Photo Forum / Film Photography / Darkroom / December 2005
el nikkor problem
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iga - 21 Dec 2005 13:17 GMT Hi all ! I got El Nikkor 2,8 / 50mm enlarging lens ( old version ) that looks as new outside, but has a whole bunch of black paint's bits and chips inside. Not one or two, but a whole lot. So my questions are : What could provoke this kind of problem ? Is it possible to clean it ? Thanks in advance,
 Signature Igor http://www.arrakis.es/~igapop
Gregory Blank - 21 Dec 2005 13:34 GMT > Hi all ! > I got El Nikkor 2,8 / 50mm enlarging lens ( old version ) [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Is it possible to clean it ? > Thanks in advance, Bad internal paint job, bad keeping conditions, bad handling if the lens does not make bad prints- no weird problems then it might be worth having someone internally clean it, most likely that can be done.
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Mike - 21 Dec 2005 13:55 GMT >> Hi all ! >> I got El Nikkor 2,8 / 50mm enlarging lens ( old version ) [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > it might be worth having someone internally clean it, most likely that > can be done. If you are brave, taking apart El-Nikkor lenses is pretty easy. Everything just screws apart and screws back together.
iga - 21 Dec 2005 14:10 GMT Hi ! Could you please explain the procedure ? Thanks,
 Signature Igor http://www.arrakis.es/~igapop
> >> Hi all ! > >> I got El Nikkor 2,8 / 50mm enlarging lens ( old version ) [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > If you are brave, taking apart El-Nikkor lenses is pretty easy. > Everything just screws apart and screws back together. Nicholas O. Lindan - 21 Dec 2005 16:26 GMT > Could you please explain [how to take a lens apart] Been there done that. So you know what is coming up, I have pre-posted the follow-on questions for you:
> Could you please explain [how to put a lens together again]
And the ever popular:
> I have this part left over, it looks like a half-moon with a > bite out of the outside ... is it important?
> I can't find the thing that goes from the aperture ring to > this little notch in the ... do I really need it?
There are already web sites to help you:
http://www.hermes.net.au/bayling/repair.html
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Don't mean to be all that sarcastic, but for most of us the training is OJT: "On The Job". You just start taking things apart and putting them back together again until you don't have any parts left over and everything seems to work.
There are sites, though not many, that do offer help: http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/forum/messages/board-topics.html
If you have one, or can get one, use a broken throw-away lens to practice on.
Here is what I have learned in general practices:
As you take the lens apart: 1) Take lots of notes. Make sketches. 2) Take more notes. More sketches. 3) A video will help, because you didn't take enough notes or make enough sketches These are _very_ important if you are working on a shutter.
Work on a white fuzzy towel so that when something sproings or drops it doesn't roll away.
Vacuum the floor before you start working to make it easier to find parts that sproinged and rolled away. A magnet can be a good thing to have for 'sweeping' the floor to find lost parts.
Use only the best quality tools you can find/but/beg/borrow/steal. http://medfmt.8k.com/mf/repairtools.html
There will be a tool or two you don't have. A small grinding wheel or dremel tool can help make the right size screw driver or can be used to make a special spanner wrench.
Use _exactly_ the right size screwdriver. You will not have the right size screw driver so get used to grinding down screw drivers to make an exact fit. Push in hard when unscrewing so the screw driver doesn't slip.
Don't use a lot of turning force on screw head. If the head begins to go bad stop work and give the whole thing to a repair shop. To continue working on a bad screw head without practice [or even with practice] will make things worse.
Sometimes a drop of WD-40 and a 48 hour rest in someplace warm will let a screw loosen. It won't hurt to put a drop of WD-40 [with a toothpick] on all the screw threads and ring threads you can see and let the lens rest for a few days. Clean off the WD-40 with Ronsonol before putting things back together again. _NEVER_ put screws back on with oil on the threads: you can then exert too much force and strip the threads.
To work on a lens you will need a good 'spanner wrench'. http://www.skgrimes.com/span/index.htm You probably don't have one. You can make one from an old cheap metal vernier caliper by grinding down the tips.
And on, and on ...
The only way to do it is to start doing it...
 Signature Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm
iga - 21 Dec 2005 19:33 GMT The real fun was to get brand new Nikkor for 27 Euro ! One more time - thanks to all , Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !
 Signature Igor http://www.arrakis.es/~igapop
"Nicholas O. Lindan" <see@sig.com> escribió en el mensaje news:ONgqf.7977$3Z.2143@newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> > Done ! > > 15 min job. Thanks to all ! > > You took all the fun away.... Mike King - 21 Dec 2005 16:05 GMT Taking apart a screw mount enlarging lens is much easier that say a camera lens. The only small part in the small metal ball that makes the aperture detents "click". (Loose that, the lens will still function but you'll have to set apertures visually (not a problem if you always use a meter). Everything is pretty straight forward, use only compressed air to blow out paint flakes (gently)--your breath is too moist. Use naphtha (Ronsonal lighter fluid) to remove dried lubricants. And stay away from the diaphragm unless sticking (unless you like small puzzles). For lens cleaner use a high grade lens cleaner (not Windex!) or 91% Ethanol or Isopropanol.
This is one place where a small digital camera works well, take photos as you go and lots of notes, reverse sequence when you reassemble.
There are camera fix groups (on Yahoo for example) that can give your additional advice if you need it before starting.
And if things go horribly wrong there's always that online auction thing. (Hang onto the carcass in case you ever need a Leica screw thread or parts for some gadget.)
 Signature darkroommike
> Hi all ! > I got El Nikkor 2,8 / 50mm enlarging lens ( old version ) [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Is it possible to clean it ? > Thanks in advance, Nicholas O. Lindan - 21 Dec 2005 17:58 GMT > For lens cleaner use a > high grade lens cleaner (not Windex!) Kodak lens cleaner is dishwashing detergent in tap water. It is _cloudy_. I find it leaves a residue if a drop evaporates. FWIW, the last time I used KLC was 20+ years ago.
I know 'Windex' sounds bad but I have found it is the best lens cleaner around: alcohol; ammonia; a bit of wetting agent and something blue. I think it is the 'something blue' that makes it a pariah.
The alcohol/ammonia combination will remove grease faster than alcohol will. Try cleaning the stove top with alcohol after frying bacon. Now try it with Windex.
What kills lenses is _rubbing_. The less rubbing the less damage -- so the faster the cleaner gets the greasy gunk off the better.
My experience 'flushing' a lens with 99% alcohol is that in common conditions it doesn't work. The gunk caught under the lens retaining ring gets deposited on the lens. The alcohol sucks dust [greasy skin flakes] out of the air and glues it to the lens where they dry and form little rings of crud.
My vote: Windex and Q-tips. Lots of Q-tips and a very gentle hand. Dip the Q-tip in the Windex. Don't sop Windex over the lens or it will get under the ring and make a mess. Don't try and get the last bit of crud off, 90% is plenty good enough.
Before cleaning blow the dust off. Costco sells Dust-Off cheap. Spit is better on a lens than grinding in sand particles. I did some experiments at getting dust off and the most effective regime I found is blow with Dust-off, dust lightly with a Staticmaster and blow again.
 Signature Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm
David Nebenzahl - 21 Dec 2005 18:12 GMT Nicholas O. Lindan spake thus:
>> For lens cleaner use a high grade lens cleaner (not Windex!) > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > I think it is the 'something blue' that makes it > a pariah. Yes, Windex works find on even high-quality coated optics. As the man said, the key is to rub the surface as little as possible. I prefer to use clean tissue (actually toilet paper), applying a little cleaner on the lens by spraying, then carefully wiping it.
I agree that "flushing" a lens with *anything* is a recipe for disaster, as all the dissolved oils and gunk will wash over the glass. (OK to soak the lens components minus glass, however; any good petroleum-based solvent will work, like paint thinner or naphtha--no need to spend big bux on little bitty bottles of Ronsonol either: just use garden-variety charcoal lighter.)
I've cleaned some very high-quality lenses with both Windex and alcohol (denatured or methanol) with good results.
 Signature God willing, the many crimes of the Bush Administration will eventually be printed in a nice leatherbound, multi-volume edition that will look fantastic on my bookshelf.
iga - 21 Dec 2005 17:22 GMT Done ! 15 min job. Thanks to all !
Igor http://www.arrakis.es/~igapop
> Hi all ! > I got El Nikkor 2,8 / 50mm enlarging lens ( old version ) [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Is it possible to clean it ? > Thanks in advance, Nicholas O. Lindan - 21 Dec 2005 18:03 GMT > Done ! > 15 min job. Thanks to all ! You took all the fun away....
 Signature Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm
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