Fixing a stuck shutter on a Yashica Lynx Rangefinder

Jesito · Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 2406 Location: Sitges, (Spain)

Hi colleagues:
After getting back from Frankfurt, I got in the mail a parcel that I was awaiting from long: The last camera I bought past year, eight weeks to arrive. It came from Ottawa (Canada). It was a Yashica Lynx IC, identical to the one with the broken sprocket. (I'm still unsure about what exact model is this, the small plate with the model name was missing...)

The seller told me it was "mint". And the camera really was, from a external point of view. I love this camera because it has a fast and sharp 1.8 yashinon lens, can work without a battery and it's manual, with speeds up to 1/1000.

But unfortunately the shutter was stuck. I was thinking in returning it, but the overall aspect was so good (even came with a leather case) that I thought I could use the broken-sprocket Lynx shutter to replace the one in this camera. And the price had been quite low, ($9.99 plus shipping), so thinking in waiting another 8 weeks to see if the parcel was getting back and so, I decided to keep it.

After looking at the net about stuck shutters, I learned there was a quick and dirty way of unlocking them: what it's called "solvent flood" (obvious meaning). So I decided to try this before going into surgery.

The first step is to get to the shutter. To do that, one needs to take out the lens. It's quite easy in these Lynx Yashicas. The lens is screwed into the barrel, so I use a soft eraser and applying a gentle pressure on it, it does starts unscrewing. The lens is not affected, the pressure is held against the top ring, no contact with the glass:

Once the lens out, we have straight access to the shutter blades, so it's a matter of gently applying solvent with a Q-tip, allowing a small quantity pouring in between the blades (very cautiously and a small quantity!).
I use Isopropylic Alcohol, (2-propanol) as a solvent. It doesn't have any water on it and evaporates quite fast, very convenient for camera works.

Once the shutter blades wet, we have to dry them with the other extreme of the Q-tip, being careful to not to let any debris on the blades.
After this, and since there has poured some solvent between the blades, we have to exercise the shutter (at that time it should be working again if was only a dry grease problem, mine worked!). At each shot we have to dry the blades from the solvent that comes from between them. I shot some 30 shots and dried the solvent until everything seemed ok and no more solvent was pouring out.

After this I left the camera under a strong desktop light for a while, to get warmer to help in getting rid of any solvent remanent traces.
I shot some more test shots and I put back the lens using the same method.

Finally I tried the plastic caps in my collection to see if anyone was fitting the Yashinon lens (the camera came without one but with a nice leather case). And bingo!. One coming from a 5 litre water bottle fitted exactly. Now I've to paint it black and draw the Yashica logo on it Wink

And that's all folks!.

Jes.

BTW, thanks to Andy for sending me the first Yashicas... They inoculated me the Yashica virii, a nice infection!. Next step in the illness are the Yashica TLRs...
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Jesito's backsack:
Zooms Sigma 18-200, Tamron 35-135 and 70-210 short, 70-210 long, 28-70 CF Macro (Adaptall)
Fixed CZJ Planar 50mm 1.7, Helios 44-2, Cosinon 28mm, CZJ Sonnar 135, Industar-61, Jupiter-9, Industar-50, CZJ Pancolar 50/1.8, Tamron 24mm, Tamron 135mm, Sands Hunter 135mm, Weltblick 135mm
DSLR Canon 350D, Pentax *1stDS, SIGMA SD-9
TLR/6x6/645 YashicaMat, Mamiya 645E, Petri 6x45, Nettar
SLR Minolta X300, Fuji STX II, Praktica VLC3, Pentax P30t, Pentax SF7, EXA500, EXA 1A, Spotmatic(2), Chinon CM-4S,
Rangefinders Chinon 35EE, Konica C35 auto, Olympus 35RC, Canonet 28, Yashica Lynx, FED-2, Yashica electro 35, Argus C3, Regula Cita III, Voigtlander Vitoret LR, Welta Welti-I, Argus C4, Kodak Signette 25, Zorki-4, Bessa-R
Compact Film Konica C35V, Voigtlander Vitorets, Minox 35 ML, Canon Prima Super 105
Compact Digital Caplio GX100, Aiptek Slim 3000, Canon Powershot 520

