Fed 2 No.220686 shutter issue

[patrick_lewis2]

I just received my new fed 2 from Ukraine today. It is great except for one

thing: light leaks through the shutter curtain - especially after it's cocked.

It looks like there may be a layer of fabric missing, but is there any other

thing that could be wrong? Also, is fixing these things an all-day event? Is

there any way of getting new shutter fabric material? Thanks for any help!

[winfried_buechsenschuetz1]

The shutter curtains are made from rubberized fabric. It may happen that the rubber coating "dries out" over time and gets cracks and pinholes. In your case it seems as if the first curtain (i.e. the one which covers the film when the shutter is cocked) is leaking.

 

Shutter fabric is still available, from Micro-Tools and some other sources. I think there are even sellers selling spare parts for the FED shutters. With some experience in camera tinkering you might be able to replace the curtains yourself. Also, any experienced repair person should be able to do this. But regarding the commercial value of a FED2 you might be better off buying a replacement and asking the seller for possible faults BEFORE buying.

[patrick_lewis2]

Yeah, I don't blame the seller really. It's impossible to notice, unless you hold it up to the light. But I took the lens off right after I posted, and, lo and behold, the rubber stuff your talking about is peeled clean off of most of the second curtain. Would something like fabric paint work to seal the leak? I figure it's worth a try, since it will have to be replaced anyway. I really want to get it working, because everything else in in great shape. Thanks for the help.

[mark_hahn]

fabric paint works fine on shutters that aren't rubberized, but once rubber starts going it pretty has had it.

 

There are instructions online... fabric/kits are pretty cheap, so if you are into trying the repair, go for it! What's the worst that could happen? You don't get a camera that is officially worthless back together? And if you succeed you you have a very nice rangefinder with brand new curtains and ready to last as long as there is film to put in it.

[rogerwb]

Check here http://jay.fedka.com/

 

there is also a US site fedka.com who does reasonably priced overhauls.

[michael_gilday]

Not to put a damper on your DIY enthusiasm, but there's a famous (in Russian-camera circles, anyway) fellow in Moscow named Oleg who does complete overhauls of Feds, Zorkis, et cetera - including new shutter curtains - for about $50, plus shipping. Simply replacing the shutter curtains isn't a terribly difficult task - just time-consuming - but getting the shutter tensioned correctly and firing at or near the right speeds is rather more complicated, and something I prefer to leave to experts. Once bitten, twice shy...

 

I had Oleg overhaul a Mir (basically a Zorki-4) about, oh, six years ago, maybe, and was - and still am - delighted with the results. Yeah, it costs more than you paid for the camera, but that's the way it goes with getting stuff repaired in these days of cheap disposable goods...

[mark_hahn]

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

[glenn_mabbutt]

I had my Fed-2 completely overhauled and the shutter curtains replaced by Fedka's repair guy. I had him also CLA the FED-50 collapsible lens while he was at it.

 

Truly fantastic job. More expensive than Oleg, and frankly likely more expensive than just getting another FED-2, but I consider it worth it - my FED-2 was a gift (from a very generous fellow p.netter), and by getting it overhauled I'm certain it's going to work well for some time.

[tri-x1]

Oleg isn't in Moscow. He's in one of the Russian Mari El Republic. He does wonderful work. I've had him repair several FSU cameras for me.

[patrick_lewis2]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. It turned out to be the rubber backing, like you said. I coated it with fabric paint, and it seems to have blacked it out, but I am yet to see the outcome of the test of time. Nothing to lose, since it's worthless without the shutter anyway. Thanks again.

[subbarayan_prasanna]

Shutter curtain material 0.2mm is available from Japan from Mr Asahi. It is 10 inches by 8 inches and one could make about 4 or 5 curtain sets for 35mm cameras. Costs less than $15 and has a sandwich layer of rubber in the middle and fabric on both sides. I made curtains from that for my Exakta IIB. Works well. You may check this on e-bay "Aki-Asahi Custom Camera Coverings".

Only for the ribbon take care to use a braided ribbon tape, from a neighborhood school supply store. The Japanese ribbon [supplied] is machine made and has one single string holding all the strands together. If the end of it gets stuck in the rubber adhesive and you pull it, accidentally, then the ribbon would vanish instantly and you will be left with a bunch strands. The curtain material is excellent, though; better than the original in my Exakta! Your total cost, if you DIY will be only about $5 per camera. Good luck!

[larry davis]

I just got back my first roll of film from my FED-2. In some of the shots there is a bit of light leak on the left side of the exposure. If this was a 60's camera I would attribute it to bad seals. Is this what a leaky curtain looks like? The light leak is not severe and fairly uniform along the edge of the exposure and decrease to none about an eigth of the way across the picture.

[larry davis]

Here's the worst light leak shot. SOme show none, others less.<div></div>