Leicaflex dismantling??

Well, this non-working parts-missing body Leicaflex original (non-SL, unscrewable tripod-bush version) was only £5, so I thought I'd see what a Leica was like inside - I can only say incredible, absolute precision!!!

I want to remove the chassis with blinds & mirror from the case (it would be very nice to hear it say "click"), but I'm stuck at the moment. The chassis is loose in the case & should lift out (I've taken a lot of bits off), but the only obstacle is the gear at the base of the shutter/wind shaft, that overhangs the body casting and won't clear it.

Can anyone advise how to remove this gear? Viewing from underneath, it has a couple of empty holes, and I can see two steel plugs in the gear, that seem to fix a plate with a small projecting lug above, but nothing moves. Should the chromed sleeve under the gear screw off? Is the gear screwed onto the shaft, or keyed onto it, or is it all one piece? It doesn't look as though the shaft can be totally dismantled from the top and pulled out from the bottom.

Any suggestions gratefully received. Some peripheral spare parts may be available if required. No wind-lever, no speed-dial or rewind-dial, no baseplate, a few other bits missing.

Many thanks

Ian

Anybody . . . ???

A partial answer - page 10.2 of the servicing manual (as in a blurry image found by Googling) shows the chassis, and the winder shaft seems to have no gear at the bottom - so perhaps it must come off somehow. I wouldn't be surprised if it's keyed. I'll carry on trying, aided by a tiny drop of thin oil . . .. I know it's sacrilege, tampering without a) knowledge and b) correct tools, but I want to mend it from being totally stuck & unusable to at least clickable (without other functions).

TIA

Ian

Solved! - The keyed top gear on the shaft gave some purchase, and brute force freed the bottom gear which seems (to my untutored eye) to be designed to rotate freely as it has no keying or threading. The gear may be turned by the adjacent shaft, so that the lug fitted to it releases the 2nd curtain. Now I just need three curtain cylinder bearings to replace missing ones (and a few other bits).

Many of us don't tear apart old Leicas, but most of us really like to see full-frontal camera P O R N.

Solved!

Translation of JDM's comment - photos of the results of your efforts would be appreciated & enjoyed!

Well, here you are! Apologies for the hasty reply, out-of-focus images, dusty subject etc, and I hope I haven't broken any forum rules.

The offending bottom gear has been replaced on the wind-shaft. Various parts not shown - e.g. speed-selection mechanism & focusing-screen housing, which are tied together by a thread (which moves the speed-selection pointer in the viewfinder); meter assembly; self-timer assembly etc.

Not having taken enough photos during dismantling, I'm now trying to piece together a few bits of the jigsaw, hopefully not too many bits left over!

Haven't tested the meter yet. If I can rig up a DIY lever-wind that can release the curtains properly, I'll be happy, but the curtain-release levers' shaft seems to have no visible means of support, apparently sitting between the case and the wind shaft (behind the self-timer). Maybe some DIY brackets will be needed. Anyway, many more happy office-lunch-hours ahead, marvelling at this engineering miracle.

Lastly, I know my activities are heresy in some eyes (sorry!), and I certainly wouldn't dismantle a working Leica. But nobody else wanted this piece; it was already dead and badly mauled, and it might have been binned if I hadn't rehomed it.

Thanks for your interest.

Thanks for your interest.

Thank you!!

Wow!

Thanks.

Thanks a bunch.!!!