Help--Hasselblad Mystery Screw

<p>This past weekend I was doing some repair work on my 1957 Hasselblad in original condition with the piston. I put in a new coil spring, new mirror, new screen, new mirror pads, clean, lube, and general sundry things. I might mention that this body showed signs of having been worked on before, and not particularly expertly at that. At on point I saw a teenie tiny little chrome looking screw, and I recall it might have caught my eye falling out of the works on the chassis (operator's side). And I haven't a clue as to where it came from. I don't even know if it pertains to the camera--maybe another more sloppy worker dropped it in there. The screw is barely longer than maybe 1/16 inch--much smaller that the other Hasselblad screws I'm used to. But after I finished my work and buttoned up the body, it works very well, although I wish the mirror pawl would get a better grab on the bottom right corner of the mirror. Took me a while to get it to even hold down the mirror at all. But this thread is not so much about that pawl finger. Where it the name of tarnation did this screw come from? Thank you. (picture attached, side and head view)<br>

BTW. This photo was done at 600 dpi on my scanner, then blown up 600% in Photoshop.</p><div></div>

<p>Henry,</p>

<p>I suspect that the screw came from the rear plate of a lens. If you have any lenses, check the rear plate of each lens. If you look at the rear plate on the lens, with the cocking shaft (with red arrow) located in the 6:00 position, there should be two small, silver screws at the 3:00 position that hold the guide to the other side of the rear plate. I suspect that on one of your lenses, one of the screws loosened up and fell into the camera body. If so, the screw goes into the empty hole on the rear plate of the lens. </p>

<p>Thank you THANK YOU, Mr. Odess. Wasn't MY lens though. I suppose somebody who might even be lying in their grave, is missing a screw from their lens. Wish I could ask you a couple more service questions, but I understand.<br>

The only thing I'm not happy with yet on this restoration is that pawl on the bottom corner of the mirror. It doesn't reach up and get a good enough grab on that corner. Sometimes it doesn't grab at all and the mirror pops back up on winding. If I push down on that mirror corner, I can see the pawl pop up a bit more and get a better grab. But you don't have to answer that. </p>

<p>Henry,</p>

<p>In order to get the mirror to move a little bit more, when winding, so that the mirror catch can grab hold of it, you would need to very gently bend the two arms of the mirror arm. If you look through the front opening of the camera body, (with it in the pre-release setting), on the left inner wall, you will see a small, rectangular black plate that is held in place with one screw. If you remove the screw, then remove the plate, you will see the two arms of the mirror arm. What you need to do is to very gently bent the two arms a very small amount, away from each other. This will cause the mirror to move a little further when winding the body, so that the catch will hold it in place. Please note that there are special Hasselblad tools for the purpose of bending the arms of the mirror arm, and I think it would be very difficult to accomplish this without the proper tools.</p>

<p>Thank you Mr Odess. Many of my repair antics are over on APUG. I've got one over there today on my mirror stop experiments. I'm a very determined fellow doing good work using stone knives and bear skins, and Spock said so eloquently.</p>

<p>Well nevermind the special tool. Geez, what did they use to drive in the screw that holds on the cover?--a pneumatic wrench? An impact wrench? Maybe they welded it in. That screw is NOT going to loosen up. Amazing. I've NEVER seen a little screw so tight. Hot damn. That screw is NOT going to loosen. I've tried 2 kinds of pliers on the screwdriver shaft This is unbelievable.</p>

I'm not sure which screw you are referrring to. However, try not to strip the screw head. If that happens sometimes the only way left is to drill out the screw. Needless to say you need some special tools, such as a tap and it's hard to find one this small. Can you try putting a drop of Easy Out on the screw and let it set for several hours? Maybe 12 to 24 hours. I'm not a fan of using something like Easy Out on a Hassy, but it probably can't hurt at this point.

 

Before you dig yourself deeper into trouble, maybe have David adjust the mirror for you. He is a master.

