it just before you are ready to use it.  Apply it with a Q-Tip and the fungus will disappear.  Finish with some Windex on a Q-Tip. This technique was originally proposed by Ed Romney.

Others have recommended using a strong source of UV to kill the fungus, such as eprom erasers.  This may or may not pass through the lens coating or lens adhesives and even if it did, some fungus residue would still remain.  I am not sure if it would help prevent fungus growth.  UV can also break down plastic parts.

Lens Repair

Many barrel lenses and lenses in shutters can be easily taken apart and repaired.  It is best to start with a lens from a junker camera.  As with any camera repair task, lay the parts out in the order that you disassemble them, take notes and/or digital pictures as you progress.  Try to understand the function of each component prior to removal and for threaded parts, mark the location where the threads released with either a scribe or marker so that it can be replaced at the same place.  Many times the threads are so fine that there are a number of locations for the threads to start.  This is true for most focusing helicoids.

  Often the lens will come apart simply by unscrewing the front and real lens elements/groups.  This is true for most large format lenses.

For 35mm lenses, the first step is often to unscrew the bezel around the front element.  This is the bezel that often has the lens name/size on it.  Remove it with an appropriately sized rubber stopper or dental dam.  A set of these can be bought from Micro-Tools.

The rest of the disassembly will depend on the particular lens.

Shutters

Shutter repair is not as hard as one might imagine.  The better shutters such as the german Compur or Synchro-Compur, or even the Kodak Supermatic can even be taken apart with the right tools and after studying the basic functions.  Most shutters however do not need to be disassembled, rather they just need to be cleaned which can be done entirely with solvents.

The Compurs are usually sealed better than the Supermatics, and thus often just need a couple of drops of solvent on the slow speed escapement.  See SolventsCleaner_Degreaser.

However the correct way of cleaning a shutter during a complete CLA is to take the major components out and clean them in an ultrasonic cleaner using a series of solvents.

A complete professional CLA will cost from $75-125.  I have often been able to do it the easier way.  The risk is that the solvent just moved the grime around from one part of the shutter to another.  If possible I take off the glass cells and soak the shutter in some solvent.  One can purchase  a small ultrasonic cleaner for less than $100.

Focusing

If you have a focusing problem it could be that:

1.        The camera has not been properly setup/collimated.

2.       The lens flange to film plane distance is incorrect and needs to be shimmed.

3.       The mirror is not positioned properly in an SLR.

4.       On a field camera the ground glass may not be installed properly.  The ground side must be (at the flim plane) usually facing the lens.

There are a number of ways to check the focus of a camera.  The easiest way is checking the focus on a ground glass if one is available.  If no ground glass is available, as in most 35mm cameras, then one can be made out of a piece of ground glass or even using a piece of frosted transparent tape.  It is also not difficult to make your own ground glass.

In older Leica cameras the back does not open so you can’t get to the film plane.  The answer here is either get an expensive device made for this or to slide a thin mirror up into the film plane being careful not to scratch anything.  Then one can use the next technique which is called back focusing.

Back focusing was invented by Ed Romney and he describes it fully in his texts.  Basically you place a ground glass with a pencil X marked on it, in back of the camera under test, adjust the lens to infinity and shine a bright light into the back of the camera.  Then with a second camera with known accurate focusing, look into the front of the camera under test and see if the pencil cross is sharp.  The second camera should also be set to infinity.   Ed does a much better job of explaining how this works.  It is basically a home made collimator.

An auto-collimator is an expensive device that professional camera repair people use to adjust camera focus.

Ground Glass

Sources of Ground Glass

·         Ground glass can be made at home using automobile valve-grinding compound (fine carburundum) or 400 to 600 grit abrasive.  These are also used for making telescope mirrors.

·         It can be bought at some glass stores or made for you by a sand blaster, or possibly a stained glass company.  This may not however be thin enough for camera applications.

·         An inexpensive substitute for checking focus is regular (matte) magic scotch tape.  Just tape it across the film plane.  Other people use drafting film taped to clear glass.

·         One source for thin glass is old photographic glass plates. 

·         One person uses thin (1/16 or 1/8) Krylon, spray painted with semi-transparent paint. 