Life is that boring wasted time in between two pictures

Richard_D · Joined: 21 Oct 2007 Posts: 2396 Location: Faversham Kent UK

Great work and an excellent tutorial.
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Richard

The interesting bit:

Nikkors: 20mm f2.8 AIS, 24mm f2.8 AIS, 28mm f2.8 AIS, 35mm f2 AIS, 50mm f1.4 AI, 50mm f1.48AI, 50m f2 AI,
55mm f3.5 AI'd, 105mm f4 AI, 135mm f2.8 AI'd, 135mm f3.5 AI'd, 200mm f4 AI'd .
Nikon E Series: 100mm f2.8 .
Soviet Nikon Mount: Zenitar 16mm f2.8, Arsat/arax/photex 85mm T&S f2.8 .
Other: Asahi Super Takumar 55 mm f2 (M42) ,Tamron 300mm f5.6 SP, Tamron 500mm f8 SP.

DSLR: Nikon D700. 35mm SLRsNikon FE, Pentax S1a.
TLR: Rolliecord II.
Sub-Minature: Pentax Auto 110, 18mm f2.8, 24mm f2.8, 50mm f2.8.

More to come...

Flor27 · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 1202 Location: Paris, France

Nice job and nice pics too !

I've tried to clean sticky blades of a Pentacon 300/4 with Isopropylic Alcohol without success, they are sitll sticky Embarassed

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Switching from M42 to Minolta MD & Contax/Yashica

Jesito · Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 2406 Location: Sitges, (Spain)

Juanma · Joined: 01 Jan 2008 Posts: 259 Location: Cambrils, Spain

Now I know why you have so little time to make repairs. You make a tutorial with pictures of every one of your repairs, and that takes a lot of time! Laughing

Jesito · Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 2406 Location: Sitges, (Spain)

Thanks, Richard, Floriant and Juanma!

I find unvaluable when someone else does it, so I feel oblliged to do the same... I've learned a lot from the tutorials of Matt Demon, Rick Oleson, The Yashica Guy and so many others. If I can share my small experiences, maybe someone else could benefit of it and we would help to widespread the use of the film again.

Jes.
_________________
Jesito's backsack:
Zooms Sigma 18-200, Tamron 35-135 and 70-210 short, 70-210 long, 28-70 CF Macro (Adaptall)
Fixed CZJ Planar 50mm 1.7, Helios 44-2, Cosinon 28mm, CZJ Sonnar 135, Industar-61, Jupiter-9, Industar-50, CZJ Pancolar 50/1.8, Tamron 24mm, Tamron 135mm, Sands Hunter 135mm, Weltblick 135mm
DSLR Canon 350D, Pentax *1stDS, SIGMA SD-9
TLR/6x6/645 YashicaMat, Mamiya 645E, Petri 6x45, Nettar
SLR Minolta X300, Fuji STX II, Praktica VLC3, Pentax P30t, Pentax SF7, EXA500, EXA 1A, Spotmatic(2), Chinon CM-4S,
Rangefinders Chinon 35EE, Konica C35 auto, Olympus 35RC, Canonet 28, Yashica Lynx, FED-2, Yashica electro 35, Argus C3, Regula Cita III, Voigtlander Vitoret LR, Welta Welti-I, Argus C4, Kodak Signette 25, Zorki-4, Bessa-R
Compact Film Konica C35V, Voigtlander Vitorets, Minox 35 ML, Canon Prima Super 105
Compact Digital Caplio GX100, Aiptek Slim 3000, Canon Powershot 520

Life is that boring wasted time in between two pictures

Farside · Joined: 01 Sep 2007 Posts: 1877 Location: Ireland

Excellent series of repair articles, Jes. I must now attend to a couple of dirty and sticky apertures that came free with lenses I bought.
_________________
Dave

The Lenses of Farside

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