New Rubber Washer for My Hasselblad 500CM

[clark_roberts]

<p>Hi all,<br>

I purchased another Hasselblad 500CM body off ebay at a great price, so the seller said <br>

that it was a "as is no return" because of the slow closing of the rear flaps. I took a chance <br>

and won it, he was right they are slow moving so I took it apart and found out when I removed <br>

the cover that holds the spring housing the rubber washer was turning to goo!. Do they have<br>

a replacement rubber washer for that or the early 500CM parts are all gone and I have to make one<br>

which I could do. Any info would be a help, plus how many 500CM's models where there I now<br>

have a older version with what appears to be a PC socket on the side and one without what gives??</p>

<p>Clark <br>

</p>

[nathan_wong2]

<p>I hate when you buy something off EBay (or any online place) and the product's condition is far from what was described or pictured. It just makes me mad.<br>

The best thing for you to do is to look for a local camera repair place that services Hasselblad cameras and have them do a CLA on it. If you want you can send it to Hasselblad and they'll do the work too. I had a Kodak digital back a long time ago and the back wouldn't work at times. After checking all the parts with the manufacturer of the release cables and other parts everything pointed to the 500 c/m. So I took it to get a CLA and when it came back I was just shocked how well everything worked. So much better than when I purchased it. It was quite amazing. The two flaps in the back moved so much more smoothly and much faster.<br>

Hope that helps. </p>

[Keith S in Arizona USA]

<p>Clark, you should email your request to David Odess of Randolph, Massachusetts. He is a very highly regarded Hassleblad factory-trained technician. His email is hblad1@comcast.net and his phone is 781-963-1166. He also has a website. Type a search for "David Odess" to find it. There are many FAQ's also posted at his site.</p>

<p>David just overhauled my 503CX, 4 A12 magazines, and my 80mm f2 Zeiss Planar T* lens.</p>

<p>Prices were quite reasonable and the turnaround time was about 6 weeks. Any work he cannot do (which is not much,) he will refer you to the Hasselblad Service Center in New Jersey.</p>

<p>David is also very happy to answer your questions regarding service, parts and repair. You can email or phone for your needed information.</p>

<p>One of his FAQ's actually addresses the issues of the rubber washers in the 500 series cameras, so you should go to his site and read up on that easily-fixed problem. YES - parts are commonly available for the Hasselblads.</p>

[hasselblad technician]

<p>You need to replace the old brake assembly with the newer style brake assembly. I do have these in stock.<br>

<br />www.david-odess.com</p>

[John Seaman]

<p>As an Ebay seller rather than a Hasselblad expert I think it's worth pointing out that the seller did apparently describe the camera correctly, and the buyer seems happy to get it at a good price because of that.</p>

[hasselblad technician]

<p>You should find this interesting. It was taken from the "FAQ" section of my website:</p>

<h3 id="q6">Why did you install or replace the brake assembly in my camera body?</h3>

<p>There is a large, powerful spring in the camera body that opens and closes the rear flaps. The original 500 C bodies, made in 1957 and 1958, had an air piston (not unlike the piston on your storm door) which served as a shock absorber to absorb the shock of the flaps opening and closing. By absorbing the shock, the brake would prevent the upper flap from cracking at the axle.<br>

In late 1958, the entire configuration of the gears, springs and arms in the body was modified, along with the brake assembly.<br>

The new brake assembly was a vast improvement over the original brake, but problems started to develop. There was a large rubber disk in this brake, and, after years of use, the disk began to soften up and get gummy. When this happened, the flaps couldn't open and close properly and the camera would jam up.<br>

In 1970 the brake assembly was modified. The rubber disk was replaced by a metal disk with a small rubber "doughnut". It worked great. It was such a good design that, to this day, I have never seen or heard of a body jamming up because of the newer type brake assembly.<br>

But there was another problem. Not with the brake, but with some technicians. They didn't trust the new brake assembly. They had seen so many bodies jam up from the two previous versions of the brake that, when working on a body, the first thing they would do would be to remove the new style brake.<br>

Without the brake assembly, the shock of the flaps opening and closing was transmitted to the flaps themselves. The upper flap, sooner or later, would start to crack at the axle.<br>

There is no way to properly repair a cracked flap; it has to be replaced. Not only is this a pain in the neck job to do, but it is also very expensive.<br>

If I replace a brake assembly in your camera body, it is because you had the older style brake. If I install a brake assembly in your camera body, it is because someone had removed the brake.<br>

www.david-odess.com</p>

[clark_roberts]

<p>Hi David,<br>

Thank you for the info, can the new brake assembly be purchased or must be sent in <br>

for a repair?</p>

<p>Clark </p>

[richard_lane3]

Hi David.

 

I use a 500C/M but I am not at all technical. Still, I admire the aesthetics of the Hasselblad engineering and the feel of the mechanisms in these cameras. In essence, I use the camera because I like the look and the feel of the mechanisms - it is a beautiful manual instrument.

 

I cannot make too much sense of your FAQ, but I found it fascinating from the perspective of a commentary on human behavior - i.e., the progression of incremental improvements, leading to a far superior product. But then to have this thwarted by the mistrust of the recipient of the improvements - to the point that they sabotaged the good work.

 

The stuff of classical literature or the plot for a Shakespearian play.

 

Thank-you for posting it.

 

:-) ... MomentsForZen (Richard)

[hasselblad technician]

<p>Clark, I would be happy to sell you the parts for the brake assembly. Please give me a call at (781) 963-1166.</p>

[john_atkinson4]

<p>Interesting. I’ll bet that’s what is going on with mine. I was gifted a non-working 500c that was manufactured in 1961, used for about seven years, then was sitting in a box ever since. I’ve managed to get all the mechanisms working again except the rear flaps. They do not move at any point in the firing sequence. I can push them open manually, and their springs offer a nice, smooth resistance, but the flaps don’t move when firing. What’s more, the connecting rods that link to the cam don’t move either, so it’s like the cam just doesn’t move. I’ll bet that rubber has engulfed the spring like a hockey puck.</p>

[ondebanks]

<p>I read the Hasselblad threads purely out of curiosity [i'm a Mamiya man :) ] and I have to say that David's information is fascinating. Long may such experience and wisdom be shared here!</p>