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I dropped my new Super D!!!

 
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MikeS



Joined: 25 Nov 2003
Posts: 71
Location: East Tennessee

PostPosted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 6:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi All.

Well, I managed to drop my Super D the other day from the top of my clothes dryer to the floor which was covered with a soft floor mat. Once my heart started beating again I picked up the camera to find that there was apparently no damage! Well, it seems there might have been some, but I'm not really sure.

Before dropping it, the focusing was smooth, but slightly on the stiff side, not overly so, but there was some tension, so when you focused on something, the camera stayed where it was focused. Now there's absolutely no tension, in fact the bellows tends to pull the front back toward the camera body, so I have to focus, and hold it there while taking a picture. I also noticed that the front standard (is that the right term for it?) now appears to be slightly crooked, when it's racked back into the camera, the right side sticks out maybe 1/32nd or so further out than the left side. To be honest, it might have been this way all along, and I just never noticed.

What's got me puzzled is that if in fact the gear rack has jumped a tooth on one side, wouldn't the focusing get much stiffer, rather than looser?

Other than this one possible problem, the camera was unhurt, not even a scratch! Try that with a newer digital camera!


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-Mike
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45PSS



Joined: 28 Sep 2001
Posts: 4081
Location: Mid Peninsula, Ca.

PostPosted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 1:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I doubt it has jumped a tooth as you suspect but has increased the lack of depth that the gear teeth enguage each other. If you can check see if both sides are the same height from the bed.(the front standard/focus pinon). Standard mechanical setting is 85%-90% of gear tooth peak to receiver depth, Graflex specifaction may varry.
Now attach a newspaper with lots of type (clasified section) to a wall. Set the camera up on a tripod,fill frame with newspaper, then using a tape measure, set camera orentation so that the same distance on each side of the camera is obtained. Measure wall to bed or body edge. Use a small level and level camera so that level reads level reguardless of angle it is set on top of the camera. Light and photograph newspaper with the center of the frame being the critical focus.[Shoot with the lens wide open]
Any shift in focus is misalignment in camera, either lens/front standard or back/film plane.


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[ This Message was edited by: 45PSS on 2004-08-13 21:07 ]
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semihemi



Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 85
Location: Boston, MA

PostPosted: Tue Aug 24, 2004 1:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For what it is worth, I had a misaligned standard on my Press. If memory serves, the alignment was out a bit more than 1/32 of an inch though. In any case, jumping the rail on one side only cured the problem 110%. The whole process took seconds so if you are in doubt give it a try. How did you make out with your diagnosis so far?

JC
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MikeS



Joined: 25 Nov 2003
Posts: 71
Location: East Tennessee

PostPosted: Tue Aug 24, 2004 2:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, after looking at it some more, I figured out what the problem was. underneath the focusing knob there's a small spring washer (I don't know what it's official name is) that puts tension on the focusing knob. Apparently when it fell, it hit the focusing knob which unsprung this washer, making the focusing too loose. I removed the knob, rebent the spring, and reinstalled the knob, and now everything is good again!



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45PSS



Joined: 28 Sep 2001
Posts: 4081
Location: Mid Peninsula, Ca.

PostPosted: Tue Aug 24, 2004 4:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That should be REFORMED the spring.
Good to hear you did not damage it.
Charles

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max



Joined: 22 Sep 2004
Posts: 10
Location: midwest

PostPosted: Thu Sep 23, 2004 8:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The focusing on my Super is kind of "dry" feeling. After working with it for a few minutes, my fingers hurt from having to use so much pressure to turn the knob.

What's the best way to lubricate this? I assume that WD40, Tri-Flow, and all others like that are bad...
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