·         Another method is to buy “white” glass.  Mix Glycerin with water, add emery powder and grind it into the glass with a block of wood.

Sources: Ground Glass Specialties

 The following is from from Wilson's Photographic Magazine, 1889

HOW TO MAKE GROUND GLASS

First procure a pound of emery powder - not the sand not the finest powder - but a fine quality of powder; all druggists keep it and it is cheap. Next get a board that is perfectly flat and somewhat larger than the glass you wish to grind. Lay the glass on the board. Then take a piece of metal, a fruit can lid if it doesn't have rings or folds or letters pressed into it, is equal to the very best grinding tool to be had. Apply emery and water to the glass and commence rubbing in circular motions all over the surface of the glass, applying such pressure as you feel convenient to use. The emery at once embeds itself into the tin grinding tool and thus forms a surface which cuts away the glass very rapidly.  Keep applying water and emery as it is needed and you will be surprised to find that in half an hour's time, you will have an 11 by 14 or any smaller size you may select, which will be equal in every respect to one for which you would pay 50 cents to 2 dollars.  You will need to wash it occasionally, while grinding, to see the places which are being skipped so that you may give them special attention. If you wish to obtain a milky-white surface, proceed in this manner. Take a teacup and fill it about half full with equal parts of water and emery powder. Stir  this with a small stick and, in not over 5 seconds, pour off all the fluid into another cup. Stir this in the same manner and, in about 15 seconds, pour the fluid part into a third cup. Proceed with this in the same manner and, after standing about one minute, pour into a fourth cup. This will leave in the bottom of each cup a grade of emery much coarser than what is poured out and you will thus obtain four grades of the powder. The first being coarsest, will grind much faster, and may be used for reducing the glass to a frosted surface, then the finer grades may be used in succession, ending with the fourth grade which will give a very fine, semi-transparent surface on which the finest lines can be traced. This for, say, an 11 by 14 glass, will require about two and one half or three hours work.

Sources:

Ground Glass Specialties

Bellows

Old bellows are often in need of repair due to pinholes or general deterioration.    To test a bellows take it into a dark room, close the shutter and open the back.  While holding a strong light up against the bellows, look inside the back for light leaks.  Move the light all around the bellows.  If you only see a few leaks then it may be repairable. 

Patching pinholes:

There are numerous methods that have been suggested including

• Black “Duncan Scribbles”, a "3D" paint used on craft projects.

• “Plastidip”, a heavy duty plastic coating available at most hardware stores

• Thinned down black rubber cement (This is often too sticky)  

Some people feed either fabric or leather bellows with Pledge Wax, to help maintain softness, and flexibility.

Replacing the bellows:

Taking off an old bellows from many old cameras can be tricky.   In many of the old folders the bellows was attached by means of bent metal tabs.  These tabs have to be bent for removal and often break.  Fortunately the new bellows can be re-attached to the body with super glue.  The front of the bellows is often just sandwiched to the standard by the lens retaining ring.  Sometimes rivets have to be removed and replaced with pop rivets.

Sources for new bellows:

Most of these vendors use synthetic material exclusively.

Camera Bellows (Leather bellows available) http://www.camerabellows.com/

Flexible Products Co. (727) 536-3142 http://www.flexproducts.com

Turner Bellows Inc. (716) 235-4456 x202 http://www.turnerbellows.com

Universal Bellows tel. 516-378-1264

Western Bellows Company 909-980-0606  email:  westernbellows@aol.com  

Light Meters

There are various types of meters but they usually fall into the following categories:

1.        Extinction – These contain a series of neutral density numbered patches from clear to black.  The user looks through these patches and selects the one through which the scene is still visible.  A table converts this number to an exposure value.

2.       Selenium - The cells are used as a power source to directly drive a galvanometer.  No battery is required.

3.       Cadmium Sulfide (CdS) – The cells are a variable resistance, to vary the amount of current sent to a galvanometer from a battery.  Early versions had a “memory” which means that if they are pointed at a bright light and then to a darker area, they would read too high.

4.       Silicon “blue” – These silicon photodiodes (SPD) are used as a signal source to drive an amplifier input.  The “blue” refers to the treatment of the cell to alter the response curve.  They are smaller, faster and more sensitive than CdS.  They also have no “memory”.

