Leica M6 rewind knob issue

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<p >I'm experiencing the exact same problem with my Leica rewind knob as in the post below. My film advances to around 15 exposures and then jams. I wanted to ask if this would be something that I could fix this myself by removing the rewind knob and tightening the washers. The thread below does mention that there was a link to a webpage by Kyle Cassidy on how to fix this problem but the link doesn't work now. Does anyone know if this is a straight forward procedure, and how to do it? If it's something that needs to be fixed professionally how much would I be looking at? I'm in the North of England. </p>

<p >Any help would be appreciated. </p>

<p >Thanks,</p>

<p >Mat</p>

<p >BTW This is the info taken from the following thread:</p>

<p >"It's the washers under the rewind knob coming loose as the film is wound. Usually they would unscrew enough to jam the knob by the time you reached frame 10-12. Rewinding would screw them back in enough to let you get another 10-12 frames on the next roll.</p>

<p >There is a link from the Leica FAQ site to a webpage by Kyle Cassidy on how to fix this problem but the link doesn't work now. As I recall the rewind knob has to be removed and then the washers underneath have to be tightened."</p>

<p >http://www.photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/00OQ9E</p>

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<p>You can access Kyle's page here:<br /> http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/cassidy/leicaslacker/rewind.html<br /> The jpeg can take a while to load - you might have to click on it directly. The text isn't very detailed:<br>

<br /> 'While out shooting one day, I felt the familiar stop which signifies one has reached the end of the roll. Looking down at the film counter though, I saw that I'd exposed only ten frames. Puzzling. I rewound the film and put another roll in -- this too appeared to reach the "end" after only ten frames. The wisdom of the lug suggested that my rewind crank was coming loose and screwing itself down onto the body of the camera. I took the crank off, put it back on, tightened everything. But to no avail. Finally, Dave Ellway from Leica N.J. suggested that it was a slotted washer between the camera and the crank that had come loose. He directed me to take off the crank, remove the washers, find the slotted one at the bottom and screw this tightly into the camera body. I did. And so far, it's worked.'</p>

<p>I have the exact same problem, but mine situation is slightly different. I notice that the winder knob is slightly deformed (may be per design, as I have not tried a Leica body before) which sometimes jams or touching the socket. This then introduces unnecessary drag or resistance while you try to advance the the film. So do check whether your rewinding knob can rotate freely without touching the side of the socket.<br>

I did try to tighten up the spacer or washer of the winding knob, it helps a bit but doesn't solve the problem completely.</p>

<p>I had the same problem and had the camera repaired by Malcolm Taylor here in the UK. I can't remember the amount, but it wasn't that expensive.</p>

<p>I tried Kyle's fix, but there are quite a number of washers underneath the rewind crank and in the end I send it to Malcolm.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the replies... very helpful.<br>

Is the rewind crank easy to get off? I was trying with a small screwdriver last night and I was finding it hard to get the grip to turn it. Maybe I need a screwdriver with a larger handle.</p>

<p>This will help..<br>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwQGNcJEdDk</p>

<p>If the rewind knob is slightly deformed then it has been dented on impact. This happened to me on a trip to NYC and had it fixed in 24 hours at Nippon Camera Repair at 920 Broadway for $180. I couldn't rewind film, nor could I advance it. This is a common problem with M series cameras since M4-p.<br>

Since getting mine fixed in April, I've noticed that the knob is slightly loose. I will most likely bring it in to get tightened up as I don't want to be without my M again for 24 hours in NYC when I'm only there for 60 hours in total.<br>

I would highly recommend again fixing your Leica yourself unless you have someone that has done the work before in your presence, or you have the money to bring the bag of parts in to someone that can take it from there. Also, having the right tools is very important as well. Have you seen the set of tools that the camera repair people have? You can't get that stuff at Home Depot.<br>

Gary</p>

 

<p>Matt you need to put a slotted screwdriver in the screw that you can see when you lift up the rewind arm. Hold the screwdriver in place and turn the rewind crank anti-clockwise. It'll then unscrew.</p>

 

<p>Ok great, I'll try that. Hopefully it's not to difficult tightening the washer. If it's looking to difficult, I'll take it in.<br>

Thanks for all the feedback on this.</p>

<p>This is one of the most common failures in later M bodies. I've had the issue with 1 M6, and 1 M4P. You have to be careful, as I believe one or more parts screw on backwards. Also, sometimes the washers are deteriorated, so can't be reused again.</p>

 

<p>I had that exact problem with my M6. In a state of DIY, I tried to fix it according to the instructions mentioned above, but my attempts failed. I finally decided it was a problem requiring an expert, so I sent it to Youxin Ye. The M6 came back within a week, and works perfectly.</p>

<p>That's what I thought before that the slight deform was caused by some sort of impact, but interestingly I couldn't find any mark or dent on the knob at all.</p>

<p>Here's a second vote for Youxin Ye. (Assuming you're in North America) Email him at wye7@yahoo.com He's done several Leicas for me. He's fast, scrupulously honest and honorable, and not very expensive.<br>

DIY Leica repairs are chancy, at best. It's easy to do more damage than you fix.<br>

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