Tuesday, June 23, 2020

CLA in a can

I checked the operation of my Retina Reflex before taking it out for a shoot.  To my dismay, I found that the aperture stop-down mechanism was sticky.  With the Retina Reflex you need to advance the film and cock the shutter to bring the mirror down so you can see through the lens.   To test the operation of the shutter and aperture you set the speed to 1/500 and the aperture to f22, and when you release the shutter you should briefly see the aperture opened to its smallest setting before the shutter closes.


What I saw, however, was that the aperture was only closing down to about f8 before the shutter action was complete.


It seemed likely that some congealed lubricant and dirt on the aperture blades was interfering with sequence of events leading to proper exposure.  The problem with the Retina Reflex is that you can't get clear access to the shutter without completely disassembling the camera.   That is more of a repair job than I was prepared to undertake, however, so I decided to just try to resolve the problem with the application of some judiciously applied electronic contact cleaner which I picked up at a local auto supply store.


It is possible to get limited access to the shutter and aperture blades on the Retina Reflex by just removing the front lens group.  I set the shutter to the B setting so I could hold it open and get at the aperture blades underneath.  With  the aperture set to f22 I shot a couple short squirts of the cleaner onto the aperture blades, and worked the shutter open and closed several times which carried the black scum out onto the surface of the blades.  I then scrubbed the blades gently with some cotton q-tips until they looked clean.


I let everything dry thoroughly overnight and cleaned the the lens surfaces.  The shutter seemed to be working fine, so I took the camera out the next day loaded with a roll of Kentmere 400 which I shot at 200 ASA for processing in PMK Pyro.






I won't be surprised if I have to perform this operation again some time in the future, but I'm happy for now to be able to use the Retina Reflex again as it is one of my great favorites.

10 comments:

Don Lampert said...

Yes, I use electronic contact cleaner regularly to free up all kinds of camera issues. It is one of my best camera repair tools! Good job, and thanks for sharing this

Jim Grey said...

I like this: a quick solution that might need to be reapplied again one day, but is enough to get some enjoyment out of the camera in the meantime. Thanks for the tip.

Mike said...

Ronsonol lighter fluid is my usual recourse for cleaning, but it did not work in this case. The shutter action was briefly improved, but when it dried out, the problem returned. The electronics contact cleaner seems to be a much more potent solvent which moves the dirt out to where it can be removed.

JR Smith said...

I am not skilled enough to do much repair work on my mechanical cameras. I guess I should learn more.

After I have had a camera CLA'd, I make sure that I cycle the shutter through all of the available speeds at least once a month if its not in the shooting queue. Not sure if that helps, but it makes me feel better.

Mike said...

I'm the original clumsy craftsman, so the range of problems I'll tackle is pretty limited. I did manage to replace the pentaprism in the Retina, but going deeper in the camera is not something I would try. The Retinas are all pretty complex and it seems the only guy capable of fixing them is in Australia.

JR Smith said...

Chris Sherlock. He is in New Zealand. At some point, I am going to send him my Dad's Retina IIc.

Anonymous said...

Carefully applied motorcycle or car brake and clutch cleaner is another alternative that I've used for cleaning gunk out of apertures and camera mechanisms.

Mike said...

My policy is to remove anonymous comments. I let this one by because it is a genuine contribution related to the content of the post. However, I really appreciate it when people take responsibility for their comments.

Kodachromeguy said...

Interesting that you used contact cleaner. I have used mass air flow cleaner (which may be the same thing - a solvent that dries with no residue) when cleaning gunk from the back of large format Copal shutters. But I have never tried it on the blades themselves. I am a wimp - I'd rather send it to the specialist for cleaning.

A friend had a Retina Reflex. It was a complex piece of German construction. I can see why in 135 format, the focal plane design won out for reflex cameras. However, the same idea of a leaf shutter coupled to a mirror lingered on for 50 years in Hasselblads and various Mamiya models, so it was sound. But none of the medium format cameras tried to have an instant return mirror.

Mike said...

My first model Contaflex is also a leaf shutter design. That and the Retina both take a little getting used to for the user, but they are very well crafted instruments and fine picture makeers.