Kodak Medalist I Help needed

[greg_nixon2]

 

I am working on a Kodak Medalist I.

 

Looking at the back with the back removed, on the right hand side of the chamber there is a bar called the Range Finder Couplet Bar. According to the Service Manual the bar should be be spring loaded, to set it up or down, but I'm finding it difficult to determine in which direction. On this camera it just flops about a bit and doesn't seem to sit in one direction or another,

One end of the couplet bar spring is supposed to go in a hole at or near the right hand side of the housing, but I can see no such hole.

When extending the lens tube the couplet bar gets caught on the slot of the adjusting screw bracket.

 

Are there any members who know this camera or are willing to look in the back of their Medalist I.

 

Greg

[John Seaman]

This is what mine looks like Greg. The part you label Rangefinder Couplet Bar appears fixed as the lens is focused, and it's in a more horizontal orientation than yours. Hope this helps.

 

[kmac]

Looks like Greg's has a screw missing, the silver one right near the couplet bar.

[hunter_compton]

Mike Butkus sent me the Medalist II repair manual, so I'm uploading a diagram from one page that will assist in this discussion. If you want the full manual, I suggest going to Mike directly.

 

 

The "Range Finder Couplet Bar" as you have referred to it, called the "Couplet Bar" in the manual, does not directly act on the rangefinder itself.

 

When the camera is being used normally, with roll film, the "Adjusting Screw" pushes on the "Actuating Lever." The "Actuating Lever" is coupled to the rangefinder and distance scale. The "Stud" is a locking screw, when loosened but not fully removed, the "Adjusting Screw" can be moved in and out to collimate the lens with the rangefinder and distance scale. The "Link" is attached to the "Actuating Lever", when using roll film it serves only as an infinity lock, interfacing with a bar which prevents the shutter from firing when the lens is focused beyond infinity.

 

Now, the Medalist is not only usable with roll film, but also with sheet film, plates and film packs using the accessory back. When using the accessory back, the "Couplet Bar" comes into play. The "Bracket" which the "Adjusting Screw" and "Stud" are attached to is mounted on a pivot. The accessory back has a pin on it which pushes into the body of the camera when attached. This pin pushes up on the "Couplet Bar" which transfers the force to the "Bracket" forcing it to lift. This needs to be done with the lens retracted into the body. When the "Bracket" is lifted, it causes the "Adjusting Screw" to catch on a projection further back on the "Link" when the lens is extended. By doing so, this ensures that the rangefinder and distance scale is re-calibrated so that the lens to film distance is correct when the accessory back is used. (The accessory back changes the lens to film plane distance which is why all of this is necessary.)

[greg_nixon2]

Thanks for the photos John and for the explanations Hunter and thanks for your observations kmac. There is no adjusting screw lock stud on this camera. There is a hole in the bracket where it should have been, but it has never been threaded or used.

 

I can see that the couplet bar is guided by the slot in the adjusting screw bracket. Correct me if I am wrong in this. Further down, the slot in the upper part of the couplet bar, is intersected by a plate operated by the trigger button.

 

When the focus tube is wound in, does the couplet bar disengage with the slot in the adjusting screw bracket. If so How does it re-engage when the tube is extended?

 

I do have a service manual, its the one for restricted use date October 1945.

 

Shipped with this camera are 6 film holders, a ground glass viewing back, but no accessory back.

 

 

Cheers

[kmac]

Greg, from the pictures I'm seeing on ebay, both Medalists I and II have that silver stud. I think you should investigate it further. I called it a "screw" because it has what looks like a screwdriver slot but Kodak calls it a "stud". Perhaps the stud had a thread that passed through the hole and screwed into something else. It seems to be a vital part. Maybe John could probe under the stud in his camera to see what it's connected to.

[John Seaman]

It's impossible to see what is under the stud without taking it to pieces I'm afraid.

[greg_nixon2]

It's impossible to see what is under the stud without taking it to pieces I'm afraid.

 

I don't expect anyone to take their working camera to pieces. Your two photos have been very helpful.

[kmac]

It's impossible to see what is under the stud without taking it to pieces I'm afraid.

 

What about a bent piece of wire John, to feel under the frame, or a dental type mirror and a torch ?

[John Seaman]

I can only just make out that there is not a nut, but another shaped dark metal plate below the missing stud / screw. It's of similar thickness and colour to the metal part at the front. I can's see where it goes. I don't think I can help further but good luck with it anyway.

