Fed 2: shutter/curtain issue?

mabelsound · 05-16-2008

I just shot my first roll on a Fed 2 today. It felt great--but half the frames are partially blanked out. Is this the curtain tension issue alluded to in the sticky? I had the shutter speed set at 500 the whole session.

Brian Sweeney · 05-16-2008

This is shutter capping, usually seen at the highest speed. Needs to be lubed and adjusted to correct.

mabelsound · 05-16-2008

Brian, at the risk of appearing kinda dumb here, is this an operation I'm capable of performing? I can do fidget's tensioning procedure no problem, I think...not sure about the lube.

nzeeman · 05-16-2008

tensioning is really easy - you can try with lowering the tension of second curtain. found a lowest tension which closes second curtain fully at B , 1/30 and 1/60. if that dont cure capping you will have to lube...

fidget · 05-17-2008

There's an important distinction to be made when describing the dark area of your photos.

As it mentions in the sticky, referring to the view of the curtains, a dark area seen on the right of the shutter gate (giving a dark portion to the left of the neg/print) is different to dark area seen on the left of the gate (giving a dark portion on the right of the neg/print).

A dark area on the right of the print indicates shutter capping whilst a dark area to the left of the print indicates a release fault. I've never had a cam which showed capping, although plenty have. Those that I have seen have very elementary faults, usually brought about by lack of lube on the release mechanism. Adjusting the curtain tension on one of these would not do very much other than possibly add other faults.

There is a thread somewhere here about a similar problem (and what to do) on a Zarya, but at the moment I can't find it.

Which side of the image is dark, is it always the same side?

wolves3012 · 05-17-2008

For what it's worth, here's my experience of the 10 or 15 FSUs that I've fiddled with in tems of tensions. Due to the design of the shutter, both curtains are controlled from the same shaft so there's a tendency for them to run naturally at the same speed. I have yet to have one cap except with grossly incorrect tensions (that doesn't mean I'm saying it can't happen since it certainly can!). I actually experimented to try and force capping on a FED 2 that had been cleaned and lubed and found it almost impossible. It needed a ridiculous second-curtain tension to make it cap.

If it is, indeed, capping, try taking half to one turn off the second-curtain tension but make sure both curtains move every time on every speed.

As fidget says, there can be several issues causing this and you need to establish what's wrong before rushing to play with tensions.

mabelsound · 05-17-2008

The dark area is on the left side of the print. When I'm testing the camera, with the lens and back off, and looking through the back, it's very clear that the dark area is on the right, the side where the take-up spool is.

I put one drop of lubricant on the gears at lower right (looking at the back of the camera), and the problem seems to have improved a bit. I'll add a little more later and get it spread around better. Also I think I'm going to get some lighter fluid and compressed air and clean everything that's easily accessible. I'm certainly not going to pay somebody to CLA a $40 camera!

This is only at 1/500 sec. All other speeds work perfectly.

Brian Sweeney · 05-17-2008

For a $40 camera, the squirt a little oil (very little at a time) approach can do wonders.

Also try a little Lighter Fluid on on some of the exposed gears to "flush" dried grease. I use a Q-tip with lintless paper wrapped around it to dab up the fluid after doing this. Helps with dried grease. My Zorki 3M would occasionally jam because of this. A few drops of Lighter Fluid on the part, and the old grease dissolved, and could be wiped up.

wolves3012 · 05-17-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by mabelsound

The dark area is on the left side of the print. When I'm testing the camera, with the lens and back off, and looking through the back, it's very clear that the dark area is on the right, the side where the take-up spool is.

I put one drop of lubricant on the gears at lower right (looking at the back of the camera), and the problem seems to have improved a bit. I'll add a little more later and get it spread around better. Also I think I'm going to get some lighter fluid and compressed air and clean everything that's easily accessible. I'm certainly not going to pay somebody to CLA a $40 camera!

This is only at 1/500 sec. All other speeds work perfectly.

That gear is linked to the restrictor gear which affects only the first-curtain travel. It looks like it's slowing the first curtain rather than having an over-tensed second one then.

mabelsound · 05-17-2008

Excellent, thanks a lot! Yeah, I'm familiar with using oil judiciously from servicing my tape machines. It's amazing how familiar the mechanism of this camera is to me as a result...it's all about tension and consistency.

mabelsound · 05-17-2008

FYI, two more drops of lubricant did it--the camera now fires fine at 1/500.

Unfortunately I developed my first roll and it's a mess. The Industar-61 the camera came with is a terrible copy--coating worn off, wobbly, etc. There are light leaks galore, and the film is misaligned, so that the exposure extends way down into the guide holes. Not one decent salvageable photo.

I think it's time for some more DIY!

fidget · 05-17-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Sweeney

For a $40 camera, the squirt a little oil (very little at a time) approach can do wonders.

Did I write in the past about my "Fully CLA'd" FED2 bought from a Ukraine seller? Ha-ha, it worked well, in fact it still does, but it had a oil leak from under the top. Not-too-judicious use of oil?

wolves3012 · 05-17-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by fidget

Did I write in the past about my "Fully CLA'd" FED2 bought from a Ukraine seller? Ha-ha, it worked well, in fact it still does, but it had a oil leak from under the top. Not-too-judicious use of oil?

My first FED 2 was similar but bought from the UK. That one leaked oil onto the pressure plate and all over. Had to strip it to remove the excess. I think it had just been sprayed with WD40 or something similar.