<p>Uh-oh. Looks like I've bean beat. It would be IMPOSSIBLE to bend those arms without some sort of special tool. That "2-arm" part appears to be splined onto its shaft, and to attempt to spread them, it wold certainly rip the part off its shaft. It is driven by a cam. This cam appears to have a flat place in it that fails to move the arm enough. Whether from wear, or manufacture, I don't know. I have a parts body. Maybe I should examine the cam in it for a possible swap. Because that 2 arm part is out of the question. NO way would I fool with that. I don't like getting beaten this way. If it were a big part to a machine, I's add a little weld-metal to such a cam and grind to shape. Thanks. Now I can see better how the factory techs make the big bucks.</p>

Well the good news is it's an old camera and replcing them isn't too expensive! Isn't the cam metal?

 

Can you take a picture of it? Along with the arms?

<p>Just for edification of readers. I got that "2-arm" part out of my parts camera, and managed to spread the arms ever so slightly using 2 pairs pf pliers. The downside is I'm going to have to take my 1957 beauty back apart to install it. I'm going to have to take the back panel off the chassis, which means taking parts off the side, and the center gear off. Then I'll have to re-caliper for 71.40 when I'm done. And to make matters worse, this is a "short" chassis. I had to pry like the dickens to get my 71.40 the first time . A whole weekend of hard labor gone, and I'm going to have to do it all over again.</p>

<p>If you take apart a camera enough times, you will eventually have enough parts 'left over' to built a second one. Or so I've heard. ;)</p>

<p>Well, the project is halted. As soon as I started firing it, the back flap coil spring broke. I never touched it. I simply transferred the whole gear with spring from my parts donor. Now I need to scrounge up another spring. Doesn't seem to be any on the net that I can find.</p>

Sorry Henry, it's not your day! Keep us posted with what happens. I wish you the best.

<p>Following this discussion is like watching open heart surgery. I'm feeling faint.</p>

Hi J, I had to laugh, I feel the same way.

<p>Well I found me a spring brand new. Last one he had. It's on the way. It'll come coiled in its installation holder. Not some old spring that's all brittle. When I get back on that camera, it's going to be right. I mean really right. It's going to come out snappy, yet smooth in operation, and able to withstand the punishment from its own operating cycle. I already know I can calibrate the optical path to 1/4 inch or less at 4 feet, because I've done it before. I don't let repairs beat me.</p>

Very cool - keep us posted.

<p>Either you or the Hasselblad will win. What are the odds on betting on the Hassy?</p>

<p>Right now I in the middle of the viewfinder cleaning of my Polaroid 100 that a lady gave me last week, till the Hasselblad spring comes. Then I can slap it back together. I've already addressed the last problem, which was the "2 arm" part. This 1957 turned out to be a bag of worms. But since it had never been retrofitted with the vibration damper wheel, it still had the original piston-and-cylinder from that year, and it was still putting quite a dampening on the flaps, which is what it was put there for. BUT, the down side to why the company dropped that design was that the coil spring MUST be right, in order to be able to drive the piston. When I restore something, I put it back to showroom. IMO, Carrol Shelby was the only man I ever heard of who did respectable after-market builds.</p>

"Piston" "Cylinder"

 

Confused! I hope there isn't a piston in a Hasselblad! Can you take a photo of what you are referring to? I

have complete sets of Hasselblad repair manuals. I don't want you doing something wrong during your

repairing and overhauling.

 

Henry, I'm joking of course, but maybe Carrol Shelby owned this camera before you and he installed and a piston and cylinder for

faster shutter speeds? I know it's a bad joke. It's way after midnight and I think my brain is fried!

 

Seriously, I admire you for your hard work and the amount of effort you are putting into this camera. Keep us

posted!

