H1a repair

bbshooter · Joined: 13 Feb 2010 Posts: 48 Location: Pennsylvania, USA

Does anyone know what would cause a rewind crank/spindle assembly to keep from being pulled up (to insert or remove film)? The camera works in all other respects.

peterqd · Expire: 2014-01-04

I don't know the H1a, but I would think the rewind shaft/knob is probably the same as on the Spotmatic.

There are two grooves on the rewind shaft, one at the closed and one the open position. A springy wire lies in a slot cut in the side of the tube, so that it projects into the tube and sits in the grooves, to keep the shaft in the up or down positions. When the shaft is pulled up or down, the spring compresses out of the way. The only reasons I can think of why this wouldn't work properly are:

1 The spring is seized by corrosion (very unlikely)
2 Wrong shaft - some cameras use a shorter shaft (also unlikely)
3 The shaft has been pushed right down in the camera, past the spring. The square shoulder at the top of the plain part of the shaft won't push the spring out of the way so the shaft can't be pulled up again.

The only way to cure this is to pull the spring out of its slot to allow the shaft to be pulled up, then the spring can be replaced. A simple job, but unfortunately the camera top has to be removed to get at the spring. This isn't too difficult, but you need a couple of special tools you can probably make yourself. This thread shows how to do it. Scroll down to the first picture:
http://forum.mflenses.com/international-teamwork-fixing-spotmatics-t7047,start,15.html

bbshooter · Joined: 13 Feb 2010 Posts: 48 Location: Pennsylvania, USA

Thanks peterqd for the link and the expert knowledge, I am not sure I am up for the task just yet. maybe if I can turn some of my ten thumbs into fingers : : Rolling Eyes

peterqd · Expire: 2014-01-04

That's OK, I hope you sort it out. I'd have a look at it for you, but the postage across the Atlantic is probably not worth it for you.

I was wondering, is the knob still on the shaft? Can you open the film door?

bbshooter · Joined: 13 Feb 2010 Posts: 48 Location: Pennsylvania, USA

Yes, the knob is still on the shaft and I can open the film door

peterqd · Expire: 2014-01-04

bbshooter · Joined: 13 Feb 2010 Posts: 48 Location: Pennsylvania, USA

On the H1a the spidle does not open the film door there is a seperate latch that you pull down. The spindle does not lift up at all in this particular camera. I am sure that it should otherwise you would not be able to put film in.

peterqd · Expire: 2014-01-04

bbshooter · Joined: 13 Feb 2010 Posts: 48 Location: Pennsylvania, USA

thanks for all your help Wink

unclemack · Joined: 21 Jun 2009 Posts: 51 Location: UK frozen north

Hi, as previously stated the shaft has 2 annular grooves for lower/upper positions of the shaft and a straight wire spring presses into the groove to hold it in place.
The groove is around half as deep as the spring wire is thick so that moving the shaft up or down will push the spring out of the groove.
Sometimes the groove on a well-worn camera has worn too deep and the spring wire can't pop out of the groove.
First try this: press upwards continuously on the rewind fork inside the film chamber with your left thumb while at the same time tapping lightly, repeatedly and quickly on top of the rewind knob with your right middle finger. The faster you tap the more likely you are to "climb" the spring out of the groove in tiny, tiny steps.
Sounds crazy I know, but works more often than not.
If that doesn't work you can always unscrew the rewind knob from the shaft and push the shaft down into the film chamber to remove it for examination.
Try not to break the rewind fork! Better to grip it with snipe-nosed pliers than to put something between the forks to stop it turning while you unscrew the knob.
When the shaft is out if you find the upper groove is too deep you can either chamfer the lower edge of the groove to make a "ramp" for the spring (doesn't need to be right around the shaft, you can turn the knob to find the ramp for lifting) or you can partly fill the groove.
I would make a ring of spring wire smaller than the bottom of the groove and slide it over the shaft 'til it drops in but there are other ways.
When you replace the shaft you may have to push the straight wire spring out of the way. A large sewing needle is good for this.
Good luck.

peterqd · Expire: 2014-01-04

I looked at the user manual for the S1a (same camera as H1a, different name outside USA) and I'm sure the rewind knob and spindle is the same as the Spotmatic, except that it doesn't operate the door latch.

Assuming the spindle turns OK when you turn the rewind handle, the resistance to pulling the spindle up must be because the spring is not being pushed aside by the sloping side of the groove. It might just need lubrication. The spring is just above the top of the film compartment and the easiest way of oiling it is to turn the camera upside down and dribble a tiny amount of oil from the bottom end of the spindle, inside the compartment. Keep working the crank to spread the oil and don't be afraid of pulling it up with some force - the worst that can happen is you strip the thread in the knob but I don't think you could pull that hard! In any case I can let you have a spare knob if you break it.

You can download the user manual here:
http://www.cameramanuals.org/pentax_pdf/pentax_sv_s1a.pdf

bbshooter · Joined: 13 Feb 2010 Posts: 48 Location: Pennsylvania, USA

Thanks for not giving up on me. I sent you a PM to thank you for what you already told me. I took the spindle out and looked at the groove and it was only beveled on the top oddly enough, so when I tried pulling it up
I was pulling against a hard edge. I took a dremel tool with a sanding disc
and gently beveled the bottom of the groove. I put it back in the camera
and it now will pull up! Now I can put film in it!

The spindle may not be an original Pentax ( I got the camera off a repair shelf from a camera store that went out of business a decade ago and they were cleaning out the building)
Also the spindle is larger in diameter than the spindle in the spotmatic I have so it was not interchangable.

Now to put a roll of film through it...I am sure it hasn't seen any for a long, long time!

peterqd · Expire: 2014-01-04

Great news, glad I could help a little. It had to be something wierd like that. I can send you a proper Pentax spindle off a Spottie if you want to try it.

Wow, you've got a long list of intersting stuff! Smile

bbshooter · Joined: 13 Feb 2010 Posts: 48 Location: Pennsylvania, USA

Thanks for the offer but a spotmatic spindle is not large enough in diameter to fill the hole for the spindle. I am going to give this a try
as soon as I get a chance.

I have been blesed with some interesting stuff, some of it came after
years of looking for deals and some of it was dumb luck. Last summer
someone that I didn't know called me to see if I knew anyone that would be interested in a bunch of camera equipment that was in a photo store that went out of business years earlier. I said Of course I do...ME!
I ended up with the following for $30 US total Yashicamat, AGFA Isolette III,Kodak Retina IIIC, Voigtlander vito automatic II, Rolleiflex SL35M w/50 1.8 planar, Yashica Lynx 14E, Yashica Lynx 5000 IC,Konica Autoreflex w 50 1.8,Chinon CS-4,Miranda Sensomat w 50 1.8,Mamiya Sekor 500dtl w 50 f2, Honeywell Pentax H1a w 55 f2, Konica auto S3, Sears 135 f2.8 m42 and Osawa 35-70 MD mount. Some of it had problems
but I was able to get most of it usable at least to some degree.