Rescueing abused and neglected Rolleis

[Dan Deary]

Why do I keep doing this? I just bought a very sad and pathetic

Rollei 35. I guess I had hopes of at least restoring it to user

status but it looks pretty hopeless. Cosmetically it begins with the

original owner engraving his name right on the front below the Rollei

nameplate and then he engraved his drivers license ID in the most

god-awful manner on the bottom plate. The RT side is dented and

obviously droped, perhaps more than once. Mechanically its a mess!

When I can get the shutter to work, which is seldom, it is only at a

very fast speed. Diaphram will only close to F 8. The film advance

won't work unless I take the back off and turn the take up spool by

hand. On a positive note(stop laughing please) the Tessar lens looks

clear and the viewfinder is clear. And get this!! The meter still

works!! Mechanically its a disaster but the electronics is still

good--go figure.

 

The above story is bad enough but I did a similar rescue, last summer,

of a Greybaby 4X4. Film wind bad. Shutter linkage bad. Viewfinder

missing parts. Again, Why do I do this? Can anyone help me?

[daniel_iggers]

I have forwarded to you an email with a huge pdf file, containing the Rollei 35 manual, which was kindly sent to me by one of the denizens of this canteen.

[mfophotos]

Daniel: You need to follow the 5 step program from Cameraholics Anonymous. Either

that, sell everything and move to a remote island where there is no Internet access. No

more eBay, no camera swaps, and no life. On the other hand, we feel your pain...

[jorn ake]

Yep - I nearly pulled the trigger on a Rolleiflex 2.8C that was beeyootiful, except for the myriad of cross-hatchings that covered the taking lens. Not really sure what happened there, but it now it is a nice soft focus lens. I felt like somehow only I could give it the home that it required. It is still where I left it, so....

[pensacolaphoto]

Jorn: send it to me! :-)

[georg_scheck]

Gentlemen,

as to the mentioned Rollei 2,8 C:Dont you see a way of removing the frontlens element,have it polished,recoated and reassembled?Especially with the xenotar it should be a single lens element.My C is in the same condition,its as already said, a nice soft focus camera.Any ideas?

Georg

[nicolas_douez]

Daniel D. : I've brought back to life a Rollei 35 which had taken a long lasting bath in sea water. So : never despair regarding them. They have resources.

 

I was about to send you something that might be of any help but I just saw it's done already :)

 

Signed : one of the kind denizens of this canteen :)