<p>OK The new coil spring arrived, I installed it and had the camera working perfectly for approx 30 firings. Then it pulled the center out of this spring just like the previous one. I was shocked, and dismally disappointed. And now I know why the piston design was changed after 1957. It's as clear as a bell. It was a bad design. A VERY bad design. It forces you to put an extra turn on the winding of its pertaining gear to get the back doors to close with authority. This extra winding pulls very hard on the center of that coil spring, straightening the center bends. With the center pulled out, the spring pulls out of its notch, and has failed. No repair is possible because the hardened spring steel would break if you tried.<br>

In order to make the camera work, I would need to procure a THIRD, expensive, and hard to find coil spring, and a conversion damper to replace the piston-and-cylinder damper. That way, the coil spring would need only 1 winding instead of 2 for the barn doors to snap shut, and the center of that spring would not pull out.<br>

All other problems with the camera I was able to rectify admirably, including the mirror lock pawl. <br>

Anybody wanting a 1957 Hasselblad with no chewed screws or missing parts--speak up. It has a newer mirror which replaced the original scratched one, new mirror pads, a brighter screen liberated from a Kiev. The chassis is properly lubricated. The chrome shell is not as shiny as one from the 70's or 80', but is undamaged. The chassis serial number from 1957 is legible. <br>

The work done by me has not caused chewed screws or scratches. You will need a new coil spring, and a vibration damper conversion weight to replace the piston. The piston and cylinder cannot be made to work dependably. I am convinced the 1957 was a WORSE design than the Hasselblad 1000F. <br>

Anybody wanting this camera, and willing to do the conversion, will still have a nice piece. But it will NOT be "original". You can leave the piston and cylinder in, but will have to remove the connecting rod. No other way.<br>

Thank you.</p>

<p>Henry,</p>

<p>I followed your story with interest. Sad to see that it didn't quite work out for you in the end. Hopefully you'll find someone else to take on the conversion challenge.</p>

<p>Thank you. But I did ultimately discover the key offender. That saga is currently on APUG. When I undertook the project, I didn't plan internet continuity. The key offender is the staking that holds the mirror pawl stud had come loose. If the pawl fails, the camera owner winds again hoping that the mirror will catch that time. However, the barn door concentric spring gets wound again, causing the center to straighten and pull out of the notch in the gear center, and ends the camera. Attached is a scan of the operator's side of the camera chassis, along with the piston and cylinder that was dropped from design after 1957. I have the '57, which I am working on, along with a parts camera I study during this repair job. The parts camera is from the 60's. The 2 are quite different. '57 scan attached.<br>

The cylinder with the piston contained, is at the left. The hole in the piston is where the push rod connects. The push rod (arm) is removed to allow access to the parts underneath that you are seeing. The discussed concentric spring is contained inside the hub of the gear at bottom.</p><div></div>

<p>Camera is finished, buttoned up and works perfectly. I am confident it could stand the scrutiny of a forensic exam done by the likes of Mr Odess or Mr. Fairbank. Thank you, gentlemen. You might know I had this '57 C approx. 90% apart before I discovered the most debilitating problem. It required me to disassemble the wind mechanism. I discovered through extremely close examination with a 35mm lens from a 35mm camera, turned around backwards, that there was a peculiar piece of mangled spring sticking out down on the backside of the wind gear. I discovered a little crescent-moon shaped doohickie on the back of the clutch looking wheel that the spring was supposed to hook on the interior of. The spring was mangled, sticking out, resulting in the crescent-moon shaped dooflotchie to not do like it's supposed to. The result was that the mirror pawl would hook sometimes, and sometimes not. Further, I discovered the shaft that the mirror pawl mounts on was wobbly in its staking to the chassis wall. Between the 2 problems, the camera was doomed to be self-destructive and tear up the barn door concentric spring. I peened the staking of the pawl shaft, and replaced the mangled spring from my parts body. This was a repair I won't soon forget. The camera operates perfectly, dependably, and I'm proud of it. Thanks again.</p>