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Introduction
To repair a camera or lens you have to make time for it. This site is not for first aid on cameras and lenses. Time or patience and adequate tools are essential to obtain a good result. Try to find time and the rights tools. If both are not available don´t start! Or leave the job to a trained repairman. Good tools are half the job. For cleaning use soft tissues, soft tooth brushes for babies and some soft cotton sticks/swabs. Tools, like screw drivers, have to fit 100%. If your screw driver is too big or too small you may damage the screw. A good online shop to buy your tools is www.micro-tools.com. They are not cheap, but why wrecking a 1000 bucks camera with a 2 bucks screw driver?
Be aware that all information given below is based on the experience of the author. Following his advises doesn´t imply a good result and no responsibility is granted.
Be careful with flammable detergents, oils and grease. When opening flashes or compact cameras with a built-in flash be aware of the capacitor/condenser. Even if not used for months the capacitor/condenser may still give a high volt shock!
Have a look at the online restoration of an old Nikon camera
Cleaning
Cleaning camera bodies and lenses belongs to the regular maintenance of your gear, even if it is locked up in boxes or so. Don´t use alcohol or acids as it may damage lens coatings, paint, leather or plastics. Never touch a lens element with your fingers. Propane-carbon-acid (aka butter acid) is a part of human sweat that can harm any lens coating easily. So use (surgeon) gloves. Be careful in using detergents as they may contain acids etc. Polish, dishwasher detergent or kitchenware soap may damage glass or its coating or may stick/suture to glass. The best cleaner for lens or glass elements is ´beer glass cleaner´, sold (in most countries) e.g. by Reckitt Benckiser as ´Calgonit´. It is used by barmen to clean glassware (beer glass). Calgonit doesn´t stick to the glass but removes greasiness and it doesn´t leave rings, etc. For a beer/ale drinker essential as the beer foam w´nt get ´killed´.
If the leather covers of your old camera (rangefinder cameras are covered with goat´s skin) has become dull it may be too dry. To give it a vivid glow you may use a drip of very thin (highly refined) oil, like the oil a butcher uses to lubricate his meat mincer. So called Venetian Cream may restore black leather as well. Soft kitchen paper or any other soft paper that doesn´t fluff can be used to dry items. Don´t use cotton or synthetic towels. Dry a lens always in a circular wipe.
When an item is not in use cover it with the original caps and keep it in your bag or box. If heavily or frequently used take every day a minute to clean your gear.
Special attention to underwater housings or Nikonos equipment: after a dive into the sea or river, take the whole equipment under a fresh water shower and see to it that sea or river water and dirt is washed out. After that dry it with a soft towel and if you are sure that it is dry open it and check possible leaks. Check all rubber rings, give them some new grease or replace them. To check leaks use air under pressure. Never use water to locate leaks!
To avoid damage to lens surfaces use original Nikon filters. Nikon UV (L37c) or NC filters do not harm any image. Replacing a filter is cheaper than replacing a front element.
Maintenance
Professional photographers, using their equipment nearly every day, should stick to a maintenance or service schedule. Although Nikon cameras are made for a long life and e.g. shutters are tested up to 150,000 activations - at least - once a year a general overhaul by a professional serviceman is a necessity. If not in use store your equipment in a dry dust-free place. Remove all batteries. Cocking a shutter before storing the camera is not necessary. If old cameras are stored for a long time, you may - now and than - cock the shutter a few times at various speeds; just to keep it going.
Older cameras are also fitted with foam (plastic), like the mirror damper. After many years a certain softener in that foam will evaporate, resulting in a sticky mess. Carefully remove that foam and replace it (see below in next chapter). Selenium sensors in exposure meters may give the same (non-repairable) problem.
Repair
Repairing or restoring a camera, lens or other photographic equipment will only become a successful operation if you are not stressed and you are not all fingers and thumbs. Take your time, buy/use adequate tools and install yourself at a quiet place with decent illumination. If you are/get tired, continue the next day. Before starting to disassemble something take a pen and paper and write down what you are doing in chronological order. This helps you to re-assemble the item in a proper way. Use lens caps or small cups for screws etc. You may also consider to use (color/black-and-white) checked material (table-mat), so you can easily group parts. Do not use or sit on a deep-piled carpet. To find back that particular screw may drive you mad!
Tools
´Mise en place´ with most relevant tools
As stated above good tools will ease the job. Buy a pair of tweezers, a spanner wrench set, a screw driver set (for slotted screws and for cross head screws), a L-wrench set and some gum rubber stops (or cork). When buying pliers choose pliers with soft jaws as many metal parts of most cameras and lenses are relatively soft. To remove lenses a lens suction cup is useful. Furthermore buy some soft brushes of various sizes and cotton buds/swabs. When working on a camera a table tripod or PanaVise standard and a headband lighted magnifier might be handy.
Rangefinder equipment
As stated in the rangefinder chapter in this web site all Nikon rangefinder cameras (1948-1964) consist of two designs. The Nikon I, M, MS and S use the same body, and most parts, control buttons and switches are identical. The top plate is flat, all knobs are identical, the removable back+base has two keys to open and also inside many parts are identical and thus exchangeable. Although many collectors don´t do this: keep everything original as possible.
The Nikon S2 and later models are of a different design as the before mentioned cameras. The top plate has an elevated left part to house the larger range finder. It has a film advance lever, rewind crank and the back+base has just one key. The later models do not have a rotating shutter speed selector.
Most problems are caused by the rangefinder (horizontal and/or vertical non-coincidence) and the shutter (slow-speed settings). When non-coincidence of horizontal and vertical directions is needed start with vertical adjustment.
To adjust the rangefinder of the Nikon I, M, MS and S is a rather simple exercise. Set focusing mount at infinity first.
Vertical adjustment: Remove the front cover/plate (bezel) by loosening the 6 screws; be careful not to damage the focusing wheel. Left next to the range finder window is a hole with a screw and adjustment ring. Loosen the screw and adjust the rangefinder by turning the wheel (just a millimeter or so). When adjusted lock/tighten the screw.
Horizontal adjustment: Remove the little stop in front of the accessory shoe. Under it is a hole in which a wheel, secured by a set screw can be seen. Loosen the screw and turn the wheel. When adjusted lock the set screw and put the stop back.
When a lens is mounted and the lens is focused the back lens flange will press to a little wheel in the top part of the lens mount compartment. This wheel has to move freely; if not lubricate it with less then a drip of fine oil. By pressing the wheel back and forth the rangefinder will move. If it doesn´t move the spring of the rangefinder will be damaged or (maybe) dirty. To adjust this and to clean the rangefinder inside the top plate of the camera has to be removed. Some skill is needed for this job. Leave it to a repairman if clumsiness is hereditary.
Most dials are secured by a set crew. Start with the rewind knob: loosen the set crew and unscrew the rewind knob by blocking the film cassette fork inside the camera back. Set the slow-speed dial at 20, then lift it up and rotate it until you see the set screw. Remove that set screw and unscrew the dial (counterclockwise). Around the shutter release button the collar should be removed by unscrewing it, then unscrew the shutter release button with a rubber stop or cork. In front of the release button the A-R-knob can be removed by unscrewing its screw. It is not necessary to remove the film advance knob and accessory shoe. They come off when lifting the top plate. The top plate is fixed by 5 screws around the body and one screw in front of the accessory shoe. When the top plate has been removed the rangefinder system can be seen. The large (double) prism on the left is fixed in its position by a bracket. In fact that prism consist of two prisms glued together.
Will be continued!!