Ensign Ful-Vue : indicator window repair?

I've had this thing for years, it never worked but I loved the shape of it.

 

http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Ensign_Ful-Vue

 

It only just occurred to me that the shutter problem (both settings act like B

i.e. it stays open) might be easy to fix. My first camera repair - just 3

screws holding the front lens mount on, took this off and found the shutter is

a simple whole mechanism, I could remove and clean it without actually taking

it apart. All it took was a drop of oil to get it working again. Yay!

 

But, it's not light-tight at the back - the red window got pushed in and is now

warped a little. Has anyone any tips for mending this? Can I tape something

across it from inside the camera box?

It looks like a glorified box-camera. That being said I would bet repairs are fairly sipmle. Your issue with the red window could probably temporarily fixed with scotch-tape without adverse effects. If that fails, you could replace the red window itself with a peice of red gel. Be careful using OIL in old shutters... the last thing you want is oil on your lens! There are specialty light oils out there people use for camera repair which can be used in very very small quantities. It sounds as if either a spring has come unsprung or the mechanical linkage with selects shutter speeds has come out of alignment internally. Either that or is just needs some excersize to get going proper again!

Cheers Patrick. I vaguely remembered reading about repairs where the window got taped over, but I wasn't sure. It is indeed a box camera, very simple in all ways (otherwise I wouldn't have dared take the lens mount & shutter off). The design is really nice, though - it has a lovely clear viewfinder about 1.5" square.

 

I'm afraid I used good old-fashioned 3-in-1 oil, but in minute quantities, and only after checking the lens and shutter to make sure they weren't close enough to transfer oil from one to the other. I know there are specalist oils out there, but didn't know exactly what they were.

 

Second question, then - what does one oil a shutter with, if one isn't a novice?

Most camera repair people only use oil if its absolutely nessesary. The general conscensus seems to be clean is better than gunky. Ronsonol Lighter Fluid is a good product for cleaning metal camera shutter parts. It is a very mild solvent that doesnt seem to effect plastics, and it leaves a VERY light oily residue when it evaporates. The problem with oils is that many of them eventually thicken causing issues with the shutter later on, and if you use more than a very tiny amount, they can find their way all over the place. A drop from the 3-in-1 can is often much more than enough and can spread out quite a bit! If you notice lots of oil in your shutter you can remove it with q-tips or disposable lens cleaning papers, and a litle Ronsonol. Do not use charcoal lighter fluid for your charcoal grill! Im fairly certain its not the same product!

Well, somewhat miraculously I managed to get the lens mount/shutter assembly back ON the camera, and have taped across the red window on the inside. I'll report back on what the pictures look like.

 

It's got a *very* primitive variable focus lens apparatus - you just pull or push the lens in or out, no markings, no help whatsoever... useful!

Strange - my Ful-Vue has no red plastic - just a hole with a disc behind it to twiddle round to close it. There's no evidence of there ever having been any plastic in the window, but I can't believe this is light-proof. Is this as it was designed? Is it light-proof enough? If not, to replace it could I just use a piece of film coloured in with felt pen?

Cheers