Petri Flex stopped flexing

[jim_eckberg]

<p>I was preparing to load my Petri Flex SLR with film for a few winter shots. I thought I'd warm up the springs and gears first by shooting some blanks. I wound and shot the camera several times as I have done before. All went well. Suddenly on the next wind, the camera's shutter release wouldn't trip the shutter. Nothing to do with the self-timer, and I didn't change any setting such as shutter or aperture. Weird. Just stopped working.</p>

<p>If you have any diagnosis, let me know. I really don't want to part this camera out if I don't have to.</p>

<p>If it's major surgery that's called for, does anyone have any experience in taking off the top or bottom plate and releasing the shutter down in the guts? I've revived a couple of other older cameras by doing this before and thought one of you might know the trick.</p>

<p>The Petri is not a camera I care all that much about, I happen to have acquired it with a batch of other cameras. I don't mind disassembling it if there's a chance I can disengage the blocked gear or release arm that's stopping the shutter from working.</p>

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

[John Farrell]

<p>Jim - check that the shutter is fully wound - with the lens off and the back open, lift the mirror and place a finger either side of the curtain, and try carefully to move it in the winding direction. If the curtain moves, it will latch, and you should be able to release it.<br />The camera, though, probably needs a CLA. Petries have an odd construction; there is a master shaft running along the bottom of the camera, which connects the shutter shafts. Thomosy suggests this can jam the shutter release, if the master shaft spring is wound too tightly.</p>

[jim_eckberg]

<p>Thanks, John. Before I posted, I took the bottom plate off and saw the oddball construction with that long shaft you wrote about. I got scared and put the plate back on. I'll need some very specific information before I begin poking about.</p>

<p>Given the very low value of the Petri, I don't think getting it serviced will happen very soon. I'll try your suggestions first. Thanks again.</p>

[peter_naylor1]

<p>Hi, Jim I think you've hit the hammer on the head with the low value of Petri SLRs making CLAs a pointless exercise. I've had a few over the years, and although the lenses are very good the quality of the cameras' internals isn't. </p>

<p>I once took a similar Petriflex to yours into our Perth Camera Repair Guru because it had an erratic wind problem. Specifically, it would wind and fire OK three or four times then on the next one - nothing. The Guru took the base plate off and pointed out the problem immediately - worn brass gear teeth. Apparently Petri had gone the El Cheapo route in the late 60s and were fitting brass gears in relatively high torque areas where hardened steel would have been a better option. For a low-useage camera, that wouldn't be a problem, but with reasonable use the brass gear teeth just wear away.</p>

<p>Somewhere I've got an advert from the 60s for the Petriflex with the blurb that it was 'Guaranteed For Life'. I guess the fact that the venerable Petri Camera Co., previously Kuribayashi, went broke in 1977 suggests they might have known that LIfe Was Shorter Than You Might Think .....</p>

<p>PETE IN PERTH</p>