Meter Repair

Selenium cells are reliable but may begin to fail after many years, even if the meter has had very little use.   Most cells that fail do so because moisture gets past their protective coatings and attacks the cells, though some "fail" when the wiring or contacts break (metal fatigue, vibration).  The first thing to check is the electrical connections for corrosion/oxidation.  Clean with an eraser or solvent.  Be careful not to damage the small fine wires.  If the selenium cell is weak, it can be replaced with a new cell.  Radio Shack sells a silicon solar cell that might work (#276-124).  It will however need to be cut to size by using a glass cutter or a Dremel tool with a diamond wheel (They have a glass substrate).   Soldering the new cell might also be a bit tricky.  Since the voltage might be higher than the original cell, the meter will need to be recalibrated.  Another reason for re-calibration is that the spectral curves and probably the illumination/output curves of silicon are quite different than selenium.  You can decrease the output by painting part of the cell with a black marker or by using a resistor-divider.

Replacement cells for some types of selenium meters may still be available.  Megatron Ltd., 165 Marlborough Rd., London N19 4NE, UK , sell selenium cells for Weston Meters (Type B 45mm), admin@megatron.co.uk.

It is also possible to replace a selenium cell with a silicon cell.

Rangefinders

In one newsgroup someone (I don’t know who) suggested a technique for aligning split image or co-incident rangefinders that is easier and quicker than just looking through the finder. 

The steps were as follows:  

• Get an inexpensive laser pointer.

• With the camera on a level surface, focus on a clean wall at a known distance from the camera.  Set the camera at infinity.

• Shine the laser into the rangefinder eyepiece. 

• With laser centered on the eyepiece, two light beams should emerge from the rangefinder windows.  Secure the laser in this position.

• The distance between the two spots should be exactly the same as the distance between the two rangefinder windows.

• Now when you set the camera to the distance to the wall, the two laser spots will merge into one.  Otherwise adjustments to the rangefinder are required.

• He suggested testing at various distances.

I am not sure that it is not easier to just use the rangefinder, however it does involve a technique that may have other possible uses for the creative person.  

Film For Classic Cameras

Many classic cameras use modern films.  Most miniature cameras, such as Leicas or Kodak Retinas use modern 35mm film.  In addition, many medium format cameras use modern professional 120 film.  However, other classic cameras use films that are no longer readily available.  The most common film sizes are 620,127, 616,116, 9mm and 16mm.  One of the nice things about 620 film is that it is the same as 120 but in a smaller spool.  It is not very hard to rewind 120 film on 620 spools.  620 spools are readily available in many old inexpensive cameras.   127 film can till be obtained from FilmForClassics (see LINKS) as well as other sources.  It is relatively expensive.  An alternative is to make your own from strips of 120 film.  This also provides a wide choice of film types. 

Film Speed Scales

 There are a number of film speed systems that have been devised.  There is no real numerical relationship between the scales.  However Weston is approximately 0.8 X ASA.  BSI is in Schneider degrees.  On some camera conversion scales, the DIN/ASA conversion may differ.  The table below was abbreviated from the Morgan & Lester “Leica Manual” dated 1955.

Film Holders for Larger Sheet Film Cameras

The most critical element when using film holders on cameras is to assure that the depth from its face to the actual emulsion is the same as the depth on the ground glass holder from the face to the ground side of the glass.

From continual use, many old wooden holders are no longer usable.

The ANSI standard for the depth of standard film holders is 0.197 +/- .007.  Thus the range is 0.19 to 0.204.  3/16 is .1875 and 4/16 is .25.

A sheet of most types of film is usually .007” thick, however this can vary.  Kodalith and Tech Pan are .004”.

Thus the actual film in the holder is usually at .190”.

Mirrors

The reflex mirrors in cameras are usually front-surface or first-surface mirrors.  The surface coating is very fragile and should never be touched with your fingers.  Also do not us “canned-air” since the liquid contains a kind of hydrocarbon which can spot the surface.

