Zenit 3

I've completed some minor adjustments to the mirror angle on this camera, and

the reassembly is done other than I have to replace three lock screws from the

focus ring of the Helios 44 lens. The question is this:

The pick up spool is in the form of a solid brass spool with no place to attach

the film's leader. I ran one film through it using a piece of electrical tape

to get me started. Is there some kind of clip that anchors the leader to the

spool?<div></div>

I don't have a Zenit 3, but I do have Zorkis, Feds, and Kievs. In each case, the take up spool has a spring like "flap" welded, I guess, to the spool. You push the end the of film under this flap to secure it. This is immediately evident when you see the spool -- no secret to it. My guess is that you have a defective take up spool. Dave

Rob,

 

I think David is all right. See this example of Zorkis spools.<div></div>

Use a hacksaw cut a slot to slide the lead of the film in, it will work. Minh

Thanks guys. What I may do is rivet a thin flap onto the spool. I'll post the repair.

I've managed to figure something out without cutting a slot into the spool. With a piece of steel strapping, I managed to bend it around to just about the size of the spool. I cut off the ends just so they don't protrude anywhere, and there's just enough spring tension to hold the film firmly. There's a film in the camera now, and I'll see how it turns out. Thanks for the ideas.

<P>What a heart-warming thread. I love the kind of camera that you can fix with a hammer and a pair of pliers.</P><P>I had to fix the shutter release linkage on my Moskva and ended up with the camera in a bench vice and me hitting the d*mn thing with a hammer. Works a treat now.</P><P>I've got a Zenit 3M and the take-up spool has a clip on it. I couldn't swear that all the fittings on Zenits are standard though. More a case of what was lying around that day.</P>

I have an earlier Zenit C, essentially a Leica II with a mirror, which loads through the base & uses a Leica type spool. As said, the 3M loads through the back and has a fixed spool with a clip. I think the Zenit 3 should be like that. All use Leica thread lenses