[hunter_compton]

The couplet bar remains permanently in the slot in the adjustment screw bracket, it does not drop down at any point, unless the camera is being disassembled for servicing.

[kmac]

I can only just make out that there is not a nut, but another shaped dark metal plate below the missing stud / screw. It's of similar thickness and colour to the metal part at the front. I can's see where it goes. I don't think I can help further but good luck with it anyway.

 

That's great John, thanks. It's as I suspected, the silver one appears to pass through the unthreaded hole and screw into something else, and when it's tightened it acts as a locking screw.

 

It says it in Hunter's post ....

The "Stud" is a locking screw, when loosened but not fully removed, the "Adjusting Screw" can be moved in and out to collimate the lens with the rangefinder and distance scale.

I'm sure Greg will need the screw and whatever it screws into before he proceeds further.

[greg_nixon2]

Thanks again for your responses.

 

kmac John, that's an interesting idea but I cannot see what it would screw into or for that matter, what the adjusting screw bears upon. I'll post some more photos.

 

Here are two more photos of the interior of the camera, with the focusing tube guide removed.

 

 

This is a photo of the cutout end of the couplet bar. There's a screw and a couple of brackets. I don't know what they do, but they do impede the couplet bar being pushed fully up. In this position the bar can get caught up in the slot in the adjusting screw bracket.

 

In the service manual there is a reference to this. And the fix is to set and chock the upper range finder coupling arm.

All that happens on the mechanism plate under the range finder plate.

 

It looks like I am going to look have close look at the top mechanism and the range finder.

 

Cheers and thanks

[hunter_compton]

Greg, I just checked my own Medalist I with a dental mirror. There should be a small second plate behind the adjustment screw bracket, this is what the stud screws into and has another set of threads to lock the adjusting screw when the stud is tightened.

 

You could use blue loctite or something on the adjusting screw so that it doesn't come loose.

 

The head of the adjusting screw bears on the silver button on the end of the rangefinder actuating lever (yellow arrow), when the accessory back is attached, it pushes up the couplet bar, which pushes up the link, which pushes up the adjusting screw bracket and now the head of the adjusting screw bracket bears on the protrusion on the link (red arrow).

 

Without the stud in place, the adjusting screw bracket is probably sitting too low to bear on either of these points.

 

[greg_nixon2]

Thanks again Hunter.

 

In the photo above I can clearly see the link stud (yellow arrow). In the photos that John posted, I can see the head of the adjusting screw acting on that stud. I still don't see the plate that the RF adjusting stud locks into. The hole for the lock stud has never been threaded or show any sign of use. The same with the RF adjusting screw. It is screwed fully in with without any signs of being used. The distance scale is being rotated, so something is acting on it.

 

Thanks all for you input. I will continue trouble shooting.

 

Greg

[greg_nixon2]

I have spent a bit more time on this Medalist. There is not much more to say except for the lever on the top deck. It's referred to in the service manual as the upper range finder coupler arm (shown with red arrow). It should be chocked in place to stop the couplet bar from dropping down into the camera body.

 

 

In the camera body it is coupled to this screw and lever assy (shown in red arrow second photo). The idea is to set the lever into its position on the upper deck and push the coupler bar into its place. This keeps the range finder coupling bar up in place until it can be put in the slot in the adjusting screw bracket. I don't know what else the bottom levers under the screw head do. There are actuating bars from the cocking lever (yellow arrow) and the range finder actuating bracket (orange arrow) near that screw head.

 

Does anyone have a photo of how the spring in the coupler bar rod fits?

 

Its time to clean up the old dry grease and put it all back together. Thanks every one for your input. I'll post some photos when its all working again.

 

Cheers

Greg

[greg_nixon2]

It thought I was going to put it back together, but the camera had not finished me yet. I took the top plate off to see what was happening underneath there. I found the camera had some sticky lock levers. They will need to be cleaned and re-lubed. The last thing I was chasing was a loud squeeking noise when the lens tube was retracted back. It did not appear to be the gear that engaged with the helical gearing, rather it was on the gear or shaft connected the focus knob on the front of the camera. To get to that gear, the film spool housing has to be removed, then the spacer for top and bottom plate. Same again on the other side.

 

Shaft and Bushing Gutted

 

The Mystery Levers