If the surface is badly deteriorated, the mirror will probably need to be replaced.  I have successfully cut mirrors from old Polaroid SX-70 type cameras for replacements on old Rolleis.  These mirrors are sometimes not the same thickness as the Rollei mirror and thus focus adjustment or shims might be necessary.

If the mirror is just dusty, blow on it and if absolutely necessary, wipe very gently with a Micro-Fiber cloth.  Always wipe back and forth, never in a circular motion.

Another source for replacement mirrors is: http://www.edmundoptics.com .  The mirror can be cut to size for you at a glass shop.  Modern replacement mirrors are much better than the originals and should last a lifetime.

How do you cut a mirror? Cutting a mirror is similar to cutting glass,  however they tend to be very thin and the silver coating is fragile.  It is often better to cut on the non-silvered side.  Some people prefer using a diamond tipped scriber, instead of wheel type cuters.  First lay the mirror on a hard surface (no pads) and then always cut the full length of the stock.  It is important to make only a single scribe line.  Then carefully break the glass over the edge of table.  As always, practice helps.

Can one re-silver a mirror?

  Professionals can do this but it is not a process that can be done at home.  One process involves suspending the clean mirror in a solution of silver nitrate as well as other chemicals, even nitric acid.  Pure silver is precipitated onto the glass.  Some glass companies can do this.  Another process involves placing the glass in a vacuum chamber and allowing vaporized aluminum to fall on it. 

General Disassembly

1. The first step is to look over the camera, clean it if necessary, and see if there are any obvious problems or areas of excess wear.

2. Removing the bottom plate on a SLR is an easy second step. It usually only required removing a few screws and still leaves the camera fully functional.  Look for corrosion around the battery terminal wires.  Watch the operation as you wind the film and operate the shutter.  Identify the parts that move.

3. The cap on top of the film advance lever of many cameras is a left-handed thread.  Normally a rubber tool will help remove it.

4. Often there are rings or caps (metal plates) that must be unscrewed or otherwise removed from the camera body.  If they will not unscrew or lift easily they may have been locked in place with shellac or even glue.  These can often be removed by heating the surface with a soldering iron just enough to loosen the adhesive. To protect the part from the hot iron, one can first place a brass shim or several layers of aluminum foil.  As an alternative, liquid wrench or WD40 can also be tried.  Just do not put too much of these solutions on the camera since they can do serious damage to other parts.

5. Stuck mechanisms within the camera (rewind buttons/levers) can often be freed up with a couple of drops of cleaner/degreaser.

Spring Repair

Often it becomes necessary to replace or repair a small coil or torsion spring.  If repair is not possible a replacement will have to be made.  Spring wire is no longer readily available.

As an alternative Jon Goodman supplied the following: In every watch there is what is called a "click spring."  It keeps the ratchet point secure against its gear so the gear can't reverse its turn.  Without it, no watch could be wound.   Within limits, they can be reshaped.  I doubt they could be turned into coils, but re-shaped into other shapes should be ok.  Some are round and some are flat.    If this doesn't work, I would suggest buying a guitar string...the bottom guitar string is thin and I believe would work for you. 

Get the bottom (6th) string for an electric or steel stringed acoustic.  Failing this, piano wire will definitely work, you need the wire from about the 80th key up.

Batteries

The following are typical types of camera batteries:

Mercury Batteries Mercury cells such as the PX625 produce 1.35V and have a relatively flat discharge curve. They are no longer readily available in the US due to environmental issues. They are however available in some countries like Europe and Asia.  Note: The 625A or 625U batteries that are often sold as replacements are 1.5 or 1.55V and cause a 3 stop error and in some cameras may cause damage to the movement.

Alkaline Battery Alkaline cells normally produce 1.5V and are less stable in that the voltage slowly declines with age/use.  Duracell has alkaline replacements for most of the mercury batteries, but voltage varies. For example, Duracell numbers the PX625 as PX625A and instead of 1.35V it is 1.5V.

Wien Cells These are zinc-air batteries that are environmental friendly and are typically used for hearing aids.   They have the same voltage as the Mercury batteries they replace, as well as stable output.  Once opened they have limited life, however they also have a flat discharge curve.  They are available at Micro-Tools and Freestyle Sales Co. 

