harris_goldstein Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 One of my Canon QL17s has a self timer that is stuck. I can't get it to release with pressing the shutter button. At first it would trip partially, but now not at all. Any ideas? I'd like to avoid sending it out for service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_oleson Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 have you tried gently pushing the self timer lever along with your finger to get it to complete the cycle? if you can get it to finish this way, i would then resist at all costs the primal urge to set the self timer (this applies to all leaf shutters, not just the canonet - but the canonet shutter is much harder to reach for service than most others.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awahlster Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 Richard speaks the truth. I have a very nice little screw in self timer I learned clear back in High school with my dads Paxette the self timer is a show stopper. SO even though I have a couple dozen cameras with leaf shutters and self timers I never even try one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charles_stobbs3 Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 You can probably find an answer on the clasic "camera repair forum". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry_mobbs Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 Radio Shack sells a chemical in a pressurized can that is used to clean electronics. It evaporates in seconds after flushing out gunk and other debris. I've used it frequently on Rolleicords where the shutter mechanism it stuck. Usually, the open area below the bottom lens traps debris and the lubricant causes it to stick to the mechanism. I've purchased a handful of Rollies off ebay that were advertised as having broken shutters and had them working five minutes after opening the package. It works just as well on the timer mechanism. The product comes in two forms. One is with a long plastic nozzle like WD-40 and the other has long bristles on it. The second one just oozes the chemical out while the first really blasts a stream under pressure. I would recommend the second choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew_hall1 Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 Larry, mind telling us the exact name of the product? Can't find it on Radio Shack's website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_oleson Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 One area of difficulty with the Canonet shutter is that you cannot easily get to it: there is some distance between the outer housing that you can see and where the actual shutter is. If you do manage to get some liquid into it from the outside, you will probably have it all over the place, including the inner lens surfaces.... so be prepared to remove the lens elements to clean them afterwards. Personally, I don't think the self timer is worth it. :)= Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winfried_buechsenschuetz1 Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Stuck self timers are not a rare find with Canonets. The problem is that the self timer is very hard to access since the shutter is mounted 'upside down'. I.e. you have to disassemble the lens barrel completely to get access to the self timer gears. I once tried this - and was very happy I had a spare front assembly to swap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry_mobbs Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Here's the Radio Shack Product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_kaplan1 Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 They used to call it "Color TV Tuner Cleaner". The stuff is really magic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harris_goldstein Posted January 23, 2005 Author Share Posted January 23, 2005 Unfortunately, the self timer is stuck in the "on" position, so the camera doesn't function. I have a few QL17s, so maybe this one gets kept for parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry_mobbs Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 That tells me the shutter has to be triggered before everything returns to normal. I would still try the cleaner. You might all of a sudden hear the timer run down and the shutter go off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karl_papone Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I recently picked up a Canonet QL17 off ebay and the shutter was stuck. I got the Radio Shack Electronic Cleaner and sprayed it onto the self-timer and onto the shutter through the self timer opening...and poof...working shutter. Thanks Larry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karl_papone Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 Follow up: Perhaps I spoke too soon :( Although the shutter did get unstuck, I now notice black specs on the inside front lens element (and possibly on the rear element) when I open the shutter in bulb ("B") mode with the camera back open. I think it's specks of dust that dislodged when I cleaned the shutter. I think I used too much cleaner. I don't think the black specs were there before, but I'm not totally sure as I can't see them very well when the shutter is closed, so I simply may not have noticed them before getting the shutter unstuck. I don't think they are fungal in nature (although, I have never seen lens fungus), so I assume that it's dirt dislodged from the cleaning. I am guessing that the only way to clean this out is to disassemble the camera. Any hints that don't required take-apart are appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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