Film Advance Issue - Ricohflex Diamond G

[charles_mauer]

I now have my grandfathers Ricohflex Diamond G TLR from the 60's. Everything

seems to be working fine, clean and timed correctly, but the film advance has

been overlapping images. The first two frames are always fine, but then it

gradualy overlaps untill the last few frames are unusable.

 

I know it's cheaper to buy new rather than fix, but this seems that mechanicaly

it would be a simple fix but I cant find any repair manuals for this model. If

anyone knows any information, good or bad, it would save me a lot of time.

Thanks.

[alvin_hear]

I'd check this <a href="http://www.deansphotographica.com/deans_of_idaho/repair_pics/repair_page.html">repairman who works on Diacords</a><p>

Or check this <a href="http://members.aol.com/dcolucci/tlr.htm">Ricoh Diacord Page</a><p>Good luck, AH

[chuck_foreman1]

Hi Charles,

 

I'm sorry I don't have a solution.

I recall recently here is this forum a phenmomen was discussed. And it occured to me as you said "gradually". It was proposed by

one of the contributors that older film was thicker and the paper backing was also thicker. The tension isn't the same as it used to be and also a physical properties of less turns necessary for more film travels as the spool becomes fuller. Typically in the TLRs there is long shaft running at an angle with small wheel that provides tension on the take-up spool. I'd look there and see if its may be stuck and not giving the right service.

Good Luck!

[winfried_buechsenschuetz1]

Basically there are two designs for automatic frame spacing.

 

One design uses a "measuring roller", i.e. a rubber-coated shaft, to detect actual film displacement during advancing. After a certain number of turns, this shaft will stop the advance mechanism. If the rubber coating has hardened, there is not sufficient friction. Anyhow, this defect would rather cause too much space between frames.

 

Another design uses a disc with slots at varying intervals. This disc is driven by the advance mechanism via gears and is supposed to make approx. 1 complete turn for one complete roll of film. On its edge there are grooves which will stop the film advance mechanism. Since the number of turns of the advance button/crank necessary for one frame decreases (as the take-up roll diameter increases), the slots marking each frame get closer towards frame #12. This mechanism is NOT adjustable (except for obvious problems with the gears).

 

I had the same problem with an old Semflex TLR (using the second design). I could solve it by putting a strip of thin cardboard on the shaft of the take-up spool. With a newer Semflex (using the same layout) this problem never occured. I have heard, too, that older #120 film had thicker backing paper and hence needed more turns for a single frame than today's film.

[pc1]

send Rick Oleson or maybe Mike Elek a message and ask him how you could perhaps do the adjustments yourself , he's very knowledgeable with fixing old cameras . he might even have photos showing the step by step procedure . Good luck ! PC