MR-9 Adapter This is an adapter to use in cameras that use the PX625/PX13 batteries. Regular silver oxide button cells are used and voltage is said to be constant.  They are $29.95 each and can be purchased from C.R.I.S. Camera Services.  CAUTION:  Some tests have shown that C.R.I.S. voltage regulators drop the voltage down to the correct voltage of 1.35 volts, but only over a limited load range of 10K - 30 K ohms. Unfortunately the load range of some cameras such as the Nikon F meter is much greater than 10K - 30 K ohms. This will cause these meters to be inaccurate.  For some meters this may not be a problem.  Test them to be certain.

Silver Oxide Batteries These have a long shelf life and are readily available.  These (e.g. SR44) camera batteries produce a stable 1.5V.  These are a good choice if you want to recalibrate an old camera.  

For some cameras, the voltage of batteries does not have to match exactly. For example, the PX625  is 1.35V and regular silver oxides are 1.5V.   It may cause a slight difference in the meter readouts but turning the ISO/DIN dial can compensate it.   Two or three extra stops of exposure will usually adjust for the increased voltage.  Some cameras such as the Pentax Spotmatics include a voltage regulator and thus do not have to be adjusted.  

Photo Batteries can be ordered from Wholesale Advantage at discount prices. 

Seals & Foam

Seals are used in various places in modern cameras, usually around the back door and around viewfinders.  Foam is used in the mirror box of an SLR, to dampen the mirror as it goes up toward the ground glass.  In time they tend to deteriorate and get sticky.

One type of foam has a self-adhesive back and comes in various thickness,  however the 2mm foam is usually best.  One can also use self-adhesive velvet from art stores.  Sometimes it is best not to use the self adhesive material but rather use strips that are slightly wider and have a friction fit.

First one must scrape off the old foam with a flat-end toothpick.  Then clean the surface carefully with acetone and a Q-tip.  Be careful not to use too much acetone and don’t get any of it on plastic parts.  It may take some time to get all the black sticky stuff off.

Cut the foam to size and apply.  If your foam is not the self-adhesive type, use a press fit or a good contact cement.  

The best source for seal replacement kits is Jon Goodman who sells primarily via eBay under the name "interslice".

Camera Storage

There are a number of ways to store old cameras.  The goal should be to avoid moist/humid locations, extreme temperatures, dust, and bright sunlight.

The following are some suggested methods:

·         Use individual plastic boxes, such as those made by Rubbermaid.

·         Build shelves on sturdy supports on a wall that does not get direct sunlight.

·         Build bookcases with glass doors and good seals.

·         Get used glass display cases from stores that are closing.  Just make sure they will fit in the room and through the doors.  Glass is preferred because plexiglass may be clouded by some cleaners and it can be scratched.

·         Build a small glass cabinet to only display a part of your collection at a time.  Keep the rest in plastic bins.

·         Use the “CameraLock Display System” for displaying cameras.  Plans are available from: http://www.submin.com/forsale/shops/cameralock/index.htm

·         Use a map table, the type with a glass top and drawer below.

·         Or go all the way.  Cam McCubbin build cabinets framed with 2X4’s and 2X2’s, used metal adjustable vertical shelving and mirrors between the strips, added sliding glass doors in plastic tracking, and placed fluorescent lights inside.   You can visit his site at http://www.cameroddities.com/!JumpHtml(`http://www.cameroddities.com/') and see his system as well as all of his “Camera Oddities”. 

Note:  In order to keep cameras operating properly it is best to periodically (monthly) exercise the shutters.  The various oils and other lubricants is cameras will eventually migrate to the aperture and shutter blades and could ock up the camera, requiring repair.

Camera Salvage

If the camera is beyond repair it still has value as a parts camera.  Harvesting useful parts is an important part of camera repair.  You never know when these parts will help save a camera. 

The following are typical parts that can be salvaged:  

1.        Knobs, levers and other mechanical parts

2.       CdS Photoresistors and other electrical components, even entire meter movements

3.       All screws and nuts, also all setscrews.  Small brass screws are especially valuable in older cameras.

4.       Ball bearings 5.       All springs, spiral and torsion

6.       Wires

7.       Lenses  (Some can be used as magnifying lenses.)

8.       Aperture/shutter blades