cold weather operation of Kiev 88cm/Arax cm MLU

Hi all,

 

I have an Arax 88cm with MLU which, started its life as a Kiev 88CM before a serviceman in the Ukraine modified it to become the Arax.

 

My question concerns the operation of the camera in extreme cold conditions. Now the easy assumption is that the camera is fully mechanical so it should work in cold conditions. But having had an RB67 (mechanical monster from Mamiya) die on me in the Indian Himalayas in -20 deg C I’m exercising some caution. The lubricant on the leaf shutter of the Mamiya froze I think

 

Im expecting to work in conditions of -30 to -40 degrees C and I’d like to check if anyone has used the Arax/Kiev 88 cm at this range of temperatures.

 

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Nanda

From previous readings concerning extreme cold , the cameras have had all traces of lubricants removed.

Kinda the opposite of a CLA . Best regards, Peter

Thanks for the reply Peter! So basically I need to delubricate the camera completely, including the lenses. Sounds like a expensive and complicated venture.

"Sounds like a expensive and complicated venture."

 

Yes, unless you are willing and prepared to go a little rough. German troops in their first winter during the Russian campaign often resorted to the desperate trick of boiling the moving parts of their firearms, in order to remove all traces of lubricating oil or grease and thus prevent jamming due to the lubricant freezing. This was before they learned from the Russians the use of lubricants based on animal fat, which apparently will not freeze at temperatures compatible with human survival. But, I suspect you would not wish to boil down your poor Arax... I seems to remember the Hasselblad cameras used on the Moon were also totally de-lubricated, but I might be wrong and in any case these are not DIY procedures.

 

More seriously, I have often read (and experimented personally, although at temperatures far higher than you expect) that what actually freeze is not the lubricant itself (again, at least not at temperatures men can withstand), but rather the small particles of water that get trapped into the lubricant. This phenomenon is of course compounded by air abruptly condensing inside the camera due to rapid changes in temperature. Thus, the suggestion was that once the camera has been exposed to low temperatures, and provided it is still working, you should never bring it inside a hut or a tent, and rather hang it outside. This admittedly does not address the risk of the camera simply freezing when first taken out in the cold.

"Sounds like a expensive and complicated venture."

 

Yes, unless you are willing and prepared to go a little rough. German troops in their first winter during the Russian campaign often resorted to the desperate trick of boiling the moving parts of their firearms, in order to remove all traces of lubricating oil or grease and thus prevent jamming due to the lubricant freezing. This was before they learned from the Russians the use of lubricants based on animal fat, which apparently will not freeze at temperatures compatible with human survival. But, I suspect you would not wish to boil down your poor Arax... I seems to remember the Hasselblad cameras used on the Moon were also totally de-lubricated, but I might be wrong and in any case these are not DIY procedures.

 

More seriously, I have often read (and experimented personally, although at temperatures far higher than you expect) that what actually freeze is not the lubricant itself (again, at least not at temperatures men can withstand), but rather the small particles of water that get trapped into the lubricant. This phenomenon is of course compounded by air abruptly condensing inside the camera due to rapid changes in temperature. Thus, the suggestion was that once the camera has been exposed to low temperatures, and provided it is still working, you should never bring it inside a hut or a tent, and rather hang it outside. This admittedly does not address the risk of the camera simply freezing when first taken out in the cold.

 

Thanks for the reply man. I think your second idea about not bringing in cameras into warmth and leaving it out in the cold might actually work. Provided it survives the first outdoor venture in the sub 0 weather.

 

Thanks again!