Zorkii 4 with Sticky Shutter

I have a beautiful old Zorkii 4 that has a sticky shutter. It seems to work OK apart from the shutter problem.

I'm interested in either fixing it or getting it fixed. The problem, as you can see from the photo below, is with

the part of the shutter that should block the light when the shutter is at rest. It does not completely slide

across to block the light. Instead, it only slides two-thirds of the way across. The reason seems to be some dirt

or corrosion, also visible in the photo.

 

Does anyone have any advice on what the corrosion might be, how I might remove it, or whether I should definitely

not attempt to fix it myself, but send it to a professional repair person.

 

I know the camera is not worth much -- I bought it for almost nothing on eBay because I liked the look of it.

And I know that I could just buy another one with an OK shutter if I wanted to. But I rather like this camera and

I'd like to give it a new lease of life if I can.<div></div>

see:

 

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33914

 

looks like the camera has been recently "serviced" with the covering and curtains replaced. If you get it working you might consider adding an Industar-22 for outdoor shooting... much sharper than the Jupiter when you don't need f2.

 

Pretty camera! I have a nice one too that needs some work. :(

I'm mechanically inclined, but I know my limits. I'm not trained at all to work on these things. It's tempting, but I don't.

 

If you're like me, I'd send it off for a clean and lube. That corrosion is possibly only the visible tip of the iceberg.

 

It's a lovely camera. The clean and lube isn't that expensive, and your camera will work like new.

Thank you both. The instructions Mark suggested look comprehensive, but I think I'll follow Michael's advice. Can anyone suggest someone who would do a good job of servicing a Zorkii? Preferably someone in the US, as that's where I am.

Oh, and thanks for the Industar suggestion, Mark. I'll look out for one when the camera is fixed.

Sticky shutter in Zorki 4? Interesting. Let me see... Is there any Zorki 4 in this planet that does'nt have any problem?. Problem is the name for Zorki 4. Forget that old brick.

I haven't used their repair service but I have bought cameras from Fedka. A CLA will cost as much as one of their Zorki-4Ks but I am like you. If I have a camera on-hand I would rather get it repaired.

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<a href="http://www.fedka.com/catalog/default.php">Fedka.com</a>

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Thanks, Marc. I took a look at their web site and I'll probably give them a try. Then I'll have the only Zorki 4 in the entire world that Mr Faster can't poke fun at :)

I would not send my camera to Fedka for service. I've purchased from them and both bodies had recently been worked on and had nasty marks left from sloppy work. Then, the second FED 1 was not focused at near distances and I was told that the service department could not fix it. For the guarentee etc., they are better than ebay probably, but that's about it...

 

I think there are probably more capable repair people who will specialize in FSU cameras... search them out. I also wouldn't send a Z-4 to someone who didn't routinesly work on them given their somewhat different design and unique problems.

Thank you, Mark. If anyone else has good or bad experiences with Fedka to relate, or other suggestions about where to get a Zorki 6 repaired, I'd be very interested.

I've heard the best is probably:

 

http://www.okvintagecamera.com/repair.html

Softer to harder tools, no liquids: toothbrush...toothpick...plastic scraper...flat screwdriver/knife. That stuff should come off, and free the shutter's path..

Mohir has it pretty close to right. I also recommend just the occasional tiniest amount of naphtha BUT NOT ON THE

SHUTTER CURTAINS, just a little on the groove that the shutter travels in. Don't pour it in from the can, but

introduce it with the tools!

 

Clean, then work the shutter, repeat, until it works without more cleaning. Once it's working, be sure to

exercise the

thing fairly regularly.

 

What were those really annoying toys of seven or eight years ago that were little electronic pets that had to be

fed, petted, etc.? Well, that's more than one marque of now-classic cameras.

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JDM, I think you're thinking of a toy called a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamagotchi">Tamazorki</a>. But at least mine can be sent away for professional TLC (Tune, Lube, Clean).

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Anyway, thank you both for the cleaning tips. I gently used a toothpick with a small amount of naptha on it, and managed to remove nearly all the gunk. The shutter path now seems clear, and the shutter works about one time in three. I suspect something internal also needs lubricating, so it looks like it's time for a CLA.

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I'll probably follow Mark's suggestion of sending it to <a href="http://www.okvintagecamera.com/repair.html">Oleg at OK Photocameras</a> because I've read nothing but enthusiastic comments about Oleg on the web. Unless anyone can personally recommend a repair person in the US.

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Gerry,

 

Poor choice of materials in these inexpensive cameras allow for easy corrosion growth. I wouldn't send it to Russia. Any competent local camera repair service willing to work on it for cheap* will be better than the WORLD tour. This camera is a copy of the early screw mount designs, its very simple and it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out disassembly, mechanism & adjustments...

 

* They should warn you that they aren't responsible for cheaply made parts breaking or actual water damage.

Thanks Gus, and everyone. I'll give this some thought and I might even take the camera apart and lubricate it myself using the instructions that Mark provided a link to. Reading through them, it does not look all that complicated.