OM1 MD Mirror Box removal Help Please

Hi,

I am trying to remove the mirror box on an OM1 MD. I have followed the instructions in the OM1 repair manual and the Camera Craftsman article.

I have removed the 4 screws from the front, and also gone as far as removing the plastic frame holding the meter, viewfinder and circuit. (A single piece in this camera)

However there is still something preventing the mirror box coming out, particularly on the self timer side.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Chris.

Hi,

I am trying to remove the mirror box on an OM1 MD. I have followed the instructions in the OM1 repair manual and the Camera Craftsman article.

 

I have removed the 4 screws from the front, and also gone as far as removing the plastic frame holding the meter, viewfinder and circuit. (A single piece in this camera)

 

However there is still something preventing the mirror box coming out, particularly on the self timer side.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks,

 

Chris.

I did this once a few years ago. It took some wiggling but eventually it came out. Be careful of the strings that connect the aperture and shutter speed rings to the meter.

I did this once a few years ago. It took some wiggling but eventually it came out. Be careful of the strings that connect the aperture and shutter speed rings to the meter.

I will have another go then. Removing the plastic frame holding the meter eases the problem with the strings, just have to be careful not to damage the needle.

It is not necessary to remove any meter components to remove the front casting from the body casting of an OM-1/1n.

Remove top and bottom covers. Remove MD Switch from bottom. Unsolder white sync wire from FP switch on bottom, slide clear insulation tube and unsolder red wires at union. Unsolder brown meter wire from meter circuit on top. Untuck brown wire from along front of prism. Lift mirror and remove felt strip along right edge (back latch side of camera) along black cover plate below mirror -- lift black cover plate from right edge, then slide cover out lens mount opening. Remove right side (back latch side) leatherette, lift left side leatherette to self timer lever (no need to remove). Remove four screws holding front casting revealed under leatherette, and two rear-most screws, one on either side of eyepiece. Just for grins, usually set the shutter speed dial to "1000", though that is not absolutely necessary.

There are now two concerns/impediments to removing front casting: First, the black plastic frame holding the galvanometer will barely clear the bezel of the rewind release mechanism just above the self timer, but it will clear it. Second, just to the right of the rewind release bezel, immediately behind the mirror lock-up device, is a chrome tab to which is attached the free end of the nylon cord that pulls against the meter coupling ring. It may be necessary to gently bend this chrome tab up slightly in order to clear the body casting, and to avoid severing the nylon cord. More importantly, when reassembling the front casting and body casting, be sure you do NOT pinch or trap this nylon cord between these two castings. Also, when replacing the front casting, thread the red and white sync wires into the same opening from which they were removed, being sure they clear the mirror lifting mechanisms and the FP sync switch.