Anyone reinstalled 10-bladed aperture?

sceptic · Joined: 01 Jun 2013 Posts: 255

Took my Leitz Focotar 40/2.8 enlarger apart to clean heavy dusth� (actually debris from the plastic barrel) from inside the optics and the $�$+/;?- aperture blades got disconnected from the ring that opens and closes them. I had to remove all the blades and the ring on top and there isn't enough room to put them back in their holes.

I've done this with other lenses and know the general principle for it (one blade on top of another, tucking the final blade underneath the first one). The problem here is the size of the blades; after placing 7 of the blades, there's no more room for the last 3
All the three remaining holes are covered by the blades already in place... Any suggestions?

dan_ · Expire: 2016-12-19

I did it several times with multi-bladed diaphragms. It take practice but you have to carefully position the last 3 blades beneath the others at their correct position. After some failures you'll finally succeed. I can now do it in 2-3 attempts. I don't think that there is an easier way to do it.

calvin83 · Joined: 12 Apr 2009 Posts: 7495 Location: Hong Kong

The maximum number I did is 18. Sometimes, tweezers with curved head will help you save a lot of time. The rest is practices and patient.

Lightshow · Joined: 04 Nov 2011 Posts: 3670 Location: Calgary

With some(FD lenses)I've had better success by assembling the aperture assembly outside the lens and hold it up with a small bottle or something cylindrical, then lowering the body down on it.
Putting it together in the lens will be a challenge due to the tight access, but it can be done, if you can get a 2nd person to hold down the first 7 with a Q-tip as you slide the remaining blades into their slots/holes it should be relatively easy, but by yourself it can be frustrating, the trick is to slide the last blades under the other blades while holding the others down, if the others pop out of their proper locations, you may be able to wiggle, bump, slide, etc... The blades back to their positions.